Julia Holter
Ekstasis

Before saying anything about Julia Holter's new work, a couple of words must be spent on the context in which this "Ekstasis" fits. First of all, although it is her second release ("Tragedy" is from 2011), it can be considered as the fourth or fifth official release of the North American artist. All this considering that she started working on the material from 2008, and given the quality offered, the quantity of songs composed in just over three years is not insignificant. This new work, in fact, was composed almost simultaneously with the previous one and, due to the clear reprise of "Goddess Eyes," it is not difficult to find many affinities. Certainly, beyond the amount of work produced, what surprises is the care in the composition and arrangements that enhance her songwriting. At times, one might have the impression of drifting into intellectualism for its own sake ("Tragedy" drew inspiration from some passages by Euripides), but upon the umpteenth listening, every element seems to find its natural placement.

All this serves to highlight how the hype created around this release, for once, did not follow questionable taste proposals but rewarded an artist whose prolific vein has been repeatedly blessed by unparalleled inspiration. This "Ekstasis" resumes the discourse started in the previous album (remember: released only 5 months earlier), reworking the atmospheres by exploring paths partly already traced, but, in any case, always trying to develop and further improve the possibilities of this sound. The formula of this work rests mainly on a very elegant use of the voice-synthesizer duo. Aristocratic: this would be the appropriate term to convey the idea.

Holter's voice enchants and prefers to move on expanded bases, using reverbs and echoes that enhance its depth and volume. The use of these filters is rarely invasive (except for the vocoder in "Goddess Eyes I") and tends to give the idea of a voice that, rather than intending to express a precise message, aspires to become an instrument in the wake of keyboards with ambient-dreampop tones. Needless to say, keeping these premises in mind, comparisons with other female voices have been plentiful. Primarily, her ability to converse with keyboards, strings, and various filters recalled to many the best of what Laurie Anderson has produced. This alone would suffice to guarantee the material offered in this album. But also the compositions of Fiona Apple or Joanna Newsom (especially in her latest album) have been used as points of comparison.

It should be noted that the experimentation proposed by Holter, for example, on the possibilities given by her singing or the frequent changes in register, might seem, at first listen, a simple exercise in style. On the contrary, following the execution of the songs more and more times, everything (or almost everything) seems to find its own order. Take the initial "Marienbad": the cadenced rhythm that accompanies the song is overshadowed by a "straight kick drum" and spectral vocal loops, then flows into an almost martial progression. To many, it might seem on the verge of pleonastic, yet, strangely, it works. The tracklist is undoubtedly well-studied: dilated and ethereal songs are alternately paired with more radio-friendly and upbeat pieces (relative to Holter's style). Precisely for this reason, before delving into the 8 minutes of the ethereal and spectral "Boy in the Moon," we are introduced by that four-minute gem called "In the Same Room" (chosen as a single). Each piece of the album has its own quid that justifies its inclusion; one could list the track order by following all ten titles. It is a shame not to enjoy this work and not let yourself be carried away by the pseudo-Japanese carousel of "Für Felix," or lie back on the landscapes drawn by "Our Sorrows," or be seduced by the Indian-influenced "Four Gardens"...

But what seems to be the true peak of the album is the concluding "This is Ekstasis." At nine minutes, it is the longest track and seems, even with that programmatic title, to fully reveal the deep nature of this work. Indeed, it is a good summary of everything we've heard in the previous nine tracks, but, at the same time, it almost forecasts an expansion and further modification. It is difficult to say how many movements this last composition encompasses (leftover threads resurface and then vanish completely unexpectedly). Adding an extra touch to this track are the final seconds in which strings and winds seem to speak alien languages to each other. Certainly, it’s a risk to present a track of this type. It could appear pretentious and hard to digest. Perhaps it is precisely for this reason that it is placed at the end of the album: if one can, bite after bite, metabolize the 9 tracks that precede it, then they are ready to be exposed to these nine minutes of celestial message... In these, by now, 2/3 of 2012, it is undoubtedly one of the most significant moments.