Been a long time since a debut from a singer-songwriter hit me this hard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmGVIvf8Q6s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKiAQzYKrVo
"Rejoice" is a performance for the ages
― Evan R, Thursday, 5 November 2015 20:49 (eight years ago) link
Kind of reminds me of hearing Because I Was In Love for the first time and appreciating that this is a songwriter who will probably go on to make better records, but will probably never make one this raw and pure again
― Evan R, Thursday, 5 November 2015 20:51 (eight years ago) link
oh yeah this record gave me a nervous breakdown
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Thursday, 5 November 2015 22:12 (eight years ago) link
I had to take breaks from it when I first started listening to it, now I can't pull myself away. Just finished my fourth listen today.
― Evan R, Friday, 6 November 2015 03:11 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fynGDdomiI4
― Evan R, Monday, 9 November 2015 21:05 (eight years ago) link
lol sorry if you feel alone in this thread evan, this is a really stunning record that deserves more attention (it's getting huge in the emo circles i run in tbf)
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 9 November 2015 21:47 (eight years ago) link
this is the one that kills me (i listened to it for the first time like... two days before a breakup)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xj72bDud40
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 9 November 2015 22:01 (eight years ago) link
really good record, title track is the killer for me, so economically crushing.
― the naive cockney chorus (Simon H.), Monday, 9 November 2015 22:14 (eight years ago) link
It's a top 5 of the year record for me. And it is funny, it does push my "I love this and so I want other people to really love this, too" button in a way I usually don't allow
― Evan R, Wednesday, 11 November 2015 16:25 (eight years ago) link
I'm impressed by how much she does here. A lot of songwriters around her age/from her scene thrive on small, slice of life, slice of relationship songs, but she takes such a bigger view. She's writing about addiction, dependency, faith, mortality—all these huge topics it's really hard to do justice to in such intimate songs, but somehow she pulls it off. It's a big album disguised as a little one.
― Evan R, Wednesday, 11 November 2015 16:28 (eight years ago) link
Pulse is slowFaint metronome on my left sideBeneath my protruding spineYou can hardly hear the knifeLying flat, blind onCovering my sunken eyesAnd the line rightfulAimed at my sick mind
This album might have topped my EOY lists if I'd had just a little more time with it. Been listening nonstop and somehow I'm still loving it more each time.
― Evan R, Tuesday, 24 November 2015 19:51 (eight years ago) link
I have nothing to add other than that I agree this is a very good record.
― michaellambert, Tuesday, 24 November 2015 20:10 (eight years ago) link
i'm hearing lyrics that might seem trite or cliched on paper, but she really sells them
― yes wave (rip van wanko), Tuesday, 24 November 2015 20:47 (eight years ago) link
yeah it's her voice that tells the story usually
― Evan R, Tuesday, 24 November 2015 21:43 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME1gGWsK9rE
I'm probably just gonna keep bumping this thread until every song from the album has been posted here b/c I love them all
― Evan R, Monday, 30 November 2015 21:19 (eight years ago) link
I think it's a beautifully recorded album. That video there sounds lovely too. I'm a total sucker for that type of guitar sound. I should play more. Or at all.
― michaellambert, Monday, 30 November 2015 22:09 (eight years ago) link
"I've kissed enough bathroom sinks to make up for the lovers who never loved me"
― Evan R, Thursday, 3 December 2015 20:22 (eight years ago) link
I've only been able to listen to this album twice in total. it is so impressive and gorgeous and spacious and I literally can't listen to it without crying haha
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 December 2015 20:31 (eight years ago) link
Yeah I could only digest it in tiny nibbles for the first week or so, but it's been a constant companion since I got inoculated to it. (I still have to skip "Sometimes" and "Rejoice" some days though)
― Evan R, Thursday, 3 December 2015 20:39 (eight years ago) link
I think her use of space is the most remarkable thing about this. it's like hovering over a black hole
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 December 2015 21:14 (eight years ago) link
I just let the silence swallow me upThe ring in my ears tastes like bloodAsking aloud, "Why you leavin'?"But the pavement won't answer me
― Evan R, Friday, 18 December 2015 01:20 (eight years ago) link
Also enjoying the 2013 LP from Baker's previous band, which is on Bandcamp. A lot of it sounds like Paramore by way of Codeine
http://thestarkillerstn.bandcamp.com/track/vertical-cities-2
― Evan R, Monday, 21 December 2015 19:17 (eight years ago) link
A lot of it sounds like Paramore by way of Codeine
oh this will probably actually kill me
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Monday, 21 December 2015 19:33 (eight years ago) link
The passion itt has spurred me to check this out. Can I just say, though, that I only opened the thread in the first place because I misunderstood and thought that Sprained Ankle, My God was a really hilarious album title.
― Some Pizza Grudge From Twenty Years Ago (Old Lunch), Monday, 21 December 2015 19:51 (eight years ago) link
Can I just say, though, that I only opened the thread in the first place because I misunderstood and thought that Sprained Ankle, My God was a really hilarious album title.
Well it took me reading this post to realize that was not the title...
(I would listen to the songs posted here but for the most part they're not available in my country, I don't get the fucking logic behind doing that if you're an artist or a label)
― moans and feedback (Dinsdale), Monday, 21 December 2015 20:14 (eight years ago) link
People who forget it's the 21st C. clinging to antiquated models of media distribution iirc.
― Some Pizza Grudge From Twenty Years Ago (Old Lunch), Monday, 21 December 2015 20:17 (eight years ago) link
raise yr hand if you recognized the "In Christ Alone" melody right away
― alpine static, Monday, 21 December 2015 20:20 (eight years ago) link
man this star killers record is amazing
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Monday, 21 December 2015 20:41 (eight years ago) link
like REALLY amazing
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Monday, 21 December 2015 20:58 (eight years ago) link
I was thinking "holy shit it's an album tailor-made for Brad" the first few times I heard it.
I like the structuring of it, where the plucky, emo-y opening stretch gives way to spacier, moodier songs as the album goes on. So much good material here. And that last song really foreshadows her solo record
― Evan R, Monday, 21 December 2015 21:43 (eight years ago) link
it has become my favorite album from 2015, ordered the cd a week ago
it is amazing
― niels, Thursday, 14 January 2016 15:07 (eight years ago) link
I'm thinking about driving to Madison (a three-hour round trip) this Saturday to see her play an opening set on a bill with three other bands. My guess is she'll play 20 minutes tops? But it's still tempting.
― Evan R, Thursday, 14 January 2016 18:38 (eight years ago) link
I really hope she does a European tour but at the same time I'm already nervous abt the crowd cause it would need to be pretty quiet for her show to work I imagine
somehow listening to the album alone is perfect setting
― niels, Thursday, 14 January 2016 18:42 (eight years ago) link
I saw a post on Facebook about a London show.
― NWOFHM! Overlord (krakow), Thursday, 14 January 2016 21:49 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw-qbPq1y70
― Evan R, Sunday, 24 January 2016 23:17 (eight years ago) link
this is really goodbut i'm not going to listen to this againjust to make a couple references to things i listened to when i was younger and more prone to want to wallow in my own sadness
(this is not to say this is stylistically the same this is way more 00s indie/post-emo)
but it reminds me of the first elliot smith album and a lot of the songs: ohia/magnolia electric co. in that it's the type of music that wants to "pull you under" so to speak and i think she's good and talented but nope nope nope
― Amira, Queen of Creativity (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 25 January 2016 15:15 (eight years ago) link
niels, she has a handful of dates in Belgium, UK, Spain and Germany at the end of May listed here: https://www.facebook.com/julienrbaker/app/308540029359/
― NWOFHM! Overlord (krakow), Monday, 25 January 2016 17:07 (eight years ago) link
great news!
the type of music that wants to "pull you under" so to speak and i think she's good and talented but nope nope nopeso damn otm (but yes yes yes)
― niels, Monday, 25 January 2016 18:52 (eight years ago) link
yeah i get the same feeling as ums, which is why i've listened to this album approximately 3 times in total
it's amazing still
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Monday, 25 January 2016 18:57 (eight years ago) link
Also obv I hope there is more distance between her and her work than the two I mentioned
― Amira, Queen of Creativity (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 26 January 2016 00:22 (eight years ago) link
this album, my god
― alpine static, Tuesday, 2 February 2016 18:19 (eight years ago) link
Do you think that there's a way I could ever get too farThat you'd ask me where I'd beenLike I ask you where you are?
UK and European tour dates!
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/12687879_1285637934785433_2776795949432720901_n.jpg?oh=2323eb2ed0cbe599271431545a3fe63a&oe=57669B12
― NWOFHM! Overlord (krakow), Monday, 8 February 2016 17:43 (eight years ago) link
I guess I'll have to go on a small vacation - anyone happen to know that one of these venues is particularly great?
was talking to a friend abt this record - we both feel there's an age specifity to some of the emotions Baker expresses, and at first this made us appreciate the record from a distance, but then it pulls you in, and suddenly it's like being a teenager again, let's you access some p strong emotions
(not sure if I'm expressing myself clearly, certainly don't want it to come off as patronizing)
― niels, Tuesday, 9 February 2016 11:13 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxTjko70fBg
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 11 February 2016 05:14 (eight years ago) link
whoa thanks for posting! i jsut watched the full concert vid and they mentioned east coast tour, which i didn't know about :)
― Worth Taking from Little Kid (Will M.), Thursday, 11 February 2016 16:49 (eight years ago) link
New song for NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. It's sad and pretty, like all the others
http://www.npr.org/2016/03/04/469247254/julien-baker-tiny-desk-concert?autoplay=true
― Evan R, Monday, 7 March 2016 21:37 (eight years ago) link
yeeeees she's coming to Aarhus in May!
― niels, Friday, 18 March 2016 11:30 (eight years ago) link
I drove from Mississippi to Nashville to see her a week or two ago, because I feel the same way. Her record reminds of when the first Smiths record came out when I was a teenager. Not that it sounds anything like the Smiths, but there is that same feeling that this person is articulating emotions that I have felt. You could have heard a pin drop while she was playing, she had the room in the palm of her hand, although her between-song banter was self-deprecating and funny.
Aside from the lyrics, I love how the music is sooooooo spare and spartan: she gets an awful lot out of one or two chords and a delay pedal. In that regard, it reminds me of the very early Durutti Column records, if they were slowed and stripped down even further.
― Driver 8, Saturday, 19 March 2016 06:50 (eight years ago) link
The musical side of it is so perfect, just can't imagine these songs any other way.
― michaellambert, Saturday, 19 March 2016 14:31 (eight years ago) link
No idea how I made it so long without posting this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSgWPJy01es
― Evan R, Thursday, 31 March 2016 15:17 (seven years ago) link
evan have you seen her live yet
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 31 March 2016 15:18 (seven years ago) link
Nope, seeing her in a few weeks in Madison. Super excited but also nervous to revisit all these songs from the darkest point of my life in a public place.
In all the live videos she somehow sounds just as good as she does on the album so I have pretty high hopes.
― Evan R, Thursday, 31 March 2016 15:23 (seven years ago) link
yeah i saw her in san francisco last month. it was tremendous. pin drop quiet
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 31 March 2016 15:30 (seven years ago) link
i get some nina nastasia vibes from her occasionally but she's very much her own thing
― nomar, Thursday, 31 March 2016 17:03 (seven years ago) link
Saw her a second time a couple of weeks ago in a small venue that's usually full of noisy drunk people, but she does get people to shut up and pay attention.
Leaving aside the lyrics, within the self-imposed box of the minimal style she has chosen to employ on this album, she is really a tremendous guitar player with a great sense of dynamics.
― Driver 8, Saturday, 2 April 2016 00:52 (seven years ago) link
I showed "sprained ankle" to one of my students on Tuesday and he had already recorded a cover by Thursday
― get a long, little doggy (m bison), Saturday, 2 April 2016 01:28 (seven years ago) link
I can't believe how young she is. Up with Julia Holter as a major new player in Americsn music
― beamish13, Saturday, 2 April 2016 05:23 (seven years ago) link
uh i dont really put em in the same building tho
― get a long, little doggy (m bison), Saturday, 2 April 2016 05:24 (seven years ago) link
also julia holter has been recording for a minute
― get a long, little doggy (m bison), Saturday, 2 April 2016 05:25 (seven years ago) link
ur gonna run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlVp9W6LvTQ
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Saturday, 2 April 2016 17:48 (seven years ago) link
Seeing her soon and stoked! I predict crying in public!
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Saturday, 2 April 2016 22:55 (seven years ago) link
ok i covered sprained ankle, toohttps://soundcloud.com/matthewmathieu/sprained-ankle-julien-baker
― get a long, little doggy (m bison), Sunday, 3 April 2016 05:19 (seven years ago) link
^^^^that is awesome.
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Sunday, 3 April 2016 14:38 (seven years ago) link
http://www.stereogum.com/1869199/julien-baker-the-ballad-of-big-nothing-elliott-smith-cover/mp3s/
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Monday, 4 April 2016 17:15 (seven years ago) link
Excellent show last night. Kind of an eerie moment when, after taking in the entire set in stone silence, the crowd worked up the courage to start singing along with "Something."
― Evan R, Sunday, 17 April 2016 16:49 (seven years ago) link
holy shit there were a ton of people at her Minneapolis show on Friday. where are people talking about her besides here?
― Ys Man a.k.a. Have One on G (geoffreyess), Sunday, 17 April 2016 16:54 (seven years ago) link
Seems like a situation where people are just gradually converted as they discover her. Glad I caught a club show; I wouldn't be surprised if she's playing theaters by the time she tours behind her next album
― Evan R, Monday, 18 April 2016 14:56 (seven years ago) link
Amazing live. Also it was my first time trying MDMA (in slightly too small a dose, I think), which made it extra nice.
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 20 April 2016 04:26 (seven years ago) link
i'm seeing her tonight! no mdma tho.
― yellow despackling power (Will M.), Wednesday, 20 April 2016 14:46 (seven years ago) link
Again marveling at what a remarkable feat this album is. Over the last six months nearly every track on it has been my favorite at some point (most recently I landed on "Good News" as the clear standout, but that could change). Can't think of a recent record that unfolded and grew on me at such a systematic pace. I never burn out on the record, because every time I think I've finally tapped it dry, a different song starts speaking to me.
― Evan R, Thursday, 28 April 2016 16:02 (seven years ago) link
Ack, jesus christ speak of the devil
http://www.stereogum.com/1874106/watch-julien-baker-sing-good-news-with-sharon-van-etten-in-nyc/video/
― Evan R, Thursday, 28 April 2016 16:09 (seven years ago) link
i saw her and it was remarkable, really could hear a pindrop (except for the creaky-ass floor at the venue... at one point someone near the front needed to go to the washroom or something, and she walked away, and it was SO LOUD)
after seeing her live, rejoice absolutely jumped out, what a song
― yellow despackling power (Will M.), Thursday, 28 April 2016 16:39 (seven years ago) link
saw her live friday, absolutely amazing - entire show was a highlight but "everybody does", "good news", "blacktop" and "go home" stood out for me, eyes welling up
quickly ran into her later and she came off as the nicest person, as she also does in recent piece published on p4k
while the songs feel very contemporary to me in their intimacy, I couldn't help but feel they could become part of the western cannon same way as dylan/joni/browne/townes/etc's stuff
― niels, Monday, 23 May 2016 10:27 (seven years ago) link
bury me with this album
― Evan R, Friday, 1 July 2016 19:59 (seven years ago) link
NPR is streaming her set at Newport. Starts a bit slow but it's greathttp://www.npr.org/event/music/488354526/julien-baker-live-in-concert-newport-folk-2016
― video2000, Wednesday, 3 August 2016 20:46 (seven years ago) link
Signed to Matador, no shock there. "Funeral Pyre" is a bruiser.
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 11 January 2017 13:56 (seven years ago) link
Do you reckon we'll get a second album this year following the Matador signing? I really hope so.
― NWOFHM! Overlord (krakow), Wednesday, 11 January 2017 14:17 (seven years ago) link
seconded
― niels, Wednesday, 11 January 2017 14:36 (seven years ago) link
I think there's a very good chance of that happening, yeah
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 11 January 2017 14:38 (seven years ago) link
Funeral Pyre sounds great
Wonder if she'll record with a band now she's on a bigger label
― niels, Thursday, 12 January 2017 13:48 (seven years ago) link
― Evan R, jueves 5 de noviembre de 2015 20:51 (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Ha! I was just talking about this with a friend yesterday. She's 21 I think? She certainly has the potential talent to continue doing even better music but as she gets older it's a given that sensitive types of singers get a bit burnt down and they stop delivering heavily emotional performances. Most I've seen become more tired, more cynical or simply start becoming more obsessed about layering sounds in the studio instead of raw performances.
I don't think she'll ever be as
― dance cum rituals (Moka), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 18:58 (seven years ago) link
Whoa pushed submit by accident. Anyways watch her live while you can!
― dance cum rituals (Moka), Wednesday, 1 February 2017 19:01 (seven years ago) link
I listened to "Sprained Ankle" the other week and it almost broke me in half
― monotony, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 22:21 (seven years ago) link
but it was just a sprain, tho?
― Spottie, Wednesday, 1 February 2017 22:23 (seven years ago) link
"Everybody Does" sends these weird and terrible shivers down my spine every time.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Saturday, 4 February 2017 09:01 (seven years ago) link
new song "distant solar systems" is out there
― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Friday, 17 March 2017 14:53 (seven years ago) link
Almost breezy by her standards!
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Friday, 17 March 2017 15:10 (seven years ago) link
another new song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI7fFavJQ0k
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Saturday, 10 June 2017 16:07 (six years ago) link
sounds great, digging the guitar work
― niels, Saturday, 10 June 2017 16:42 (six years ago) link
also: https://www.instagram.com/p/BUpXYC5AE2s/
new album turn out the lights out october 27
https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5994f719b5493d7110d146be/master/pass/JB_cover02.jpg
new song "appointments" is on spotify and etc.
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 17 August 2017 14:36 (six years ago) link
Yay! Looking forward to crying all November.
― devvvine, Thursday, 17 August 2017 14:43 (six years ago) link
sounds great!
loving the cover, wonder if it's for sale as a poster somewhere?
― niels, Thursday, 17 August 2017 17:00 (six years ago) link
cool I'm tearing up at work
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Thursday, 17 August 2017 17:48 (six years ago) link
her voice is huge in the last bit, my goodness
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Thursday, 17 August 2017 18:10 (six years ago) link
only songwriter who's ever made me physically reluctant to press play for fear of what she might make me experience
Her first album is inextricably associated with a personal trauma, so that's a big part of it, but she's the only artist that's given me that feeling. Like, I don't even know a way of describing it that isn't completely hyperbolic. I don't feel like I'm listening to the songs, I feel like they're happening to me, the evocations are so strong.
― Evan R, Thursday, 17 August 2017 21:09 (six years ago) link
The first new song is great, shivers down the back of the neck at the finale!
― brain (krakow), Thursday, 17 August 2017 22:30 (six years ago) link
Video for Appointments just released: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdBu21i9aEE
I really like the latter stages.
― brain (krakow), Thursday, 14 September 2017 16:24 (six years ago) link
i thought the first album was called 'sprained ankle, my god' because of this thread until i saw it in a record store last week
― flopson, Thursday, 14 September 2017 16:45 (six years ago) link
i gotta be real "appointments" reminds me of taylor swift's "dear john"
for me this is a great thing
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 14 September 2017 16:48 (six years ago) link
or like "dear john" merging with jimmy eat world's "hear you me"
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 14 September 2017 16:49 (six years ago) link
haha, I didn't know those songs but listening now and very otm - she def has the potential to cross over
loving the single, which is apparently the first one off the album, maybe the other 2 were from an abandoned ep?
― niels, Friday, 15 September 2017 07:46 (six years ago) link
jfc this new album
I know you do better when you're by yourselfFree from the weight of my dirt-poor health...
― Evan R, Monday, 18 September 2017 15:55 (six years ago) link
wait is the new album out out yet or you're just talking about the singles?
i'm so excited i'm seeing her next month in philly
― Mordy, Monday, 18 September 2017 15:57 (six years ago) link
New album. Not out yet, but I've been sitting on a stream I've been too timid to listen to until lately
I probably won't spend too much time with the LP before it's public. This is unusually fraught territory for me, so I kinda want the support group experience of listening to it with other people. (Without getting too much into my personal stuff, "Appointments" alone is enough to leave me in a mild fog of panic for hours. There was a time when Baker's music really helped build me back up, but lately it feels like a straight trigger, sad in an almost unhealthy/unconstructive way, so I don't quite know what to do with it now. In a lifetime of listening to music, I've never been in a position remotely like this before).
But as for the album itself it's gorgeous and triumphant and potent and brilliantly written and it totally lives up to the promise of the debut, while expanding on it in so many different ways. I'm hoping I can find a place for it in my life, because it's phenomenal.
― Evan R, Monday, 18 September 2017 16:07 (six years ago) link
um what do i have to do to get access to that stream?
― Mordy, Monday, 18 September 2017 16:16 (six years ago) link
pitch a review somewhere. If you're interested in possibly covering it I can PM you the publicist contact (it's being serviced through a very critic-friendly PR firm and label)
― Evan R, Monday, 18 September 2017 16:26 (six years ago) link
hmmm i haven't written a review in like 5 years but it might be worth it to hear this early...
― Mordy, Monday, 18 September 2017 16:28 (six years ago) link
yeah can't hurt. Even if you just wanted to pitch somewhere small or modest, a blog you enjoy or something, it might be worth it and the publicist would probably be cool with that. It's the kind of album that stirs a lot of thoughts. I can't imagine anybody listening and being like, "nah, I don't have much to say about this."
― Evan R, Monday, 18 September 2017 16:42 (six years ago) link
When is this coming out? 'Appointments' is so achingly great.
― Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 18 September 2017 17:05 (six years ago) link
listening to Sprained Ankle now, it is indeed a unique tearjerker
― niels, Monday, 18 September 2017 17:34 (six years ago) link
Out Oct. 27, just before the cruelest week of the year (when daylight savings time ends and the world suddenly feels very, very dark).
― Evan R, Monday, 18 September 2017 18:19 (six years ago) link
Ahhh that's perfect, thanks
― Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 18 September 2017 18:24 (six years ago) link
Two more thoughts then I'll shut up for a few weeks: The title track is an experience and I'm excited to see how she plays it live, and "Sour Breath" is one of her best songs
― Evan R, Monday, 18 September 2017 19:10 (six years ago) link
Any percussion?
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Monday, 18 September 2017 20:14 (six years ago) link
Appointments has an indie-Christian Contemporary element that sticks out to me, like Eisley (Texas band) a decade ago.
― louise ck (milo z), Monday, 18 September 2017 20:18 (six years ago) link
No spoilers!
(j/k :))
xp
― Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 18 September 2017 20:18 (six years ago) link
I do not get any (indie-)Christian vibes from Appointments, but that's probably because Jesus isn't alright with me :) She does believe in god, so that would make perfect sense.
― Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 18 September 2017 20:20 (six years ago) link
no doubt in my mind JB knows Eisley's stuff
the little "In Christ Alone" interlude at the end of "Go Home" on Sprained Ankle threw me for a loop the first time i heard it
― alpine static, Monday, 18 September 2017 20:50 (six years ago) link
"turn out the lights" (the song) is out and it's stunning and huge
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Thursday, 12 October 2017 22:16 (six years ago) link
song is amazing, album is amazing. Does such a great job expanding the sound of her first album while preserving the feel of it.
― Evan R, Friday, 13 October 2017 15:25 (six years ago) link
my god
― niels, Sunday, 15 October 2017 08:18 (six years ago) link
Just bought tickets to see her at the end of November (w/David Bazan opening). She's playing a gorgeous old theater here with amazing acoustics, looking forward to just sinking into it.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 18 October 2017 03:24 (six years ago) link
Seeing her next week for what will surely be her last gig under twenty bucks.
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 18 October 2017 03:40 (six years ago) link
she is amazing and deserves every success but boy did she zoom past Bazan, a guy who's been good to great for a long time
i realize this happens all the time, that xpost just struck me.
― alpine static, Wednesday, 18 October 2017 06:56 (six years ago) link
https://www.thefader.com/2017/10/18/julien-baker-turn-out-the-lights-sprained-ankle-interview
I just really need this to be streaming somewhere so I can properly cry along to the new songs at the gig next week
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Thursday, 19 October 2017 14:01 (six years ago) link
We speak a few days after Baker opened for one of her longtime heroes, Paramoresurprised at this connection - slightly off topic, where do I start if I want to get to know Paramore?
― niels, Thursday, 19 October 2017 15:55 (six years ago) link
i like the self-titled a lot
― Mordy, Thursday, 19 October 2017 16:00 (six years ago) link
s/t or brand new eyes
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 19 October 2017 16:05 (six years ago) link
I used to get Paramore vibes from her music. Different volume levels, obviously, but there's a similar emotional/blunt candor to their songwriting
Seconding s/t; that one is their masterpiece. Riot! is one of my favorite alt-rock albums of the '00s, though, and probably their most influential, even if it's the one most people feel like they've outgrown
― Evan R, Thursday, 19 October 2017 16:37 (six years ago) link
the new one is my fave but it's definitely an outlier sonically. S/T is probably the correct answer
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Thursday, 19 October 2017 16:43 (six years ago) link
thanks, will listen!
― niels, Thursday, 19 October 2017 21:26 (six years ago) link
She walked on right after "Rose-Colored Boy," lol
It was a v good show but not quite as entrancing as the last one, probably cause the venue was 4x bigger and people were filming and singing along this time
― Simon H., Wednesday, 25 October 2017 04:59 (six years ago) link
sounds p cool!
― niels, Wednesday, 25 October 2017 05:59 (six years ago) link
I also picked up the new album at the show and it's very good but tbh I'm just not sure about her move to the piano. She's an incredible guitarist but a fairly plain pianist and it turns the piano-based songs into blunter, less expressive things.
― Simon H., Wednesday, 25 October 2017 12:14 (six years ago) link
1:49 in Shadowboxing - shivers
― Mordy, Thursday, 26 October 2017 19:09 (six years ago) link
i'm listening to this right now. if i can find someone to go w/ me i'm gonna see her sunday.
― Mordy, Thursday, 26 October 2017 19:10 (six years ago) link
The new one's really good. "Sour Breath" is the one I keep repeating whenever it comes on.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 27 October 2017 16:39 (six years ago) link
She's a terrific lyricist, too -- the territory she covers could veer into maudlin or self-indulgent really easily, but her metaphors are vivid and honest.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 27 October 2017 16:41 (six years ago) link
and relatable, I think ... she sings about universal things in a way that feels not just personal, but tangible
― alpine static, Friday, 27 October 2017 17:14 (six years ago) link
I think my *slight* disappointment with the album stems from how much I loved the "Funeral Pyre"/"Distant Solar Systems" single. The album feels a bit broader and safer by comparison
― Simon H., Friday, 27 October 2017 17:58 (six years ago) link
Yeah, that single is very intimate. Reminds me of Elliot Smith's earlier stuff. But I also like the sweep of the new one, it's kind of like bedroom stadium-rock.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 27 October 2017 18:17 (six years ago) link
hurt less, my god
she is so powerful
― niels, Sunday, 29 October 2017 09:24 (six years ago) link
I don't get the hype, and i tried. I thhink it might be the dramatic singing style
― nostormo, Sunday, 29 October 2017 20:36 (six years ago) link
"Sour Breath" is still my fav, but man that closer.
― Evan R, Monday, 30 October 2017 19:21 (six years ago) link
this album is fine. idk why i am particularly unable to connect with it. i was sorta hoping the expanded arrangements would include drums
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 November 2017 16:14 (six years ago) link
"hurt less" is v good
Tried listening to this album today. It sounds like it was commissioned by a music supervisor at Hulu. Maybe the most faceless thing I've heard all year. Genuinely baffled by the appeal of stuff like this - or at least baffled how people can tell this sad-girl-with-guitar from the six dozen others who sound exactly like her who also put out albums this month.
― grawlix (unperson), Wednesday, 1 November 2017 17:26 (six years ago) link
ah
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 November 2017 17:32 (six years ago) link
imo she has a very distinctive sound but if you describe female singer-songwriters as "sad-girl-with-guitar" it could be this isn't a genre that you're really giving a fair chance
― Mordy, Wednesday, 1 November 2017 17:34 (six years ago) link
yeah i think it's pretty apparent why she sticks out—the austerity of her arrangements, her songwriting approach sort of finding the middle between emo and, like, songs: ohia
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 November 2017 17:37 (six years ago) link
I think you hit on why I'm a bit lukewarm on the record, brad. The expanded arrangements work to make the songs more homogenous and less impactful than the debut. it's easy to forget she's still very early in her career and figuring out what works.
― Simon H., Wednesday, 1 November 2017 17:40 (six years ago) link
lol thank you for deriving that extremely good point from my not particularly good post. yeah i think that's about right
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 November 2017 17:40 (six years ago) link
xp I don't know any other artists writing the way she does and she has a very distinctive vocal and sound
her personality and story are also interesting and probably a part of the package
I believe "Hurt Less" is the first song of 2017 to make me cry
― niels, Wednesday, 1 November 2017 17:42 (six years ago) link
Genuinely baffled by the appeal of stuff like this - or at least baffled how people can tell this sad-girl-with-guitar from the six dozen others who sound exactly like her who also put out albums this month.
woof
― Evan R, Wednesday, 1 November 2017 18:24 (six years ago) link
Anyway, this record was never going to hit like the debut did but it pretty clearly succeeds in what it sets out to do. I think to the extent that a few tracks fall flat for me (at least right now) it's just because the songwriting isn't as impeccable as it was on the debut. But there are still like five or six tracks on this thing that are right on par with Sprained Ankle, and that's pretty remarkable.
Elliott Smith comparisons really hold. It's the difference between Roman Candle and XO.
― Evan R, Wednesday, 1 November 2017 18:29 (six years ago) link
― grawlix (unperson), Wednesday, November 1, 2017 1:26 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this is a horseshit opinion, not that i would expect much else
― call all destroyer, Friday, 3 November 2017 02:49 (six years ago) link
the six dozen others who sound exactly like her who also put out albums this month
name names! looks like i have some catch up listening to do.
― monotony, Friday, 3 November 2017 05:27 (six years ago) link
yeah i'm doing a big EOY catch-up and would also love to know who these six dozen sad girls with guitars are
― joshywinty (josh), Friday, 3 November 2017 05:35 (six years ago) link
so i can make time in my personal schedule for all of them
― joshywinty (josh), Friday, 3 November 2017 05:36 (six years ago) link
https://pitchfork.com/features/song-by-song/julien-baker-delves-into-the-trauma-and-triumph-behind-every-song-on-her-new-album/
― ArchCarrier, Friday, 3 November 2017 09:18 (six years ago) link
I honestly found reading that to be more emotionally bracing than listening to the album :(
for people who like JB I would recommend the most recent albums by Emma Ruth Rundle and Sarah Mary Chadwick
― Simon H., Friday, 3 November 2017 09:28 (six years ago) link
I connected hard to a couple of the songs on her first album, but my first impression of this new album is actually that on the whole I like it better than the first. Beautiful melodies, lyrics still raw in the best ways.
― abcfsk, Friday, 3 November 2017 09:32 (six years ago) link
great interview, this woman is truly brilliant
and infinitely more knowledgeable than I was at 22
― niels, Friday, 3 November 2017 10:20 (six years ago) link
Saw her last night, she was terrific. Her voice is really something you have to hear live to fully appreciate, how huge it is and how skillful and subtle she's gotten at deploying it. Amazing clarity of tone in both her singing and playing, it was really radiant.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 30 November 2017 17:29 (six years ago) link
This album has not lost its lustre for me. "Shadowboxing" is just crushing
― Number None, Wednesday, 10 January 2018 18:19 (six years ago) link
oh fuck I missed that there was a new album, it is also amazing
― akm, Monday, 15 January 2018 02:49 (six years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdOZxrp7t7s
― etc, Wednesday, 18 April 2018 04:38 (five years ago) link
I desperately need a covers record - at least an EP!
― Simon H., Wednesday, 18 April 2018 12:19 (five years ago) link
Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers are.....boygenius
https://www.stereogum.com/2009654/phoebe-bridgers-julien-baker-lucy-dacus-tease-collab/news/
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Friday, 10 August 2018 18:14 (five years ago) link
oh fuck
― dj screwed (Ross), Friday, 10 August 2018 18:14 (five years ago) link
EXCUSE ME
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Friday, 10 August 2018 18:33 (five years ago) link
ready for the sadpocalypse
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Friday, 10 August 2018 18:35 (five years ago) link
Interested in what she sounds like as a band member but I also need her to be lead as I’m not as much into the other two.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 10 August 2018 18:59 (five years ago) link
Phoebe tho
― grandaddy of all liars (Ross), Friday, 10 August 2018 21:05 (five years ago) link
oh my days
― Minister of the Pillow (fionnland), Friday, 10 August 2018 21:59 (five years ago) link
dacus tho
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Saturday, 11 August 2018 12:46 (five years ago) link
I will prob not hear an indie rock record better than historian this year
Yeah it's really great. The highs on the Bridgers album are considerable as well.
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Saturday, 11 August 2018 18:02 (five years ago) link
Did Snail Mail not return calls or?
― Paul Ponzi, Saturday, 11 August 2018 18:13 (five years ago) link
Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy are.....The Traveling Girlburys
― alpine static, Saturday, 11 August 2018 22:01 (five years ago) link
yes because they're all the same arent they
― Number None, Saturday, 11 August 2018 22:55 (five years ago) link
are you saying Dylan, Harrison, Lynne, Orbison and Petty were all the same?
― alpine static, Sunday, 12 August 2018 11:06 (five years ago) link
― Number None, Saturday, August 11, 2018 6:55 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
"they" aren't, of course, but the fact is the music these particular individuals make sounds indistinguishable to me. Maybe you can convince me otherwise? Because in a blindfold test I could absolutely not tell you one from the other, but maybe that's due to my own limitations as a listener
― Paul Ponzi, Sunday, 12 August 2018 18:32 (five years ago) link
I can see conflating Baker and Bridgers, kinda, but Dacus is very distinct from the other two
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Sunday, 12 August 2018 19:31 (five years ago) link
maybe that's due to my own limitations as a listener
here it is
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Sunday, 12 August 2018 19:36 (five years ago) link
fwiw, Ponzi's Snail Mail joke made me chuckle, and i made my dumb joke, but i definitely don't find those 5's (or 3's) music indistinguishable. i just lumped them together because they're prominent members of the wave of young women that has risen up in indie rock over the past couple years.
― alpine static, Monday, 13 August 2018 02:35 (five years ago) link
first three boygenius songs are on spotify, i've only heard "bite the hand" but my god lucy dacus is such an incredible songwriter
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Tuesday, 21 August 2018 15:27 (five years ago) link
uh "me & my dog" rules too, i love hearing them all sing together???
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Tuesday, 21 August 2018 15:30 (five years ago) link
Eh soccer mommy does not sound like snail mail. Lush had a few rockers but was mostly subdued stoner grunge. Soccer mommy rips a lot more in a Colleen green fashion, concise fuzzed out power pop vs folkier songs on the record
― Ross, Tuesday, 21 August 2018 15:31 (five years ago) link
"stay down" essentially envisions my dream julien baker record: her backed by a band that sounds like elliott
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Tuesday, 21 August 2018 15:35 (five years ago) link
Can’t say I’ve ever liked Julian baker but maybe I haven’t heard the right stuff?
― Ross, Tuesday, 21 August 2018 15:36 (five years ago) link
there is no wrong stuff
― niels, Tuesday, 21 August 2018 16:06 (five years ago) link
and yes def makes it clear that she could do a great full band album
― niels, Tuesday, 21 August 2018 16:22 (five years ago) link
damn, "Bite the Hand" would be at home on the new Mitski, and "Stay Down" is what I was hoping for from the last Baker album. they're touring together, too:
11/04 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium11/06 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel11/07 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel11/08 Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre11/10 Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall11/11 Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre11/12 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall11/13 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall11/15 St Louis, MO @ The Pageant11/16 Madison, WI @ The Sylvee11/17 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue11/19 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre11/20 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot11/23 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom11/24 Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre11/25 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom11/27 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater11/29 San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park11/30 Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Tuesday, 21 August 2018 17:26 (five years ago) link
i mean i think as alpine pointed out the wilburys were more tied culturally than by a certain sound so i think the joke is fine
― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 21 August 2018 19:49 (five years ago) link
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/21/639528019/hear-new-music-from-phoebe-bridgers-julien-baker-lucy-dacus-supergroup-boygenius
need soccer mommy and snail mail to join to make a full-blown traveling wilburys situation
― ant banks and wasp (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 21 August 2018 21:47 (five years ago) link
lol obviously someone made that exact joke hours ago.
a week ago
― Paul Ponzi, Tuesday, 21 August 2018 22:34 (five years ago) link
weeks are made of hours
― ant banks and wasp (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 21 August 2018 23:11 (five years ago) link
Jenny Lewis, Bright Eyes, Ben Gibbard and M. Ward already did the indie-singer songwriter Wilburys
― President Keyes, Wednesday, 22 August 2018 14:50 (five years ago) link
so what you're saying is that the bar is really really high
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 22 August 2018 15:11 (five years ago) link
next Wilburys has to be aging k-pop stars
― President Keyes, Wednesday, 22 August 2018 15:13 (five years ago) link
the ep is out today, and almost frustrating in that it feels like a tiny glimpse at a huge world
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Friday, 26 October 2018 17:23 (five years ago) link
ep is great, "bite the hand" still my fav track
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Friday, 26 October 2018 17:46 (five years ago) link
maybe it's where I'm at but the songs of longing for idylls ("Me & My Dog", "Ketchum, ID") are hitting me hardest
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Friday, 26 October 2018 17:57 (five years ago) link
looking forward to hearing the other 3 songs. weird spotify metadata thing that will hurt their clicks - "boygenius" is an artist, but it only shows their three singles - not the EP. in order to find the EP, you have to type in one of the 3 member's names, where it's then displayed as an album. maybe i'll crosspost this with the spotify thread since someone there might actually be able to fix it.
― Karl Malone, Friday, 26 October 2018 19:29 (five years ago) link
bridgers's solo work is certainly my favourite so i'm not really surprised that the tracks she leads here are my favourites, but the collaborative approach seems to elevate all of them and hearing them sing together is wonderful
― ufo, Saturday, 27 October 2018 05:56 (five years ago) link
Dang the boygenius EP is great
― abcfsk, Monday, 29 October 2018 09:32 (five years ago) link
Stay Down needs to be longer. Twice as long.
― Have the Rams stopped screaming yet, Lloris? (Chinaski), Monday, 29 October 2018 20:48 (five years ago) link
Idly wondering if the EP is ideal length for the streaming age (and may have been all along).
― Have the Rams stopped screaming yet, Lloris? (Chinaski), Monday, 29 October 2018 20:49 (five years ago) link
I haven't really kept up since the first Julien Baker album, but I'm listening to the boygenius ep on rotation today and it's wonderful. I need to go back and see what I missed in the interim.
― brain (krakow), Sunday, 4 November 2018 15:03 (five years ago) link
I know I slept on the Phoebe Bridgers album last year and have been escaping to that world pretty obsessively lately.
― abcfsk, Sunday, 4 November 2018 18:57 (five years ago) link
That other sad parallel world
― abcfsk, Sunday, 4 November 2018 18:58 (five years ago) link
Always managed to move inRight next to the cemeteriesAnd never far from hospitalsI don’t know what that tells you about me
occam's razor says they're living in dense urban areas so nothing is ever that far away
― 21st savagery fox (m bison), Sunday, 4 November 2018 20:57 (five years ago) link
because all of those dense urban-centred cemeteries...
― husked, tonal wails (irrational), Monday, 5 November 2018 16:42 (five years ago) link
lol there are two cemeteries down the road from my high school!!
― 21st savagery fox (m bison), Tuesday, 6 November 2018 01:09 (five years ago) link
i live next to a (small) cemetery
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Tuesday, 6 November 2018 01:16 (five years ago) link
anyway lucy dacus is the greatest songwriter in indie rock today
the way they trade vocals on "souvenir" is exquisite, and their harmonies at the end!!!
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Tuesday, 6 November 2018 01:24 (five years ago) link
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Thursday, November 5, 2015 3:12 PM (three years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
happy anniversary
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Tuesday, 6 November 2018 01:28 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljOonyYsMJI
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 13:13 (five years ago) link
love it
julien is so damn adorable
anyone know why "boygenius"?
― niels, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:25 (five years ago) link
policygenius was taken
― President Keyes, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:26 (five years ago) link
cool that they made Julien's vocals totally inaudible in that clip
― Number None, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:35 (five years ago) link
nice! me & my dog is still my fave. (though they mixed julien super low in that performance, bummer)
also calling them a "supergroup" sometimes makes sense in press outlets that have covered the individual members before and given them lots of praise, but it's kind of weird to hear them referred to that on late night tv
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:35 (five years ago) link
xp!yeah, i'm sure they listened back to it later and were a little :/
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:36 (five years ago) link
(not to focus too much on the mixing of a live performance but) maybe what happened was that julien's voice was a bit too high in the mix during rehearsal, so during performance the mixer turned her down AND she chose to sing further away from the mic in an attempt to fix it on her end, and it ended up with her pretty much at 0
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:39 (five years ago) link
re: the band name
“I felt the need then to qualify that we didn’t want to be in control in a mean or exclusionary way," Baker says. "But the thing about being a woman in the music industry is that you constantly feel the need to qualify yourself. We produced this record and all the players are female. It was important for us to show that there doesn’t have to be a man behind the scenes pulling the strings who is later accredited with the genius.”
― Number None, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:41 (five years ago) link
lmao I can definitely imagine an unfamiliar sound guy assuming she'd have a small/meek vocal presence only to render half the audience deaf xp
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:41 (five years ago) link
xp cool, thanks!
― niels, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:42 (five years ago) link
to be fair to the sound person, she definitely looks like she's belting it in that performance. maybe he/she overcompensated ... or maybe Karl Malone is right.
but yeah, a bit of a bummer there.
― alpine static, Tuesday, 6 November 2018 19:58 (five years ago) link
caught 'em tonight - JB actually has become a much quieter singer, like to the point where she was generally the quietest of the three performers. my guess would be she's had some formal training and it's reigned her in a bit.
anyway, Dacus was fantastic and the group set was stunning. they (apparently for the first time) eschewed amplification for "Ketchum, ID" resulting in a startlingly warm singalong -- now that was something else
I just got home and someone has already put it up on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NxC76FD45M
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Sunday, 11 November 2018 05:23 (five years ago) link
man they kick so much ass
beautiful video
something about julien's voice instantly pierces my heart
― niels, Sunday, 11 November 2018 12:06 (five years ago) link
ok, this is a silly thing to revive with, but imagine boygenius covering the roches' "hammond song"
― Karl Malone, Monday, 26 November 2018 06:07 (five years ago) link
hehe
that would be dope
― niels, Monday, 26 November 2018 09:45 (five years ago) link
I saw them in Vancouver this past weekend and it was really good. It was a pretty sad but beautiful few hours. Very moving. Maybe the best show I've seen this year.
― husked, tonal wails (irrational), Monday, 26 November 2018 15:31 (five years ago) link
hell yeah:
https://www.stereogum.com/2023750/watch-boygenius-cover-the-dixie-chicks-cowboy-take-me-away-in-seattle/video/
― alpine static, Monday, 26 November 2018 16:30 (five years ago) link
These shows look so great. I got tickets for The Tallest Man On Earth a long time ago so I’m going to miss the boygenius show tomorrow night. :(
― DJI, Monday, 26 November 2018 17:51 (five years ago) link
Since this is the de facto Boygenius thread now, enjoy a Phoebe Bridgers Christmas song with Jackson Browne(!)
https://www.stereogum.com/2024160/phoebe-bridgers-christmas-song/music/
― resident hack (Simon H.), Thursday, 29 November 2018 14:58 (five years ago) link
UM
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Thursday, 29 November 2018 15:14 (five years ago) link
love everything about the story behind it, song's gorgeous too
McCarthy Trenching is singer-songwriter Dan McCarthy’s band. We played a show together in Omaha this last year. They named the band after the trenching company owned by Dan’s uncle so they could sell those t-shirts instead of having to make their own. The first time I heard this song it hit me like a ton of bricks. A lot of McCarthy Trenching songs do that. It’s not that often that I hear a Christmas song that doesn’t make me want to quit music. I played a show in L.A. around the holidays last year where I covered it for the first time. Jackson Browne was there, and he came up to me after the show to tell me how much he loved the song. A couple days later, Dan got a Bandcamp notification on his desktop computer that someone paid 50 bucks for his record and wrote a nice note and signed it Jackson Browne. He thought someone was fucking with him. So when I decided to record a version of the song, I knew who I wanted to sing on it. Plus, I have wanted to make music with Jackson as long as I’ve wanted to make music.
― resident hack (Simon H.), Thursday, 29 November 2018 16:04 (five years ago) link
that is awesome!
I love jackson browne
I love this song
― niels, Friday, 30 November 2018 10:48 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrV4SFp5N0U
Cool that the guitar magazine bro seems to be a fan.
― louise ck (milo z), Sunday, 2 December 2018 00:37 (five years ago) link
she really seems like the nicest person
and she does awesome things with her guitar
wild to imagine that future generations discovering julien baker will (probably) be able to find videos like this
wonder why it's unlisted
― niels, Sunday, 2 December 2018 12:15 (five years ago) link
They keep them unlisted for the first week to push people to access it from their site.
― louise ck (milo z), Sunday, 2 December 2018 19:39 (five years ago) link
aah, clever
― niels, Sunday, 2 December 2018 20:59 (five years ago) link
https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/11/29/boygenius_cpollack_brick-02f55231f7ee6092d2ae7404589d9acb5525f594-s2000-c85.jpgwith love from Cameron Pollack/NPR
― niels, Thursday, 6 December 2018 17:37 (five years ago) link
the boygenius ep is great. somehow i only discovered it now.
― je est un autre, l'enfer c'est les autres (alex in mainhattan), Sunday, 28 April 2019 08:05 (four years ago) link
somehow I only tried her music lately, and now I am head over heels, can barely listen to anything else. it's as though "Little Fury Bugs" is a genre and it warrants 10000x investigations, every angle must be pursued. my ankles are sprained.
― Joey Corona (Euler), Thursday, 16 April 2020 16:00 (three years ago) link
I've only heard Turn Out the Lights, did she cover that Death Cab song somewhere?
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 16 April 2020 16:06 (three years ago) link
no, but "Appointments" for instance is a take on it, in the way that the lines of marble guide the sculpter's hand
― Joey Corona (Euler), Thursday, 16 April 2020 16:09 (three years ago) link
Oh! I see what you mean now, sorry, that makes sense. Now I have another reason to go back to "Appointments" though!
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 16 April 2020 16:12 (three years ago) link
the way she sings "marathon runner, my ankles are sprained", and in particular, the word "my" into the word "ankles", I could listen to that forever and ever and ever. I feel a terrible loss, or even a shame, there that I can't understand outside the singing. is shame supposed to be so beautiful?
― Joey Corona (Euler), Saturday, 16 May 2020 16:06 (three years ago) link
new shit!
https://youtu.be/bWAOkg2i6_g
― it bangs for thee (Simon H.), Wednesday, 21 October 2020 14:29 (three years ago) link
there is actual percussion! it sounds good! album is out in february.
― it bangs for thee (Simon H.), Wednesday, 21 October 2020 14:32 (three years ago) link
Yeah I like that.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 21 October 2020 15:44 (three years ago) link
Once again I fell into a loop of watching live performances of her and it’s so hypnotizing. Seeing her performis the definition of Sehnsucht for me.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 10 December 2020 04:11 (three years ago) link
I have only listened to Julien Baker a lil bit (mostly the boygenius record) but this is one of my favorite ILM thread titles
― Evans on Hammond (evol j), Thursday, 10 December 2020 04:34 (three years ago) link
'hypnotizing' otm
― mookieproof, Thursday, 10 December 2020 04:41 (three years ago) link
The boygenius record is probably the best thing she has been involved with. I don’t think I actually like listening to her lyrics or her records in a way that I enjoy let’s say, Phoebe Bridgers, but seeing her live performances is so enthralling to me because she seems to go somewhere else when doing so. The way she gets completely lost in it is not that common to see imho... it’s the small performances of her... I’ve seen videos of her with big audiences and I don’t think it works that well because she’s sounds more self-conscious.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Thursday, 10 December 2020 15:40 (three years ago) link
I have the opposite problem. I can't get into any of Bridgers's solo stuff but I love Baker and Boygenius
― Number None, Thursday, 10 December 2020 16:26 (three years ago) link
I've fallen down a couple of Baker YouTube wormholes recently. She's captivating on stage - lost in it and seemingly lacking in self-consciousness. I've been trying to find a non-weird way of saying 'it's her mouth' but there it is. That turn of the head she does. She's so good.
― Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Thursday, 10 December 2020 18:18 (three years ago) link
This sounds really interesting and I'd love to hear what any ilxors with musical nous might make of it.
"For the exciting Isolate/Create project, Julien Baker offers the stems for her new single “Faith Healer” from the forthcoming album ‘Little Oblivions’. These are supplied for the purpose of remixing and reinterpretation, hopefully offering some fodder for creativity during this challenging time."
https://www.isolatecreate.com/julien-baker/
― brain (krakow), Sunday, 13 December 2020 12:55 (three years ago) link
I love Julien Baker, and at the same time I agree she's not (so far) as distinctive a songwriter as Phoebe Bridgers or Lucy Dacus. Or she's distinctive, but it all pretty much sounds like the same song (a good song, but still). That said, I like her whole sound and vibe enough that I don't really care. AND the one time I got to see her live was just incandescent, she's an amazing performer. Anyway, I like "Faith Healer" and I'll be happy to hear the new album. Hoping that she's maybe sharpened and varied her approach a bit.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 13 December 2020 14:31 (three years ago) link
Cool! I may download those and try it. Any ideas for a remix/re-imagining?
― DJI, Monday, 14 December 2020 17:49 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pGBIAiJPF4&
― Number None, Wednesday, 13 January 2021 16:05 (three years ago) link
I want to love everything she does but I'm just not that wild about the sound of this record so far
― stylish but illegal (Simon H.), Wednesday, 13 January 2021 16:10 (three years ago) link
yeah i feel the same at the moment
― Number None, Wednesday, 13 January 2021 16:16 (three years ago) link
also
― sean gramophone, Wednesday, 13 January 2021 16:24 (three years ago) link
hm, i think this sounds awesome but i'm not sure i hear the song yet
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 13 January 2021 16:41 (three years ago) link
record is self-produced! that's interesting! i was like is this dave fridmann
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 13 January 2021 16:42 (three years ago) link
weird, I'm currently listening to the Apple Music Julien Baker Essentials playlist for the millionth time, did not know a new song was on the way today
― All cars are bad (Euler), Wednesday, 13 January 2021 16:43 (three years ago) link
I like the song, but love the video.
― brain (krakow), Wednesday, 13 January 2021 22:54 (three years ago) link
her previous work never really clicked with me but the new album is sounding good, really like her arrangements
― ufo, Friday, 26 February 2021 01:35 (three years ago) link
her new work still is not clicking with me. I don't like the arrangements :(
― stimmy stimmy yah (Simon H.), Friday, 26 February 2021 13:36 (three years ago) link
maybe it's just that her vox and lyrics are so big and intense on their own that even relatively small additions feel to me like a hat on a hat, just a giant stack of self-loathing hats
― stimmy stimmy yah (Simon H.), Friday, 26 February 2021 13:50 (three years ago) link
I've had this on repeat in the background while I'm working, and at that level I like it but only a few songs have made me pause to see what their titles are. In general it sounds a lot like Turn Out the Lights, with the arrangements a natural progression from that album's fuller sound. I like her a lot, but also I think she's kind of a great sound in search of great songs. More songwriting collaborations would be good for her imo.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 26 February 2021 18:29 (three years ago) link
I think my other problem, and this might just be me, is that the lyrics tip over into a level of pain and self-loathing where I honestly just start to worry whether this level of public emotional exposure is healthy or even safe, especially since she seems to get more raw and specific with each release (and has grown in commercial stature with each one). like, I'm not in recovery but I have friends who are, and imagining them putting themselves "out there" to this extent makes my stomach churn
― stimmy stimmy yah (Simon H.), Friday, 26 February 2021 18:33 (three years ago) link
Yeah, I admire her candor and also hope this is all catharsis rather than crisis.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 26 February 2021 18:50 (three years ago) link
Another song just registered for me. Maybe if I listen to it all weekend they'll differentiate themselves.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 26 February 2021 18:51 (three years ago) link
is it a pixies track that favor rips at the beginning?
― ufo, Sunday, 28 February 2021 23:20 (three years ago) link
sounds a bit like "Gigantic" maybe
― Number None, Wednesday, 3 March 2021 13:15 (three years ago) link
hmm i think that's why i thought of pixies but i think there's something else out there that's closer to it that isn't a pixies track i guess
― ufo, Wednesday, 3 March 2021 13:22 (three years ago) link
"here comes your man"? that's the track that comes to mind, but only because i'm listening specifically for a pixies reference. having said that, i get more of a sebadoh vibe from those opening notes
― willem, Wednesday, 3 March 2021 15:51 (three years ago) link
still not all the way into this album, but "Repeat" is pretty great. in a super grim way.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 2 April 2021 01:44 (two years ago) link
A ton of great melodies on this album, and the lyrics are raw, effective, and gutting, but the production and recording sounds quite muddied and leaves me wanting throughout. Still one of the better American indie-rock records I've heard this year.
― Indexed, Wednesday, 29 September 2021 20:10 (two years ago) link
great live show!! Her voice is amazing and her band rips and she seems like a really cool person!!!
― brimstead, Sunday, 7 November 2021 17:08 (two years ago) link
sorry for xasanthur style post
― brimstead, Sunday, 7 November 2021 17:09 (two years ago) link