Big Thief had only just finished work on their 3rd album, U.F.O.F. ndash ldquothe celestial twinrdquo ndash days before in a cabin studio in the woods of Washington State. Now it was time to birth U.F.O.F.rsquos sister album ndash ldquothe earth twinrdquo ndash Two Hands. 30 miles west of El Paso, surrounded by 3,000 acres of pecan orchards and only a stonersquos throw from the Mexican border, Big Thief a.k.a. Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik, and James Krivchenia set up their instruments as close together as possible to capture their most important collection of songs yet. Where U.F.O.F. layered mysterious sounds and effects for levitation, Two Hands grounds itself on driedout, cracked desert dirt.nbspIn sharp contrast to the wet environment of the U.F.O.F. session, the southwestern Sonic Ranch studio was chosen for its vast desert location. The 105degree weather boiled away any clinging memories of the green trees and wet air of the previous session. Two Hands had to be completely differentmdash an album about the Earth and the bones beneath it. The songs were recorded live with almost no overdubs. All but two songs feature entirely live vocal takes, leaving Adriannersquos voice suspended above the mix in dry air, raw and vulnerable as ever. Big Thief LP is available for home delivery from Vinyl Records London, only £17