New Zealand lo-fi pop from Turbulence Records.

BIG THIEF have already released one of my favorite albums of 2019, "U.F.O.F.", earlier in May. When I heard that they were releasing another album in the same year I got so stoked! However, I'm one of those people who doesn't like change. I was definitely nervous the album wasn't going to be as good. Especially when I read that Adrianne Lenker had stated the album was "very different" than "U.F.O.F." Apparently "TWO HANDS" was recorded at the same time as "U.F.O.F." So to me that was a very good sign. After the first listen it has 100% met & exceeded all positive expectations I had. "TWO HANDS" hits you right in the chest with the amount of heart & soul the members of Big Thief put into their music. Perhaps not as unique as "U.F.O.F.", but still very much a weirder folk rock record. Recorded with almost no overdubs & apparently all but two songs feature live vocal takes, you can definitely feel the genuine realness of this album. A bit more grounded, but also familiar & comfortable. "TWO HANDS" is definitely a different album but you can tell it is related to "U.F.O.F." Siblings with their own unique personalities. Truly an excellent album just in time for the death of summer's heat & the shift into autumn's cool & crisp embrace. As HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as it can get!

FEATURING KIM GORDON (SONIC YOUTH) AND BILL NACE (OPEN MOUTH RECORDS).

Bon Iver is a household name as of the summer of 2011, however in 2008 Justin Vernon was just a bearded-guy who self-released (!!!) his now epic album, "For Emma, Forever Ago." Instead of listing Vernon's accolades since his last release, we instead prefer to concentrate on what his growth has produced. This self titled album is possibly the most hyped release of the year and it showcases the maturity of an artist from secluded folk "croons-man" to a confident, harmonizing machine. His vocal timbre is one of sensitivity but also sounds controlled and capable. Artists we would liken this album to would be the production quality and songs of Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, Springsteen's 1994 single "Streets of Philadelphia" and other albums you might find in your Mother's collection (music affectionately called "Mom-jams" here at Reckless). That's a mature batch of music but this is only encouraged by Vernon's cover and of the Bonnie Raitt ballad "I Can't Make You Love Me." Say what you will, but this album cannot fail - the energy behind this man and his music is too strong to deny. Jagjaguwar FTW.