Preview

Turn Out The Lights

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
672 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Turn Out The Lights
Like most, my first experience of Memphis singer-songwriter Julien Baker happened through the opening lines of her groundbreaking debut single Sprained Ankle: "I wish I could write songs about anything other than death." These words met me at a most vulnerable point and ensued to gradually devastate every fiber of my being. Baker’s way for crushing words only affected me further with the rest of her debut album. To say the very least, Baker established herself as a modern-day poetic prodigy who writes in a mode of exquisite sadness, with a transmissive language of pain, suffering and hope for all to hold onto.

Having said that, listening to her latest project Turn Out the Lights exceeds astronomical expectations as quite the mesmerizing experience.
…show more content…
Needless to say, Baker’s heavily reverbed direction causes the raw nature of her vocals to resound through the chambers of aching hearts. Accordingly, It is impossible to not stumble in sorrow at the sheer vulnerability of Baker’s voice. Although one may not completely resonate with Baker’s documented pains, experiencing even a fraction of her agony is enough to leave you battered and bruised inside.

Self-reflection is where Baker predominantly resides lyrically, tackling in careful language, the complex truths about the human experience. This is not easily digestible by any stretch; tugging and tearing at old hear scars is where Baker excels. As she did in her last album, Baker documents her ongoing struggle mental illness, substance abuse and faith. However, this time, with Turn Out the Lights, we witness Baker with unwavering conviction that she’s the sole perpetrator of her cyclical state. Her lost voice croons in sadness, complacency and confusion while uttering in confidence, “I know that I’m
…show more content…
There is sadness. But can I get better? Is it worth getting better? A tortured darkness lurks beneath “Appointments,” adding evocative textures beneath piano chords while Baker’s searching voice sings of missed therapy meetings and a deteriorating relationship. In light of this, Baker assures herself that no matter how much she might ruin the good things in her life, her solace is within God and His

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    When we are going through hardships in life, we feel like we are in a small wreck boat fighting the currents of a nasty sea storm. We start noticing we are miles and miles away from help; we realize we are alone. We cannot see beyond the situation we are currently experiencing. We are blind by the sea storm and it seems like there is no sign of hope anywhere. But just as we fall into despair, a luminous light squeezes from the dark grayish clouds. And even though we almost had let go of the only precious thing that gave us strength, this light is giving us an opportunity to preserve hope once more. In Lisel Mueller’s poem “Hope”, Mueller claims hope is difficult to see and maintain, but it lives everywhere even in herself.…

    • 813 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “...Sometimes quiet is violent / I find it hard to hide it / My pride is no longer inside ... There's no hiding for me / I'm forced to deal with what I feel / There is no distraction to mask what is real / I could pull the steering wheel…”…

    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I looked over at the music critic from the L.A. Times . She wasn't making notes. She was weeping. Her eyes never left the figure that rampaged across the stage.Neither did mine. The thought that this was my father, that I shared an earlobe and…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Happiness, bliss, love, thrill, fear, heartbreak, but there's one word that stood strong beneath each of those, depression. It’s sad to think, that what everyone had failed to see was, that behind that smile of mine, was a darkness with so much depth it engulfed me. The only one who had ever known was the girl that was like a sister to me, Elena. We battled depression together for years, she was the one who won her battle…I did not. I couldn’t, it’d become the taunting, negative voice that kept me up every night and the one that’d scream at me everyday. The tears that’d stain my pillowcase and the reason I hid behind a mask since I’d been ten years old. Slowly everyday that truly happy girl everyone would know, became the happy girl everyone knew. Only if they had known, I couldn’t ever figure out why it’d cloud my thoughts, kill my happiness, and take complete control of my life. But no one would ever know, because I was able to go through those days with a smile so bright, no one would question if I was okay or not. The truth is I wasn’t, everything inside of me was tumbling down and…

    • 1644 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Grief is an artist of powers as various as the instruments upon which he plays his dirges for the dead, evoking from some the sharpest, shrillest notes, from others the low, grave chords that throb recurrent like the slow beating of a distant drum. Some natures it startles; some it stupefies. To one it comes like the stroke of an arrow, stinging…

    • 887 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Although suffering causes so much pain in each of the characters lives it is essential for both art and redemption. Sonny comments on how much suffering the revival singer must have had to go through in order to sing so beautifully. One can imagine that Sonny 's music comes from similarly dark experiences however, suffering and darkness, if used creatively can inspire works of beauty. Suffering also confers the ability to understand and feel true compassion for others, which is essential for redemption. An example…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    From Alfalfa’s letter in The Little Rascals, “Dear Darla, I hate your stinking’ guts. You make me vomit. You are scum between my toes. Love, Alfalfa,” to the song Love Stinks by the J. Geils Band, it is apparent that heartache is felt by everyone. It can be experienced and dealt with in countless ways, but its universally-felt agony is what allows poets, singers, and writers to connect with their audiences in such a personal manner. In the poem “Getting Through,” Deborah Pope uses poetic techniques to make a personal experience accessible to a range of audiences. It is a poem of heartbreak that uses the devices of tone, language, structure, and relatability to illustrate the effect love can have on people and how hard it is to give that feeling up, even if it is not returned.…

    • 1207 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    She speaks in a “low, thrilling voice”, a voice that holds an “excitement” that is “difficult to forget”: “a singing compulsion, a whispered ‘Listen’, a promise that she had done gay, exciting things a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour.”…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “Grief is an artist of powers as various as the instruments upon which he plays his dirges for the dead, evoking from some the sharpest, shrillest notes, from others the low, grave chords that throb recurrent like the slow beating of a distant drum.”…

    • 324 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    A reckless driver zoomed down the wet and slippery roads. His car was shaking as his speakers blasted the thundering growls, the biting guitars, and the thrashing drums. He was angry that he couldn't keep his car clean. It had been raining all week making his pride-and-joy ugly and dull, it made his blood boil which wasn't a difficult feat these days. So he was dealing with his anger the only way he could at the moment. His music, he said, helped him relax. She knew he was lying. Sitting in the passenger seat her heart was racing almost as fast the senseless percussion in the pseudo-demonic band. The music made her feel vulnerable when he drove this way in this kind of mood.…

    • 2421 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Complicated Kindness

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor is a song mentioned in A Complicated Kindness that Nomi can relate to easily. James Taylor was born March, 12th 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts, although he was mainly raised in North Carolina. By age 14, Taylor was writing songs, singing, and had learned to play the guitar and cello. In 1966, he moved to New York City to form a band with some of his friends and by the end of the year they were performing regularly at cafes. Unfortunately, while in New York, Taylor lost himself in drug abuse for a time, but would later lead to the inspiration of some of his songs, including “Fire and Rain”. After he was back on track with his life, he recorded a few demos and had them sent to Paul McCartney, whose label signed Taylor immediately. A few weeks later, he fell back into his old habits of drug abuse, and was hospitalized in Massachusetts. After his recovery, in 1970, Taylor released his single “Fire and Rain” which was inspired by his experiences with drug abuse, depression, the suicide of his friend Suzanne, and the institutional psychiatric treatments he received. (“James Taylor Biography”).…

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Piano Man

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Music has been a part of human culture for many years. It is embedded deep in our roots, from Native Americans chanting around a fire, to slaves harmonizing while laboring in the fields, to Beatle-mania, to the Backstreet Boys welcoming the new millennium. The great artists of this industry will forever be remembered for their ability to combine moving, soulful lyrics with enchanting melodies, all while reaching millions of individuals in a unique way. Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” is a perfect example of this melodic combination. Joel’s inspiration for this song came directly from his own experiences. Early in his career, he played a stint as a piano man for a local bar in Los Angeles, California during the early seventies. This piece was created as a “thank you” message to all of the lost people that inspired Joel to get back into the world and to dream big again after his first single failed miserably. His harmony depicts a typical bar scene, packed with down and out drunks and tired, bedraggled businessmen, all trying to find an escape from their stressful, everyday lives. Billy Joel tries to convey the message that everyone is always searching for something more in life, but no matter how much success they have, they will still be filled with loneliness and desire for something else. In “Piano Man,” Billy Joel uses a simple, straightforward syntax, an indirect characterization, and an informal, bittersweet tone to enforce his theme of disappointment and un-fulfillment.…

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Every day we are given a fresh start; another chance to move forward in our lives and accomplish the things we thrive to achieve day to day. A new day can also liberate us from our past mistakes and provide us with a chance to change our ways. We are all faced with misery and misfortune at points in our lives, some more than others. We must recognize that it is not the burden in itself that shapes who we are, but how well or how poorly we deal with the difficulties. Sometimes misfortunes can be seen in a negative light; because it seems unjust, therefore we response in a negative matter, and become negligent to change. Overcoming tragic events is what truly counts, for we are meant to live happily and in acceptance that there are things that we cannot change. In many cases, individuals seem to feel as though they’ve lost an amount so great that they are unable to free themselves of the pain. This perspective often leads to further suffering. A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahou and Kiss Me by Andrew Pyper demonstrate a loss of identity, negligence towards communication, and eventually leading to the destruction of a relationship.…

    • 1444 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    English Speech

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Some segments from her song like “How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?” and “Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away”, these words symbolise the Iraq war. This is a perfect reason why my anthology should be in your book, because it will teach the younger generation that there is war and the world isn’t peaceful in other counties.…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    1. The song, “Here Without You” by 3 Doors Down came to have a very significant meaning to me this past September, after my grandmother passed away. The day she died, and a few days after I remained seemingly unaffected and went on with my usual routine of work and partying, I spoke of it to my friends casually, and when they offered support I replied indifferently “it’s all good, that’s what happens”. It wasn’t until about a week later, on the morning of her rosary that I finally broke down. When I woke up that morning I knew it was coming, and told my mom to go ahead without me; that I’d meet her there, not willing to allow her to see me in a moment of weakness. When she left, I set the song on repeat, and let the sadness engulf me. The masquerade was over. As the tears rolled down my face, the sadness quickly turned to anger and guilt. My grandma died alone, in a nursing home, with nobody by her side to comfort her as the last bit of life left her frail, broken body. Memories of her taking care of me when I was young flooded my brain. Her tender, loving hands bathing me, cooking for me, rubbing all my pain away. It was no longer anger I felt, but rage. Unable to take it anymore, I grabbed my keys and headed off, driving like a maniac. The stereo was so loud I wouldn’t have heard if there was a siren going off right next to me. The tears continued to flow, blurring my vision. The music continued to blast, impairing my hearing. As I got onto the freeway I quickly passed the 100mph mark on my speedometer. Weaving through traffic, cutting people off, so consumed with rage and self-loathing to care how many people I endangered. Miraculously I got to the chapel unharmed. I parked and watched as people I hadn’t seen in years walk in to “pay their respects”.…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics