her voice is so mimsy― lex pretend, Wednesday, 14 March 2012 18:00 (six years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 14 March 2012 18:00 (six years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I've had the beginning of I shall love 2 in my head all morning where her vocals are indeed very mimsy, and it's made me realise how enamoured I am becoming both with this album and with those sorts of affected, contorted vocals more generally. I think her singing is great on this, she sounds v much like herself. All her albums have drawn power and dynamism from a sense of scale, that comfort & delight in personhood, the intimacy of being your small self in a vast swirling world. it's v affecting and charming to me.
― ogmor, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 10:33 (five years ago) link
Nothing like a excellent show to solidify your favourite album of the year, or maybe it’s an excellent album that’s solidifying my show of the year. In any case Holter is the cement that is setting quickly around my 2018 highs. Beautiful night. V well behaved audience.
Tashi Wada (who was the bagpipes and synth tonight) is leading a show with Holter next week and I think it will be quite different, but still cannae wait
― avoid drinking on an empty liver (fionnland), Thursday, 6 December 2018 22:49 (five years ago) link
Ugh, jealous. I'm weighing whether to make the trip to Montreal to see her in February. I'm dying to hear what something like "Chaitius" will turn into live.
This is pretty easily my favourite album of the year.
― jmm, Friday, 7 December 2018 00:34 (five years ago) link
it was a really good show, she was extremely feeling herself in a way I found q inspirational and the audience were suitably enthralled. I have quite a way to go with getting a grip on this album and chaitius in particular is obscure w/ all the occitanian troubadour biz. it was quite fragmented live, but everything seemed simpler and breezier, more a matter of flowing between moments. she wrote "stay sweet in the melting world" on the album I bought. I'm glad she didn't write "the bananas are getting yellow!!!"
― ogmor, Friday, 7 December 2018 10:06 (five years ago) link
Cosign whoever it was who said this is a totally different album on headphones, there's so much digital trickery flying around the vocals in places, hidden sounds that are only noticeable up close.
― Matt DC, Friday, 7 December 2018 10:14 (five years ago) link
Giving it my first listen after staying prudently away (don't know her well, I liked HYimW to some extent).So far I really like its fragmentary and chaotic flowing nature, though it occasionally stalls (she did lose me around Everyday Is-Another Dream). I must be liking long open-form albums more than before. The one artist I think of is not Laurie Anderson or Coltrane but Meredith Monk; the three work of course, as it's both composed and free. Nice chameleon of an album, it is like a cascading collage of sounds, and after a while you forget that each minute is its own little pond. Impressive. Still five tracks to go.
― Nabozo, Friday, 7 December 2018 15:36 (five years ago) link
She ducked under the synth and gave a few of us at the front a goofy wave at one point that made me chuckle. It's a good contrast - how playful she is within the very structured pieces of music.
― avoid drinking on an empty liver (fionnland), Friday, 7 December 2018 18:57 (five years ago) link
OTM, I found her unexpectedly playful as a live performer, too.
I put on the new LP tonight for the first time and it was kind of blowing my mind. I was distracted with work tho. Gonna have make time to listen again when I can get nice and stoned and give it my undivided attention.
― davey, Wednesday, 12 December 2018 10:30 (five years ago) link
Also now tempted to splurge on some fancy headphones especially for the occasion
― davey, Wednesday, 12 December 2018 10:36 (five years ago) link
This album is amazing. And only gets more amazing on headphones, 'tis true.
Lj, what is your beef with her? You seem to aggressively dislike her for some reason. Just wondering.
― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 13 December 2018 15:53 (five years ago) link
the music bores me and there's so much of it and it's so in love with itself
― imago, Thursday, 13 December 2018 16:21 (five years ago) link
I had follow up questions but tbh your answer is sufficient. Diff strokes I guess?
― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 13 December 2018 16:24 (five years ago) link
yeah plus i listened to it all two and a half times in a row which was long enough for sentiment to calcify
― imago, Thursday, 13 December 2018 16:28 (five years ago) link
How would you all rate this record in her overall catalogue? I've been dabbling in some of her older music (only having heard a few songs previously), but haven't connected with anything in quite the same way. I should probably just pick an album and listen to the whole thing.
― jmm, Thursday, 13 December 2018 16:34 (five years ago) link
I still prefer To Have You in My Wilderness but I think if you like her you will like them all*
*I am not an expert by any means wrt Holter
― No Smockin' (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 13 December 2018 16:47 (five years ago) link
In the Same Room! It's amazing and is nothing but highlights!
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Thursday, 13 December 2018 22:54 (five years ago) link
finally getting properly into Have You In My Wilderness, just in time for seeing her live in a few days
i still find "Feel You" and "Sea Calls Me Home" quite awkward rhythmically and they're probably what stopped me for so long, being almost something i'd like but not quite. it turns out the rest of the album has a very similar appeal to Aviary, just less sprawling
― ufo, Saturday, 19 January 2019 14:09 (five years ago) link
saw her last night in sydney, so good, vastly better than the previous show i caught (2013! shit)
expanded band really delivers
kept getting robert ashley vibes - something to do with the oblique approach to vocal styling maybe? or maybe just general sense of US 80s "artiness", dunno
― umsworth (emsworth), Sunday, 20 January 2019 23:18 (five years ago) link
Report from Brooklyn: She and her band were tremendous tonight. "Aviary" translated beautifully and her older stuff sounded great as well. Go see her.
― Carly Jae Vespen (Capitaine Jay Vee), Saturday, 23 February 2019 05:49 (five years ago) link
she was really wonderful when i saw her last month
― ufo, Saturday, 23 February 2019 05:50 (five years ago) link
Very excited for Friday. Loud City Song tour was already overwhelming to me, so I can barely imagine how this one will feel.
― geoffreyess, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 05:25 (five years ago) link
You're in for a treat. I love this band's use of electronics, too. Both the violinist and trumpet/fleugelhorn player use some sort of laptop based treatments for their instruments and the Prophet - 6 is also a big part of the sound. If you love early Kate Bush and / or early solo Sylvian you should run and get a ticket. I haven't heard anyone else tap into a lot of the same artistic qualities as those particular records so well - perhaps inadvertently but who cares? Not taking away from Holter's originality as an artist but there certainly were echoes - for me - of KB, Akiko Yano's late '70s stuff, solo Sylvian with Hassell and even some Witchseason label vibes ( especially the sax playing ). Just ticks off many of my boxes when it comes to music I love.
― Carly Jae Vespen (Capitaine Jay Vee), Tuesday, 26 February 2019 14:58 (five years ago) link
The thing I *don't* overtly hear in her current music is the Vangelis/Alice Coltrane influences that pop up in recent interviews and press. More Sun Ra, if you ask me, when her band blows together.
― Carly Jae Vespen (Capitaine Jay Vee), Tuesday, 26 February 2019 15:02 (five years ago) link
I was at the BK show. Sounded incredible, producer Kenny Gilmore was on sound for it too. Yeah, blew me away, her voice live were better than on record. The Aviary stuff was great and all the old ones were beautiful too. The only time I had previously seen her was at a smaller performance near Lincoln Center where she was with a small group of violinists etc. that i don't think she had previously worked with. It was brilliant but definately more of a formal performance. Was cool to see her bring the same level of professionalism to a more casual concert setting. She's incredible, you should all see her live. Was a pretty magical experience.
― gman59, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 17:18 (five years ago) link
seeing her monday
― flopson, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 17:35 (five years ago) link
Yeah her live show is fantastic and joyful, and I don't even like Aviary that much.
― seandalai, Tuesday, 26 February 2019 20:56 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy6KJr-49ZY
― ˈʌglɪɪst preɪ, Saturday, 1 June 2019 21:31 (five years ago) link
Wonderful
― jmm, Sunday, 2 June 2019 13:41 (four years ago) link
https://www.operanorth.co.uk/news/julia-holter-to-score-the-passion-of-joan-of-arc/
Excited for this! Tickets available today for Leeds and Barbican.
Caught her, Tashi Wada, and Corey Fogel at Soup Kitchen last week and it was just wonderful soundscapes. Corey is so inventive and interesting to watch. Would really love a recording of just this trio.
― I agree that the "I" is a pretty heavy concept (fionnland), Friday, 20 September 2019 12:15 (four years ago) link
I was at the same gig, loved it. nue is such an inviting record, looking fwd to another record from him
― ogmor, Friday, 20 September 2019 12:34 (four years ago) link
anyone see her solo set in london the other day?
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Friday, 20 September 2019 17:39 (four years ago) link
https://audiotree.tv/stream/julia-holter
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 2 February 2021 00:03 (three years ago) link
Finally got to see Holter perform her score for 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' with Opera North on Friday night at the Barbican in London.
This was the most painful of the pandemic postponements - and I was delighted to still have an accessible viewing after migrating South (my original tickets were for Leeds Town Hall). And after that wait, boy it did not disappoint!
They were playing along to the 2018 Criterion restoration which is just glorious - so much so I didn't watch the musicians as much as I would do normally (the attack of the bagpipes had a real shock effect!). Hopefully a recording is put out as it really deserves repeat listenings.
― yo la dieng-o (fionnland), Monday, 28 November 2022 19:08 (one year ago) link
The new Julia / Call Super collaboration “Illumina” (seemingly not on YouTube yet) feels like something I might ultimately conclude is more interesting in theory than in practice, but the idea of it is certainly a great flex for both artists (in the “oh well of course they should collab” sense).
https://open.spotify.com/track/0k7grUcjUh67Wjiwx2H7Ka?si=qV9eEjNVT9GLCT8f-opzAA
― Tim F, Tuesday, 16 May 2023 08:43 (one year ago) link
Ooh, interesting, thanks for sharing!
I wonder if she is working on a proper new solo LP, it's been almost five years since Aviary
― ˈʌglɪɪst preɪ, Tuesday, 16 May 2023 17:51 (one year ago) link
Test Pressing just posted the new song and said it’s from a forthcoming album.
― brotherlovesdub, Tuesday, 16 May 2023 18:34 (one year ago) link
Great track
― Random Restaurateur (Jordan), Wednesday, 17 May 2023 19:05 (one year ago) link
The Alex Temple / Spektral Quartet / JH album Behind the Wallpaper is so astounding, and pretty much my album of the year so far; also sounds like total ilm candy in a way; is there any discussion on this that I've missed around here?
― anatol_merklich, Friday, 6 October 2023 22:58 (seven months ago) link
I didn't even know it existed, someone needs to have a chat with their PR rep
― boxedjoy, Saturday, 7 October 2023 07:46 (seven months ago) link
wow, thanks for the tip!
― TWELVE Michelob stars?!? (seandalai), Saturday, 7 October 2023 13:15 (seven months ago) link
These days I feel like there's a constant stream of amazing albums that no one's heard about.
Listening to some of the vocals on the new Mary Lattimore I checked to see if it was JH, but no.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Saturday, 7 October 2023 15:29 (seven months ago) link
New song is a bit of a departure, quite spiky and disjointed in parts. I think I like it but giving it a few more listens before I really make up my mind.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsmBrWiC_94
― the world is your octopus (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 November 2023 13:23 (six months ago) link
far from a departure, listening to this gives me exactly the same frustrating experience listening to aviary did, she cannot leave a piece of music to do anything good without sabotaging its momentum, singing something faux-profound or reverting to a simple melody. the first minute and a half of this is the best bit, when it seems like it might be more interesting than it ends up, but that is often the way with her songs. i keep trying
― imago, Monday, 13 November 2023 13:49 (six months ago) link
i mean she really does seem likeable and like she's going for something interesting with an original aesthetic, i just don't know, the actual pieces of music never work for me :(
― imago, Monday, 13 November 2023 13:56 (six months ago) link
@imago Do you have a favourite piece of music (or album) by her?Mine is still Ekstasis, although I love both Loud City Song and Have You in My Wilderness.But I've yet to listen to Aviary - I was overwhelmed by it being a double, so I dropped the ball on it for fear of being overcomplicated. I remain very curious as to whatever she does next.
― Max Florian, Monday, 13 November 2023 15:55 (six months ago) link
yeah I saved Maxim's I to a playlist before I really knew much about her, that one manages to go its entire length without doing something irritating. the middle bit of Les Jeux To You is really great but then it quits and starts messing about, it's so maddening
― imago, Monday, 13 November 2023 16:54 (six months ago) link
In Gardens' Muteness is also really good until she starts playing one note over and over again
― imago, Monday, 13 November 2023 16:56 (six months ago) link
Said with affection so don't take this the wrong way cos its a comment on how tastes differ rather than a personal attack, but all these descriptions of what you don't like about her music are absolutely the way I feel when I listen to most imagocore
― blazin' squab (NickB), Monday, 13 November 2023 17:06 (six months ago) link
not trying to discourage you from posting either btw, I do appreciate the way you keep giving her a listen even after so many failed attempts to connect with her music
― blazin' squab (NickB), Monday, 13 November 2023 17:10 (six months ago) link
All about personal songwriting logic-realms I suppose! Fire-Toolz recommended this new one - loads of people I trust like her!
― imago, Monday, 13 November 2023 17:40 (six months ago) link