boygenius.
Material type:
MusicPublisher number: OLE-1408-1 | MatadorCD-OLE-1408 | MatadorPublisher: New York, NY : Matador Records, [2018]Description: 1 audio disc : CD audio, digital ; 4 3/4 inchesContent type: - performed music
- audio
- audio disc
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult CD
|
Main Library | CD | POP/ROCK boygenius | Available | 33111009976420 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Born out of chance encounters by three young musicians on uncommon but similar paths, indie supergroup Boygenius collects the talents of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus and results in an exciting and inspired chemistry. Already respectively successful when the idea to collaborate came up, each artist had fine-tuned her own distinctive approach to introspective and often sad-hearted songwriting. These variant approaches come to define the charm of Boygenius, as three unique voices rise up or blend into a singular force over the concise course of six songs, created in the studio in just four days. Each member of the group brought in one partially finished song and some loose ideas to be worked on collectively. It's easy to hear Bridgers' detached melancholy at the core of standout track "Me & My Dog," Dacus' masterful balance of guitar distortion and controlled anguish on "Salt in the Wound," and Baker's emo-leaning explosions on "Stay Down." Even with telltale signifiers of their individual approaches, the collaborative aspects are never out of focus. With musical personalities this strong, it would be easy to fall into the trap of one artist taking the lead from song to song, leaving the others to recede into the shadows as supporting characters. Interweaving harmonies, instrumental shifts, and dalliances with subtle genre-bending that communicate shared experiences and frustrations would never show up on any of the members' solo records, and make for the EP's most exciting moments. Moreover, on songs less clearly the product of one songwriter, the group reaches its full potential. "Salt in the Wound" takes speed like a comet hurtling toward an unsuspecting planet, with the three singers trading verses until the entire song is on fire and falling to pieces. This song flares out into the country-tinged album closer, "Ketchum, ID." One of the best songs of the bunch, it lays out a fantasy probably held by many mid-level indie musicians deep into a grueling tour, one of quitting music and moving to Idaho to leave it all behind. Gorgeously haunted harmonies and a listless, unfulfilled air recall the loneliness of Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch at their best and perfectly communicate the dull emptiness of watching life roll by from the window of a tour bus. The brevity of Boygenius can make it feel somewhat incomplete at times, lacking the kind of arc that gave depth to albums by its individual creators. Taken in as a small cache of excellent songs by three of the more talented songwriters of their era, Boygenius is a wonderful starting point, setting the scene for future collaborations that push into places each member couldn't get to on her own. ~ Fred Thomas
Title from container.
Compact disc.
Composed by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus.
boygenius is: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus ; with additional musicians.
Recorded 2018.
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus formed boygenius after booking a tour together, but the trio had subconsciously been in the works for longer than that. Through a series of tours and performances together, and chance encounters that led to friendships ? including Bridgers? and Dacus? first in-person meeting backstage at a Philadelphia festival, greenroom hangouts that felt instantly comfortable and compatible, a couple of long email chains and even a secret handshake between Baker and Dacus ? the lyrically and musically arresting singer-songwriters and kindred spirits got to know each other on their own terms. "When we met, Lucy and Phoebe and I were in similar places in our lives and our musical endeavors, but also had similar attitudes toward music that engendered an immediate affinity," Baker explains. "Lucy and Phoebe are incredibly gifted performers, and I am a fan of their art outside of being their friends, but they are also both very wise, discerning and kind people whom I look up to in character as much as in talent." With gut-wrenchingly personal yet easily relatable verses and spare, lilting melodic arrangements, all three are leading a new rock vanguard that values unflinching self-awareness and unassailable songcraft. Baker?s sophomore LP Turn Out the Lights and Bridgers? debut Stranger in the Alps swept best-of-2017 lists, while Dacus? meditation on loss, Historian, has already become one of 2018?s most lauded releases. "A long time ago, before I even met Phoebe, Julien mentioned that she had a pipe dream of starting a band with both of us," says Dacus. "Then we booked this tour and decided the time was right." "It seemed obvious to record a 7-inch for tour, although many adult men will try to take credit for the idea," adds Bridgers. "When we got together, we had way more songs than we expected and worked so well together, that we decided to make a full EP." In early June of 2018, they practiced and wrote for a day before holing up in Los Angeles? storied Sound City studios. Each brought one finished song and one idea to boygenius, and though all six songs were fleshed out and finalized together, each reflects the sensibilities of its initial author. Baker?s slow builds and taut vocals add urgency to "Souvenir" and "Stay Down," while album opener "Bite the Hand" roils with slow-burning layers of guitar as Dacus stands in her devastating truth: "I can?t love you like you want me to." The Bridgers-architected "Me & My Dog" chugs into view with a deceptively simple open-road riff and Bridgers? insistent recounting of a relationship that couldn?t help but fall apart. "Everyone seemed both confident enough to present ideas and fight for their individual vision, but considerate and humble enough to make decisions which ultimately served the song," says Baker. "It was a process that required a balance of determination and forthrightness with graciousness and pliability, and I think that we all did a good job of enacting that."
Bite the hand -- me & my dog -- souvenir -- stay down -- salt in the wound -- ketchum, id.