On Julien Baker's 3rd attempt, Little Oblivions' scope wields a candid look into the tumultuous affairs of drug addiction, rehabilitation and recovery - equally to its own benefit and detriment.
For the past 6 years, Julien Baker has remained an integral point of contact for many a heartbroken listener, desperate to scratch their itch for modern folk tracks anchored by a compelling excavation of emotions. Baker has since risen through the relative ranks of indie-folk hierarchy, forming the supergroup of Boygenius as well as collaborating with the likes of Justin Vernon and Matt Berninger, perfecting and honing her musical craft over recent years. And here she returns with her self-produced 3rd LP, Little Oblivions, documenting her descent into drug addiction, ascent through rehabilitation, underpinned by an unrelenting scope of introspection.
Stuttering, wavering synths commence our treacherous descent as Baker imminently recalls on ‘Hardline’, “blackout on a weekday...” with the same downtrodden, everyday melancholy to that of Nick Cave. Feasting on heavily delayed, reverberating guitar riffs and synths intertwining in each other’s paths, Baker directly hits us between our already-blurried eyes with overwhelming suicidal thoughts beseeching her mind. “I’ll wrap Orion’s belt around my neck / And kick the chair out” holds us suspended within ‘Heatwave’ and ‘Faith Healer’ as she simultaneously battles with her core Christian beliefs at a time of great personal turmoil. Needless to say, the LP’s outset offers a myriad of experiences within its first handful of tracks, noting three key stages: addiction; suicide; relapse.
Whilst the highs of Baker’s descent fare this LP in good stead, the beginning of her ascent is where the low points begin to arise. ‘Relative Fiction’ acts as a relative comedown track, simmering with muffled guitar riffs and synths which once again converge at the very heart of Baker’s repertoire. Unfortunately, this pales in comparison to the much more complex and nuanced tropes of its successor ‘Favor’ - shining through as a beacon of light within a darkened tale. Teaming up with her Boygenius bandmates Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, Baker elicits a marvellous interaction with each of them, wading through lower and higher vocal registers throughout, revelling in an exploratory world of synthetic indie-rock akin to that of Arcade Fire (not as of late).
Beyond this, however, Baker regresses into a comfortable lane of indie-folk songwriting which remains sustained for the majority of this LP. The aforementioned exploration into other vocal trajectories and production qualities begin to go amiss as the record documents her road to recovery, consistently inspecting her mental health struggles which predicates itself on an unforgiving anxiousness toward friends, family, and lovers.
This drive for ‘exploration’ is slightly misconstrued at the LP's mid-section, as Baker unexpectedly provides overtly sentimental ballads in the way of ‘Crying Wolf’ and ‘Song in E’ which revel in an awkward piano-filled facade burgeoned by Baker’s desperate vocal delivery. Forever in search of approval by those around her, the LP’s trajectory begins to taste slightly stale by this point, particularly as we reach the LP’s supposed ‘climax’ within ‘Ringside’, bearing an undeniable aptness for a Linklater coming-of-age film in the moment of reconciliation between a child and their parents.
Unfortunately, the conclusion for Baker’s 3rd LP harnesses a mixed bundle, too: first, offering a stoic, uplifting note in which to conclude these exploratory 40 minutes, but instead chancing upon ‘Ziptie’ as the ultimate finale which reverts us down to earth as our war-stricken confidant limps across the finish line. In spite of the pitfalls and precarious pit stops along this 180-degree journey, Julien Baker has undoubtedly produced here some of her most mature and grounded work to date on this record. Little Oblivions ultimately offers effective tidbits drawn from Baker’s aforementioned collaborators, collectively spearheading the way for modern songwriting tailored to indie-folk tendencies, and allowing Baker to document a tumultuous (in every sense of the word) road to recovery.
6/10
Julien Baker's third LP, Little Oblivions, is out now and can be found here.
Komentar