New album imminent and streaming here. Probably about time for her own thread.
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 2 March 2012 09:51 (1 year ago) Permalink
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 2 March 2012 09:54 (1 year ago) Permalink
Have listened to this a couple of times this morning now and WOW JUST WOW
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 2 March 2012 11:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
Amateur hour.
― Lil' Kim Philby (Call the Cops), Friday, 2 March 2012 11:52 (1 year ago) Permalink
absolutely loved "Tragedy", but those 2 youtubes aren't doing it for me on first impression
― zappi, Friday, 2 March 2012 11:54 (1 year ago) Permalink
Ha well, I was very much on the fence with Tragedy so there you go. Something kind of Broadcast-ish about the new one to my ears, that same otherworldly-ness recaptured.
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 2 March 2012 11:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
weird, coz i'd say Tragedy was definitely Broadcast-ish, and that seems to be largely missing from those two songs above
― zappi, Friday, 2 March 2012 12:06 (1 year ago) Permalink
This one is a lot more song-based but still uses the same special spectral glue that kept the last one together.
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 2 March 2012 12:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
hmmm, guess i'll have to wait till i hear the rest of it then
― zappi, Friday, 2 March 2012 12:20 (1 year ago) Permalink
Just starting to listen to the album stream. I like the composition of this first one - I won't mind too much if it's the ambient stuff that gets lost in the wash, as I felt like that was the least interesting thing about her. I'm more interested in seeing where she goes with the classical/operatic influences in a pop sphere...
― emil.y, Friday, 2 March 2012 12:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
ah see i loved the found sound ambient stuff, "The Falling Age" was one of my favourite tracks last year, had an amazing David Lynch/Ligeti creepiness to it
― zappi, Friday, 2 March 2012 12:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
There are definitely a couple of tracks with a Broadcast-esque phrasing in here, but really, I'd say it sounds more like someone who has similar influences to Broadcast than someone who is indebted to them. There's more Laurie Anderson, y'know.
― emil.y, Friday, 2 March 2012 12:53 (1 year ago) Permalink
Yeah, I wouldn't disagree at all, I was just struck by the similarity which had only just occurred to me.
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 2 March 2012 12:57 (1 year ago) Permalink
Okay, there's a 'Goddess Eyes' reprise type track on here? Not feeling it as much as the version on Tragedy. I was agonising for ages over what the vocoder bits of that reminded me of, by the way, and the answer is 'Amory Blaine' by John Sims.
― emil.y, Friday, 2 March 2012 13:04 (1 year ago) Permalink
FACT "Mix" is great// mainly field recordings of pop radio, says something to me about the comfort and/or loneliness of the FM space
http://www.factmag.com/2012/02/13/fact-mix-316-julia-holter/
― merked, Friday, 2 March 2012 13:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
^ this is great too btw - Julia Holter with Linda Perhacs, whose influence you can definitely hear in Holter's work.
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 2 March 2012 13:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
nite jewel on keysJH plays on her rec alsoend of public service announcement
(psyched for this rec because i always liked 'in the same room' more than any of JH's shortform stuff, really)
― john-claude van donne (schlump), Friday, 2 March 2012 13:13 (1 year ago) Permalink
oh right, i never knew that!
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 2 March 2012 13:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
this slays thohttp://vimeo.com/10725439xp
― john-claude van donne (schlump), Friday, 2 March 2012 13:17 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Goddess Eyes II" is the biggest curveball for sure, not 100% convinced by its dubby radio pop metamorphosis. On the whole the album feels less unique than Tragedy at this point in time, she seems to be mining very zeitgeisty influences rather than striking out in her own soundworld. Still a very good album though!
― Humperdin C.K. (seandalai), Friday, 2 March 2012 13:26 (1 year ago) Permalink
listened to the stream now & thankfully them 2 videos definitely aren't representative, plenty here that i like, esp "In The Same Room" & "Fur Felix"had no idea Linda Perhacs was playing live dates!
― zappi, Friday, 2 March 2012 13:30 (1 year ago) Permalink
Why sing when you can't sing? Why make the same "half an hour with a synth=a pop arrangement" crap as every other nobody? Marks of brilliance these are not. Things have changed since The Zombies were about.
― Lil' Kim Philby (Call the Cops), Friday, 2 March 2012 13:36 (1 year ago) Permalink
Those are interesting questions, which I'd be interested in discussing further. Perhaps you should start a thread about them, though, because they're not really relevant here.
― emil.y, Friday, 2 March 2012 13:40 (1 year ago) Permalink
Perhacs comparison otm, tho also I hear some Charming Hostess kinda avant-gardey Meredith Monk too. Almost kinda wish it was more Perhacs-esque; i love that sublime quietness in her voice. Ekstasis gets a little busy sometimes...
― Mordy, Friday, 2 March 2012 13:52 (1 year ago) Permalink
emil.y otm, i will derail this thread into the ground if someone is seriously pressing "Why sing when you can't sing?"
― john-claude van donne (schlump), Friday, 2 March 2012 13:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
I just think you good young people should be pushing for better.
― Lil' Kim Philby (Call the Cops), Friday, 2 March 2012 14:19 (1 year ago) Permalink
I hadn't really thought of the Perhacs comparison before, but yes, it definitely fits. Monk is a weird one, in that I don't associate the *sound* with anything of Monk's I've heard, but I would eat my hat if Holter wasn't a fan.
― emil.y, Friday, 2 March 2012 14:23 (1 year ago) Permalink
not really comparable, but while i'm listening to the album i can't help but think i'd rather be listening to the karen dalton album...
― Mordy, Friday, 2 March 2012 14:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
Between this, Grimes, and Frankie Rose, it seems that Pitchfork is on an 80s 4AD revival kick or something.
― Evan, Friday, 2 March 2012 14:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
Wait what there's a new album already?
― mac and me (Ówen P.), Friday, 2 March 2012 15:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
Comes out on Tuesday I think.
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 2 March 2012 15:17 (1 year ago) Permalink
tragedy is the fucking best
― flopson, Friday, 2 March 2012 20:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
It's streaming at NPR http://www.npr.org/2012/02/26/147294456/first-listen-julia-holter-ekstasis#playlistI love this girl, Tragedy on vinyl was twice a gift last year
― mac and me (Ówen P.), Friday, 2 March 2012 20:31 (1 year ago) Permalink
listening to this today. enjoyed tragedy' but i like this more - a lot less reverb, thankfully.
― nonightsweats, Monday, 5 March 2012 02:25 (1 year ago) Permalink
put this in the "not for me but i respect what she's doing" pile. but i'm not crazy about all the laurie anderson comparisons. laurie anderson is hilarious, julia holter is not.
― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 9 March 2012 20:03 (1 year ago) Permalink
― mac and me (Ówen P.), Friday, 2 March 2012 15:16 (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
some of it is older, i think, has circulated on mixes for a while
― john-claude van donne (schlump), Saturday, 10 March 2012 11:54 (1 year ago) Permalink
She was working on the two albums simultaneously
― Number None, Saturday, 10 March 2012 15:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
She went to school w/me! Psyched that she is talk of all the towns. Also from that FACT mix, I can tell she must live in my neighborhood.
― Luomas (admrl), Saturday, 10 March 2012 17:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
i am liking this. i get the broadcast comparisons and hear sian alice group as well. there's a lot to absorb from this record though, those are only my first impressions.
― borntohula, Saturday, 10 March 2012 18:39 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah, def feeling this altho it may take a few listens to sink in
― althea and (donna rouge), Monday, 12 March 2012 16:30 (1 year ago) Permalink
Enjoying this a lot, definitely hear some Broadcast influences.
― MikoMcha, Tuesday, 13 March 2012 07:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
overstuffed, dull
― caulk the wagon and float it, Tuesday, 13 March 2012 13:26 (1 year ago) Permalink
What does overstuffed mean?
― MikoMcha, Tuesday, 13 March 2012 13:52 (1 year ago) Permalink
this is not what i expected, far more pedestrian than tragedy; i liked it better when i didn't get julia holter but thought it was my fault, rather than the music's.
it's so SMALL sounding but not in a good way, not in an immersive detailed way, just...thin. and her voice is so mimsy
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 14 March 2012 18:00 (1 year ago) Permalink
I really like her approach to melodic and harmonic development here, nearly every song ends in a completely different place to where it began and there are so many point when a new melodic line will come in at the most gorgeous moment. I don't understand the "overstuffed" comment upthread, it's actually pretty light (and the points where it falls down are where it isn't).
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Wednesday, 14 March 2012 19:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
i honestly thought it was kind of...melody-averse. i spent a lot of time waiting for things to happen. not as much as on tragedy though.
a couple of the songs near the end are better.
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 14 March 2012 19:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
I'm pretty adverse to 'ethereal vocals' in general, but I quite like this. Sound great over my morning coffee, making breakfast - I always need records like that :)
― MikoMcha, Wednesday, 14 March 2012 20:23 (1 year ago) Permalink
"four gardens" is my favorite on this i think
― althea and (donna rouge), Wednesday, 14 March 2012 21:06 (1 year ago) Permalink
i keep singing the "many many moons" bit to myself
― althea and (donna rouge), Wednesday, 14 March 2012 21:07 (1 year ago) Permalink
i honestly thought it was kind of...melody-averse. i spent a lot of time waiting for things to happen
It's not melody averse at all, but the songs are sort of structured like classical pieces where the really obvious melodies aren't necessarily there and upfront and centre, it takes time to reach them. I'm thinking of songs like 'Fur Felix', where it plays around over the top of that cello figure for ages and then consolidates into this really lovely repeated refrain, and then it starts undercutting it and breaking it up.
I can understand not really liking the aesthetic, but she knows exactly what she's doing. It's really light in terms of production and arrangement but there's a lot going on, it's not slight at all. Way better than the other 4AD artists mentioned on this thread.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Thursday, 15 March 2012 15:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
Even the ambient bits feel a lot more purposeful than most ambient does, like the chords are drifting towards something.
Hah, the last song is my least favourite, I think she falls down when she picks up the pace and volume a bit.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Thursday, 15 March 2012 15:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
I saw she tweeted yesterday that she was listening to Laurie Anderson for the first time, since the name comes up so often in reviews.
― scott pgwp (pgwp), Friday, 16 March 2012 20:05 (1 year ago) Permalink
this cokemachineglow review is amazing/terrible!
http://www.cokemachineglow.com/record_review/6864/juliaholter-ekstasis-2012
― omar little, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 15:21 (1 year ago) Permalink
discussion on its terribleness here: pitchfork is dumb (#34985859340293849494 in a series.)
― good luck in your pyramid (Neil S), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 15:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
found ekstasis dull (gave it only a couple cursory listens), like a really flacid broadcast-like music. wanted to like it cuz she's mad cute and champions michael pisaro's music. maybe it grows?
― Lowell N. Behold'n, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 15:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
totally grows...love it to death now (took about 4 full spins)
― henry s, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 16:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
Ha, I think I'll go on the "amazing" side! Actually I thought it was a good piece and certainly made me want to listen to the album - which is kind of the point.
― Here he is with the classic "Poème Électronique." Good track (Marcello Carlin), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 18:20 (1 year ago) Permalink
really liking what i've heard so far. think the "experimental" angle is getting way overbilled. outside of a few sonics, its really more just quirky pop.
― s.clover, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 18:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
jfc, marcello, this is a line from that review:
Holter’s vacuous constructions are left bare to naturally solidify in the tentative advance of dawn, and with the light comes a clouds-parting revelation of latent songwriting talent and preternatural concepts concerning variances in sound and texture.
Which is to say it’s about as cerebral an approach to what amounts to a fairly streamlined avant-pop record as you could imagine, with Holter nimbly folding in left-field referents and heady conceits until lines have been blurred and the results regurgitated as pure manifestations of sonic poetry at the direct inception of indecipherability.
― preternatural concepts concerning variances in sound and texture (contenderizer), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 18:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
haha contenderizer i known, it's hard to deliberately write as inscrutably as certain folks do almost naturally.
― s.clover, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 18:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
er, i know.
lol @ "vaingloriously referential word salad", respect
― THIS TRADE SERVES ZERO FOOTBALL PURPOSE (DJP), Wednesday, 28 March 2012 18:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
Some friends of mine made this video for her at the wolf in DTLA:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=H8x-6VHORLU#!
― De Laurentiiis (admrl), Sunday, 1 April 2012 16:13 (1 year ago) Permalink
"To naturally solidify" is a split infinitive. Using "regurgitated" and "pure" in the same sentence is a contradiction in terms. A keen editor would have spotted both and sorted them out.
However, as I said, the review was sufficiently interesting for me to want to check out the record, unlike the red-nosed clowning of what Owen P called the "book burning THIS IS SHIT" attitude which clearly isn't confined to the UK.
― Here he is with the classic "Poème Électronique." Good track (Marcello Carlin), Sunday, 1 April 2012 19:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
"To naturally solidify" is a split infinitive
nothing wrong with a split infinitive if it makes the rhythm of the sentence sound better. both "to solidify naturally" and "naturally to solidify" sound much worse. the guiding principle should be euphony.
― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Sunday, 1 April 2012 19:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
in the fuss over cokemachineglow dude's bad writing let us not forget his repulsive attitude that was the reason he was called out at all
― lex pretend, Sunday, 1 April 2012 19:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
Nothing wrong with "to boldly go" either but "to naturally solidify," to use a journalistic expression, halts the flow of prose.
"repulsive attitude"?
― Here he is with the classic "Poème Électronique." Good track (Marcello Carlin), Monday, 2 April 2012 09:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
Marcello, FYI: pitchfork is dumb (#34985859340293849494 in a series.)
― mike t-diva, Monday, 2 April 2012 09:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
The "blue collar readers" remark is asinine, especially if meant ironically, i.e. "let's make our posts easy for oiks to read." But I'm an oik, albeit one who benefited from the wonders of the Scottish education system (which is not to deny its dark side of religious segregation, but that's another argument for another thread), who had great, encouraging parents, teachers and tutors right through school and university. With my blog writing I certainly assume a level of shared knowledge - knowing who's reading or who's likely to read the blog - but I never, ever talk down to my readers as though neither brains nor Google existed.
However:
The superiority complex of wannabe highbrows who can't even craft readable prose is reliably repulsive.
This reads like highbrow contempt for those whom Sir Alastair Burnet used to call "plain people" (Translation: "stay in your corner and know your place, oiks"). And bad alliteration.
― Here he is with the classic "Poème Électronique." Good track (Marcello Carlin), Monday, 2 April 2012 13:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
beautiful album
― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Thursday, 12 April 2012 22:18 (1 year ago) Permalink
i tried this again, still can't get into it. feels really passionless to me, no blood and guts or emotional pull - kind of fussy and prissy :(
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Friday, 13 April 2012 10:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
It's a grower. But I am not sure if this record works so easily for everybody.
― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Friday, 13 April 2012 14:13 (1 year ago) Permalink
What's she currently like live? Playing at a more classically-oriented concert space w/Mike Koldin tonight, mildly curious.
― etc, Sunday, 27 May 2012 10:02 (11 months ago) Permalink
just saw her this past tuesday at the media club in vancouver. pretty much stands behind her keyboard and plays. voice was really strong and i enjoyed her jerky dance moves. she appears shy & does not address the audience a whole lot. glad i saw her though.
― drone/a/sore, Monday, 28 May 2012 00:49 (11 months ago) Permalink
I thought this album was really sleepy and pitch-shifted, and it turns out I've just been playing the records at the wrong speed.
― Word of Wisdom Robots (Abbbottt), Saturday, 2 June 2012 23:57 (11 months ago) Permalink
It sounded good, though!
she played worthless UK festival Field Day yesterday and was told to leave the premises immediately afterwards to free up space in the car park: https://twitter.com/JULIA_HOLTER/status/208975662994825216
― cissémanwhore (DJ Mencap), Sunday, 3 June 2012 07:49 (11 months ago) Permalink
wow that's terrible
― You can do it Sun Myung Moon (NickB), Sunday, 3 June 2012 08:12 (11 months ago) Permalink
That's preeeeeetty shitty. I was at Field Day, she was grrrreat opening the day (yeah, not doing much unexpected, but her singing especially really struck me), and it was all a bit downhill from there. Not drastically so, and it was actually a bit better organised than I expected (having heard so many horror stories), but I don't imagine I'll be back.
― Merdeyeux, Sunday, 3 June 2012 14:50 (11 months ago) Permalink
Completely understand their request. Would have made it prior to her set, though.
― Lil' Kim Philby (Call the Cops), Sunday, 3 June 2012 18:43 (11 months ago) Permalink
Actually, been listening a bit more and she isn't as bad as all that. Quite like some of this stuff in fact, doh.
― Lil' Kim Philby (Call the Cops), Monday, 4 June 2012 06:33 (11 months ago) Permalink
the album is really growing on me, thought it was a bit aimless and too drifty at first. i really love "boy in the moon".
― Michael B Higgins (Michael B), Friday, 15 June 2012 15:53 (11 months ago) Permalink
Had high hopes for this record since Cole MGN was involved
― calstars, Friday, 15 June 2012 18:05 (11 months ago) Permalink
http://michaelpisaro.blogspot.com/2012/08/announcing-gw-008-and-gw-009.html
― braunld (Lowell N. Behold'n), Friday, 31 August 2012 21:52 (8 months ago) Permalink
'ekstasis' sounds even better in the winter
― Michael B Higgins (Michael B), Thursday, 15 November 2012 14:59 (6 months ago) Permalink
briefly lambent rays piercing the boiling clouds of vaingloriously referential word salad
― in an English way (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 15 November 2012 15:48 (6 months ago) Permalink
I've been coming back to Ekstasis and liking it even more. Definitely one of the albums of 2012 for me.
― MikoMcha, Thursday, 15 November 2012 19:04 (6 months ago) Permalink
This is a wonderful record.
― comedy is unnatural and abhorrent (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 31 December 2012 17:09 (4 months ago) Permalink
I think it's awesome. I went home over Christmas and played it to my parents cos I thought they'd be into it and my mum said it sounded like Enya :(
― paolo, Tuesday, 1 January 2013 18:16 (4 months ago) Permalink
enya is awesome!
someone posted a song from this on tumblr and i really liked the track in isolation, but i couldn't really get into the album
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 16:47 (4 months ago) Permalink
My teenaged son asked for Ekstasis for Christmas. I haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but I like the bits I've heard. I can understand the Enya comparison, haven't heard anything that reminds me of Broadcast yet.
― Rocking Disco Santa (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 17:10 (4 months ago) Permalink
this plane is taking... off.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Tuesday, 15 January 2013 20:43 (4 months ago) Permalink
ekstasis probably by most-listened-to album of 2012, unless you count that le1f mix which i dunno is that an "album"?
It's Enya on drugs
― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Wednesday, 16 January 2013 23:36 (4 months ago) Permalink
the song structures are more interesting than enya's
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Thursday, 17 January 2013 00:08 (4 months ago) Permalink
Marienbad sounds like a Jon Anderson track on a Yes album
― space phwoar (Hurting 2), Thursday, 17 January 2013 00:19 (4 months ago) Permalink
Reading about Holter today (post-ilx poll) and found out about the Tombstones project that Julia appears on.
More here.
Pre-listening, at the moment I started reading I found this REALLY REALLY exciting. Current avant-garde compositional practice in pop is a thing in my head as I have ideas about what they could sound like -- a music that really exists in my head but here it was. But the first couple of tracks are more like a composer (any composer) subsuming a piece of pop music (i mean it could be pop, or aboriginal music, or Verdi) into their own to such an extent that it becomes 'Wandelweiser' pop except the pieces are short (and music from this end of things can be long and seemingly static, but continuous).
I'll finish the listen tomorrow.
― xyzzzz__, Friday, 1 February 2013 00:18 (3 months ago) Permalink
Oh yeah, that's on my "To Listen" Spotify playlist. Can't remember whether I knew about the JH connection. Thanks for the nudge!
― questino (seandalai), Friday, 1 February 2013 00:19 (3 months ago) Permalink
i got into this last night heavy. still enjoying it so much. i never expected it to be this warm. i'm hardly able to talk about it using the language that she uses, but the touch that i can only imagine to be the much-discussed "medieval influence" is really quite wonderful. the grandiose nature of the music reminds me of OPN a little; there's something similar organic about the sweeping synths they both use. but i think holter has a more straightforward, less overtly postmodern appeal.
anyways, i've really been loving both tragedy and ekstasis. pity i wasn't up on this for the EOY polls
― cocktail onion (fennel cartwright), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 16:40 (3 months ago) Permalink
"boy in the moon" prompted me to order a copy of blade runner on VHS.
― braunld (Lowell N. Behold'n), Sunday, 10 March 2013 01:13 (2 months ago) Permalink
Good grief:http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/mis/3650607077.html
― BISH HOOS aka the teendrimer (Craig D.), Sunday, 10 March 2013 02:47 (2 months ago) Permalink
Saw her perform last night in the midst of a video installation at The Walker Art Center. She's pretty much an introvert, doesn't really say much, but the music was lovely, including a charming version of Roxy Music's "2HB."
― New Authentic Everybootsy Collins (Dan Peterson), Friday, 12 April 2013 16:33 (1 month ago) Permalink
I got lost and wandered around in the rain for an hour on the way there, so I only made it to the third set. But yeah, it was a good show, I'm still glad I went.
― o_o, Friday, 12 April 2013 18:26 (1 month ago) Permalink