It's weird. I know I love this album pretty immediately. The back half in particular is just breathtaking. At the same time, I know it's going to take me a while to process and digest the record. The same is true of Sprained Ankle; I knew I loved it right away, but it took time for me to really get to know the record. Hell, it's been nearly 2 years since I found it, and I still feel like I'm digesting the lyrics and processing the songs. That's a really rewarding process, and that's why I hope avid music listeners always take the time to let art saturate and digest. I can make an immediate judgment about this album - it is, at absolutely bare minimum, a top 5 release of the year and will more than likely become my AOTY - but I also can recognize that it will take time and work for an attachment to form to this group of songs like the one I have formed with Sprained Ankle/the Funeral Pyre 7".
Her music in general is like listening to “Skinny Love” [at least what that song makes me feel personally] over and over — sincere, honest, relatable and so genuine that it’s emotionally devastating.
Reading this New Yorker story. Holy cow that opening! That’s what you pay for right there. A little sad I saw the digital article before my subscription came through. Would’ve been an amazing shock to be leafing through the new issue and see this article.
I love the pianos, but MAN she sounds so good over a simple four-count strum. One of the reasons “Even” is a favorite. And the way she sings “fixed” in that... so much in that little word. The big vocal moments are awesome, but the smaller ones are just as breathtaking if you listen closely to her phrasing.
I didn’t. I do listen to Julien Baker to put me in a mood to write and it’s a positive influence instead of a downer. I’ve never been much for lyrics either. If music ever gets me anywhere near emotional then it’s always the tone of the music itself and never the lyrical content. Blessing and a curse, I suppose.
On my first listen today, my girlfriend called me halfway through Claws In Your Back and it truly wrecked me for a moment lol. I played it twice in a row to make up for it and holy shit
Listening to this while driving was a mistake. Couldn't keep my eyes dry. Really? For me it's the stretch from the opening track to Claws in Your Back.
“This year I started wearing safety belts when I’m driving Because when I’m with you I don’t have to think about myself And it hurts less”
Everything That Helps You Sleep needs some more love. That song didn’t floor during my first listen, but now I’m in love.
Hold on a damn minute....... Julien is in The Star Killers?(Wikipedia said). I saw them open up for '68 a couple of years ago in Birmingham at this DIY venue on a cold(I think December) night. I talked to her for a minute or so and gave her a couple of $$ since I thought they were a cool band, for a self drawn sticker of the bands name/logo she made on the way to the venue. The sticker is still on my fridge being held up by Minecraft themed block magnets. I now know who I was talking to. Shit.
idk if this album could be considered her going "electric" since Sprained Ankle had prominent electric guitar, but I like how she fleshed out her sound with little flourishes here and there. Strings and organs and such. shes done a very good job of keeping her sound fresh while not going to wild in a different direction. all of that aside though, shes a truly gifted lyricist and the raw emotion she can channel in her vocals in awe inspiring.