Turn Out the Lights (album)

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Turn Out the Lights
File:Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights cover art.jpg
Studio album by Julien Baker
Released October 27, 2017 (2017-10-27)
Studio Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee [1]
Genre
Length 40:01
Label Matador
Producer Julien Baker
Julien Baker chronology
Sprained Ankle
(2015)		 Turn Out the Lights
(2017)		 Boygenius
(2018)

Turn Out the Lights is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Julien Baker. It was released on October 27, 2017, by Matador Records.[2]

Background

Julien Baker began writing Turn Out the Lights while on tour for her debut album Sprained Ankle.[3] The overall recording period for the album was said to be six days, each lasting twelve hours. As with Sprained Ankle, Baker self-produced Turn Out the Lights.[4] Following the success of her debut, Baker gained positive attention and would begin working with Matador Records who helped release Turn Out the Lights. The album was recorded in the Memphis-based recording studio Ardent Studios.[5]

The album features violinist Camille Faulkner, who Baker met as a student at Middle Tennessee State University.[6] Others who collaborated on the album consist of several confidants from Baker's youth.[7] The release of the album coincided with a concert in Manhattan at Town Hall.[4]

Themes

Turn Out the Lights covers a broad range of themes from Julien Baker's personal experiences with faith to her sexuality and identity. Similarly to Sprained Ankle, Baker once again touches on mental health and substance abuse. Despite the tone of her music, the album also contains a message of hope.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 83/100[10]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3.5/5 stars[11]
Alternative Press 4.5/5 stars[12]
American Songwriter 4.5/5 stars[13]
The A.V. Club A[14]
Chicago Tribune 3/4 stars[15]
The Guardian 3/5 stars[16]
Mojo 3/5 stars[17]
Pitchfork 8.6/10[18]
Record Collector 4/5 stars[19]
Uncut 8/10[20]

Turn Out the Lights holds a score of 83 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim" from critics.[10] In a review for The A.V. Club, Kyle Ryan wrote that "As Baker digs into mental health, relationships, faith, and adulthood, Turn Out The Lights is, understandably, absolutely crushing... it is beautifully crafted throughout, full of the kinds of songs that linger long after they've ended."[14] Kika Chatterjee of Alternative Press rated the album 4.5/5 stars, stating that the album "proves [Baker]'s had enough pain to last several lifetimes. There's an elegance to her music that wasn't there before—a sudden bright piano riff over deep guitar; a harrowing, shouted acapella—that feels like a coming of age."[12]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of Turn Out the Lights
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club The 20 Best Albums of 2017
8
[21]
Los Angeles Times August Brown's Top 10 Albums of 2017
3
[22]
The New York Times Jon Caramanica's Best Albums of 2017
9
[23]
Jon Pareles's Best Albums of 2017
4
Variety The Best Albums of 2017 N/A
[24]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Julien Baker. 

No. Title Length
1. "Over"   1:28
2. "Appointments"   4:33
3. "Turn Out the Lights"   3:23
4. "Shadowboxing"   3:53
5. "Sour Breath"   3:04
6. "Televangelist"   4:53
7. "Everything to Help You Sleep"   4:21
8. "Happy to Be Here"   4:16
9. "Hurt Less"   3:59
10. "Even"   3:33
11. "Claws in Your Back"   4:38
Total length:
 40:01

Personnel

  • Julien Baker – vocals (2–11), guitars (2–5, 8, 10), piano (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11), organ (6, 7)
  • Camille Faulkner – strings (1, 2, 7, 9, 11)
  • Cameron Boucher – clarinet and saxophone (1, 2)
  • Matthew Gilliam – additional vocals (9)
  • Calvin Lauber – recording engineer, pre-mix
  • Craig Silvey - final mix engineer

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[25] 78
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[26] 9
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[27] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[28] 9
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[29] 12

References

  1. ↑ Turn Out The Lights at Discogs
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Cusumano, K. (2017, October 26). Julien Baker, singer of sublime sadness, on her struggles with "god or an ex-lover" in her new album. W Magazine. https://www.wmagazine.com/story/julien-baker-turn-out-the-lights-album-interview/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pareles, J. (2017, October 22). Julien Baker bravely confronts her traumas and fears. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/arts/music/julien-baker-turn-out-the-lights.html
  5. ↑ Goggins, J. (2017, October 11). Julien Baker on Turn Out the Lights. The Skinny. https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/interviews/julien-baker-on-turn-out-the-lights
  6. ↑ Stone, A. (2018, April 11). Julien Baker is quietly getting louder. Vice. https://www.vice.com/en/article/ywxxzv/julien-baker-interview-2018-turn-out-the-lights
  7. ↑ Exposito, S. (2017, September 29). Julien Baker on how faith informs her unflinching new LP ‘Turn Out the Lights’. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/julien-baker-on-how-faith-informs-her-unflinching-new-lp-turn-out-the-lights-200495/
  8. ↑ Breihan, T. (2017, October 25). Hope is a good word: Julien Baker finds light in the darkness. Stereogum. https://www.stereogum.com/featured/hope-is-a-good-word-julien-baker-finds-lights-in-the-darkness/
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Illegal name entered Julien Baker/Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart?f=305 "Julien Baker – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Julien Baker. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Illegal name entered Julien Baker/Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart?f=794 Julien Baker – Chart history" Billboard Top Alternative Albums for Julien Baker. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Illegal name entered Julien Baker/Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart?f=1071 Julien Baker – Chart history" Billboard Folk Albums for Julien Baker. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Illegal name entered Julien Baker/Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart?f=326 Julien Baker – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Julien Baker. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Illegal name entered Julien Baker/Template:BillboardEncode/J/chart?f=408 Julien Baker – Chart history" Billboard Top Rock Albums for Julien Baker. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
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