JULIA HOLTER – EKSTASIS

Swirling sounds of multiple melodies and many effects and overdubs of the vocals and instruments – Julia Holter creates a world of sounds and ideas that upon the first half a dozen listens can be confusing and distracting. Sticking with it and training ones ear to find the path through to the key themes or focal points is very much worth the effort. The vocals simple modal style could be compared to a Gregorian style chant but with a sweet soprano sound rather than a bunch of stinky old monks. However I don’t think the monks had drum machines. They are very subtle and quite merely a way to keep rhythm and a little more texture & flow. There is also a lot of keyboards using a wide and varied range of sounds from glockenspiel type sounds to strings or woodwinds. Even if this isn’t your cup of tea but you appreciate high quality arrangement and creativity, Los Angles’  Julia Holter second full release is to be respected and well worth a listen.

***1/2