Sprained Ankle (album)

Last updated
Sprained Ankle
Sprained Ankle cover.jpg
Studio album by
Julien Baker
ReleasedOctober 23, 2015 (2015-10-23)
RecordedSpacebomb Studios, Richmond, Virginia
Genre
Length33:33
Label 6131 Records
Julien Baker chronology
Sprained Ankle
(2015)		 Turn Out the Lights
(2017)

Sprained Ankle is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Julien Baker. Originally self-released on Bandcamp as an EP, the album was re-released in October 2015 on 6131 Records.

Contents

The album received critical acclaim and was placed on several lists of the best albums of 2015 and the 2010s as a whole. In 2020, Paste listed it as one of the best indie folk albums of all time. It is considered an influential work, with one retrospective review stating "In the half-decade since its initial release, Baker's name has become synonymous with the revitalization of ultra-personal singer-songwriters wearing their hearts on their sleeves." [1] [2]

Development

The songs on Sprained Ankle were written by Baker while a student at MTSU. She thought her songwriting at the time did not "fit the vibe" of Forrister, her previous band, and did not intend to release them as an album. [3] Her friend, Michael Hegner, had free time at MTSU's studio and offered to record her songs. They made a demo, Hegner liked it, and they kept working together. In the summer of 2014, [4] they decided to take a road trip to Spacebomb Studios in Richmond, Virginia, where Hegner was interning, to record it. [3] [5] In an interview with The Blue Indian, Baker said that "it was recorded really sparsely and efficiently to get the most out of the time there, which contributed to the way the songs come across." [6] The songs "Vessels" and "Brittle Boned" were later recorded by her friend, Toby Landers and added to the album. [4]

The record was first released as an EP on Bandcamp in the winter of 2014. [4] [7] Its first cover art was designed by Baker and a friend. People started sharing the record, then Baker toured it and sold CDs. [8] [9] 6131 Records liked her work and decided to sign her. [5] The record was taken down from Bandcamp on advice from Baker's label so that it could be mastered and formally released. [9]

Composition

Sprained Ankle is a folk and indie folk album with elements of emo, lo-fi, and country. [10] [1] [11] [3] [12] It is "made of sparse guitar (and piano) tunes about breakups, substance abuse, loneliness, physical and emotional pain, and enduring". [13] The album was written mostly in a soundproof booth in Middle Tennessee State University, where Baker was a student at the time. It was recorded "one-mic and one-take", with an intimacy that "feels like a violation of [Baker's] privacy". [14] "Go Home" features suicidal imagery and incorporates the hymn "In Christ Alone" and "bits of 'church radio' that accidentally fed into her preamp during recording". [15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Arizona Daily Sun A+ [16]
Clash 9/10 [17]
Consequence of Sound B [15]
Drowned in Sound 8/10 [11]
Exclaim! 9/10 [18]
Pitchfork 7.0/10 [14]

The mastered versions of the songs "Sprained Ankle" (title track), "Something", and "Brittle Boned" premiered in advance on NPR's All Songs Considered , Stereogum , and Nylon respectively. [19] [20] [21] Sprained Ankle was re-released in October 2015 through 6131 Records. The Sabyn Mayfield-directed music video for "Sprained Ankle" was released on October 26. [3] It charted on Billboard 's Heatseekers Albums at number 25 for the week of November 14. [22]

Gabriela Tully Claymore from Stereogum wrote that the songs were "unabashedly explicit, and Sprained Ankle discusses depression, substance abuse, and general crises of faith in detail." [3] On the guitar playing, Ian Cohen of Pitchfork wrote that "[Baker is] a minimalist, playing bassy clusters of melodic thirds, flicking silvery harmonics, [and] palm-muting chords." [14] It was recorded in a way that Adam Kevil from Consequence of Sound considers to be a simple format, "[Baker] alone, singing and playing acoustic guitar directly into the microphone, sometimes in a single take". [15]

In 2018, NPR selected its title track as the #156 greatest songs by a women artist in the 21st century, stating, "Baker's gentle touch [...] evok[es] an entire world — of suffering and healing, eagerness and fear, loneliness and companionship, distance and intimacy — in its search for a more human truth." [23]

Year-end lists

PublicationAccoladeRankRef.
AbsolutePunk Top Albums of 2015
6
 [24]
The A.V. Club The 15 best albums of 2015
13
 [25]
BrooklynVegan Top 50 Albums of 2015— [26]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2015
49
 [27]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2015
40
 [28]

Decade-end and all-time lists

PublicationListRankRef.
BrooklynVegan Best Albums of the 2010s
76
 [1]
100 Best Punk & Emo Albums of the 2010s
46
 [29]
Chorus.fm Top 50 Albums of the 2010s
24
 [30]
Paste The 100 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time
91
 [10]
Sputnikmusic Top 100 Albums of the 2010s
30
 [31]
Uproxx All The Best Albums Of The 2010s, Ranked
66
 [2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Julien Baker

No.TitleLength
1."Blacktop"4:43
2."Sprained Ankle"2:22
3."Brittle Boned"3:37
4."Everybody Does"2:25
5."Good News"3:31
6."Something"3:52
7."Rejoice"3:33
8."Vessels"4:26
9."Go Home"5:04
Total length:33:33

Personnel

Credits for Sprained Ankle adapted from Bandcamp and AllMusic. [32] [33]

Charts

Chart performance for Sprained Ankle
Chart (2016)Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [34] 23

Related Research Articles

<i>Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill</i> 2008 studio album by Grouper

Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill is the fifth studio album by American musician Liz Harris under the stage name Grouper. It was released on June 10, 2008 on Type Records. The album was later reissued alongside Grouper's The Man Who Died in His Boat in 2013 by Kranky.

<i>I Want to Grow Up</i> 2015 studio album by Colleen Green

I Want to Grow Up is the third studio album by American indie pop musician Colleen Green, released on February 24, 2015 through Hardly Art. The album's title is a play on the Descendents' I Don't Want to Grow Up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julien Baker</span> American rock musician (born 1995)

Julien Rose Baker is an American indie rock singer and guitarist. Her music is noted for its moody quality and confessional lyrical style, as well as frank explorations of topics including Christianity, addiction, mental illness, and human nature. She has received six Grammy Award nominations and three wins as a member of Boygenius.

The discography of Turnover, an American rock band, consists of five studio albums, four extended plays, six music videos and five appearances on compilation and split albums. The band was formed in 2009 in Virginia Beach, Virginia and released their eponymous extended play two years later on Broken Rim Records. This first project has been described as emo and pop punk. In 2012, the band signed to Run for Cover Records and put out a split with Citizen. The next year, Turnover released their debut album, Magnolia, on Run for Cover Records. Magnolia reached number 15 on the Top Heatseekers chart, but failed to chart on the Billboard 200. In 2014, the band released their second extended play, Blue Dream, on Broken Rim Records.

<i>Dealer</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Foxing

Dealer is the second studio album by American rock band Foxing. The album was released on October 30, 2015 through Triple Crown Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Dacus</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1995)

Lucy Elizabeth Dacus is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus attracted attention with her debut album No Burden (2016), which led to a deal with Matador Records. Historian, her second album, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim. Home Video, her third studio album, was released in 2021.

Remember Sports is an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Formed in Gambier, Ohio, and originally just named Sports, they have released four albums on Father/Daughter Records.

<i>A Crow Looked at Me</i> 2017 studio album by Mount Eerie

A Crow Looked at Me is the eighth studio album by Mount Eerie, a solo project of the American musician Phil Elverum. Released in 2017, it was composed in the aftermath of his 35-year-old wife Geneviève Castrée's diagnosis with pancreatic cancer in 2015, and her death in July 2016. Elverum wrote and recorded the songs over a six-week period in the room where she died, mostly using her instruments. His sparse lyrics and minimalistic musical accompaniment drew influence from a broad range of artists, including the poet Gary Snyder, author Karl Ove Knausgård and songwriter Julie Doiron.

Tancred is the stage name of former Now, Now guitarist Jess Abbott.

<i>Bury Me at Makeout Creek</i> 2014 studio album by Mitski

Bury Me at Makeout Creek is the third studio album by American indie rock musician Mitski, released through Double Double Whammy on November 11, 2014. The album was written entirely by Mitski, with production handled by Patrick Hyland, who also produced her previous record, Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2013).

<i>Turn Out the Lights</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Julien Baker

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.

<i>Lush</i> (Snail Mail album) 2018 studio album by Snail Mail

Lush is the debut studio album by American indie rock musician Snail Mail, released on June 8, 2018 through Matador Records. The album was produced by Jake Aron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boygenius</span> American indie rock supergroup

Boygenius was an American indie rock supergroup consisting of American singer-songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. They debuted with their self-titled EP in 2018, and then returned after a hiatus with their debut studio album, The Record (2023), which was both a critical and commercial success, winning the members three Grammy Awards. Labeled an "instant classic" by NME, it topped the charts in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, and peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200. Their second EP, The Rest, was released on October 13, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illuminati Hotties</span> American indie rock band

Illuminati Hotties are an American indie rock band from Los Angeles, California, created and fronted by producer, mixer, and audio engineer Sarah Tudzin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrianne Lenker</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1991)

Adrianne Elizabeth Lenker is an American musician. She is the lead vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter of the band Big Thief, as well as an established solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Malco</span> British musician

Katie Malcolmson, known professionally as Katie Malco, is a British indie rock musician based in Northampton, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motion Sickness (Phoebe Bridgers song)</span> 2017 single by Phoebe Bridgers

"Motion Sickness" is a song by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. It was released on July 18, 2017 by Dead Oceans as the second single from her debut studio album, Stranger in the Alps. The song was written by Bridgers and Marshall Vore and produced by Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska. "Motion Sickness" was written about Bridgers's ex-boyfriend Ryan Adams, whom she later accused of emotional abuse, alongside several other women. In 2022, the song was certified gold in the United States (RIAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night Shift (Lucy Dacus song)</span> 2017 indie rock song

"Night Shift" is a song by American indie rock musician Lucy Dacus. It was released as the lead single from her album Historian on December 12, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Love / Late Spring</span> 2014 single by Mitski

"First Love / Late Spring" is the debut single by American singer Mitski, released in 2014 as the lead single from her third studio album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irreversible Entanglements</span> American band

Irreversible Entanglements is an American free jazz collective formed in 2015. The improvising quintet consists of vocalist Camae Ayewa, drummer Tcheser Holmes, trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, saxophonist Keir Neuringer, and bassist Luke Stewart. Their albums have been celebrated as among the best in new music by The Wire, The Quietus, Magnet, NPR Music, and Stereogum.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Best Albums of the 2010s". Brooklyn Vegan. December 31, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "All The Best Albums Of The 2010s, Ranked". Uproxx. October 7, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Claymore, Gabriela Tully (October 26, 2015). "Read An Interview With Young Phenom Julien Baker". Stereogum . Eldridge Industries . Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Mook, Aaron (November 10, 2015). "Interview: Julien Baker". AbsolutePunk . Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Chiu, David (December 9, 2015). "Julien Baker's 'Real Life' Music Tugs at the Heartstrings". PopMatters. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  6. ↑ Pritchard, Sean (December 1, 2015). "December 2015 'Band of the Month' – Julien Baker". The Blue Indian. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ Dodson, Claire (December 3, 2015). "Julien Baker's brand of sad rock 'n' roll reflects Memphis roots and a self-awareness all her own". Nashville Scene. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  8. ↑ Ladd, Olivia (February 23, 2015). "From Memphis to Murfreesboro: Musician Julien Baker Shares Her Passion". Sidelines. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Townsend, Eileen (October 22, 2015). "Julien Baker Arrives". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "The 100 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time". Paste. 20 May 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Rindner, Grant (March 16, 2017). "Album Review: Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  12. ↑ Page, Andy (March 16, 2017). "Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle (Matador)". Godisinthetvzine. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Donelson, Marcy. "Sprained Ankle – Julien Baker". AllMusic . Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 Cohen, Ian (November 5, 2015). "Julien Baker: Sprained Ankle". Pitchfork . Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  15. 1 2 3 Geffen, Sasha (December 1, 2015). "Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  16. ↑ Willie Cross (2015-11-12). "Vibewaves: Of the bleak and beautiful : Flaglive". Azdailysun.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  17. ↑ Butler, Will (March 23, 2017). "Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle". Clash . Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  18. ↑ Williams, Matt (October 23, 2015). "Julien Baker: Sprained Ankle". Exclaim! . Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ Presley, Katie (July 21, 2015). "Song Premiere: Julien Baker, 'Sprained Ankle'". All Songs Considered : NPR. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  20. ↑ Claymore, Gabriela Tully (August 18, 2015). "Julien Baker – 'Something' (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  21. ↑ Barna, Ben (October 1, 2015). "Song Premiere: Julien Baker's 'Brittle Boned'". Nylon. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Julien Baker - Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  23. ↑ "The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+". NPR. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  24. ↑ "AbsolutePunk.net's Top Albums of 2015". January 6, 2016.
  25. ↑ "The 15 best albums of 2015". The A.V. Club. December 7, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Our Favorite Albums of 2015". BrooklynVegan. December 31, 2015.
  27. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Paste. 27 November 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  28. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". Stereogum. December 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  29. ↑ "100 Best Punk & Emo Albums of the 2010s". Brooklyn Vegan. December 18, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  30. ↑ Manning, Craig (December 9, 2019). "Chorus.fm's Top 50 Albums of the 2010s". Chorus.fm. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Albums of the 2010s". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Sprained Ankle | Julien Baker". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Sprained Ankle - Julien Baker". AllMusic. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Julien Baker Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.