Julia Holter

Also now tempted to splurge on some fancy headphones especially for the occasion

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.

the music bores me and there's so much of it and it's so in love with itself

I had follow up questions but tbh your answer is sufficient. Diff strokes I guess?

yeah plus i listened to it all two and a half times in a row which was long enough for sentiment to calcify

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.

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

In the Same Room! It's amazing and is nothing but highlights!

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

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

Report from Brooklyn: She and her band were tremendous tonight. "Aviary" translated beautifully and her older stuff sounded great as well. Go see her.

she was really wonderful when i saw her last month

Very excited for Friday. Loud City Song tour was already overwhelming to me, so I can barely imagine how this one will feel.

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.

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.

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.

seeing her monday

Yeah her live show is fantastic and joyful, and I don't even like Aviary that much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy6KJr-49ZY

Wonderful

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 was at the same gig, loved it. nue is such an inviting record, looking fwd to another record from him

anyone see her solo set in london the other day?

https://audiotree.tv/stream/julia-holter

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.

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

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

Test Pressing just posted the new song and said it’s from a forthcoming album.

Great track

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?

I didn't even know it existed, someone needs to have a chat with their PR rep

wow, thanks for the tip!

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.

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

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

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 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.

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

In Gardens' Muteness is also really good until she starts playing one note over and over again

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

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

All about personal songwriting logic-realms I suppose! Fire-Toolz recommended this new one - loads of people I trust like her!

New album March 22!

https://www.dominomusic.com/res/9xGJ/600_600/Julia_Holter_-_Something_in_the_Room_She_Moves_-_Packshot_WIG506D.jpg

Something in the Room She Moves

01 Sun Girl
02 These Morning
03 Something in the Room She Moves
04 Materia
05 Meyou
06 Spinning
07 Ocean
08 Evening Mood
09 Talking to the Whisper
10 Who Brings Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQWtznaAIYE

Seeing her in April, can’t wait

Good new track for sure.

bass tone on this is my catnip

I'm still stuck on the cover. Also considered posting a pic of Tommy Wiseau. But count me as excited.

I'm still stuck on the cover.

Listened to Spinning on a proper stereo after heaps of phone / car plays - wow, so much beautiful detail

She is so great - feel like she could probably stand to be a lot better-known after turning out 5 excellent-to-stunning albums on the trot

New song pretty much pure bliss imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNuEV9PzQMA