Loud City Song

Loud City Song
Studio album by Julia Holter
Released August 20, 2013 (2013-08-20)
Genre Avant-pop[1]
Length 44:40
Label Domino
Julia Holter chronology
Ekstasis
(2012)		 Loud City Song
(2013)		 Have You in My Wilderness
(2015)
Singles from Loud City Song
  1. "World"
    Released: May 22, 2013[2]
  2. "In the Green Wild"
    Released: August 1, 2013[3]

Loud City Song is the third studio album by the American musician Julia Holter. It was released on August 20, 2013, by Domino Records.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[4]
Metacritic88/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Consequence of SoundB[7]
The Guardian[8]
Mojo[9]
NME9/10[10]
Pitchfork8.6/10[11]
PopMatters9/10[12]
Q[13]
Spin8/10[1]
Uncut9/10[14]

Loud City Song received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album has received an average score of 88, based on 30 reviews.[5] Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "Loud City Song is Holter's most polished work to date, and another example of how she upholds and redefines what it means to be an avant-garde singer/songwriter."[6] Rob Hakimian of Beats Per Minute said, "Loud City Song is a true achievement from Julia Holter. Nary is there a hook on the album, but the richness and vividness that she brings to the songs musically and lyrically will hook you more effectively anyway."[15] Alex Robertson of Sputnikmusic stated, "This album is the sound of an excellent singer, songwriter, arranger, and, I'd argue, thinker translating those strengths into some of the most stirring music you'll hear this year. Loud City Song may not be loud, but the echo it makes is unforgettable."[16]

Robin Smith of PopMatters stated, "It's an impressive record to listen to--the compositions are even more beautiful than Ekstasis, even though they're often more fragmented--but it's also a frightening depiction of what it feels like to have a whole population making you up in its head."[12] Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork stated, "Though it draws upon the distant past, Julia Holter's made a timeless people-watching soundtrack: an acutely felt ode to the mysteries of a million passersby, all the stars of their own silent musicals."[11] Adam Kivel of Consequence of Sound stated, "Loud City Song is a sightseeing trip with a person fully able to portray the objective beauty of the sights, as well as her own take on them."[7] Harriet Gibsone of The Guardian stated, "Barbara Lewis's soul classic "Hello Stranger" gets a chillout makeover, which doesn't quite work; but any faults are obliterated by the album's closer, "City Appearing"."[8] Laura Snapes of NME said, "This is wild music, a celestial cabaret that absorbs and unsettles."[10]

Q stated, "Her songs are challenging, expansive and cinematic, turning minimalist melodies on their heads and redefining the limits of pop."[13] Philip Sherburne of Spin stated, "Like Gigi herself, it is a work of perpetual self-invention, an extended state of becoming. Have pity on the inquisitory birds, because it's impossible to look away."[1] Alex Griffin of Tiny Mix Tapes said, "This sits up quietly but pointedly as a quiet rebuke to records that won't try to render the depth of the world in a layered and crafted way, those that prefer to just wink, shrug, or laze."[17] Uncut stated, "Like any new city, this album may take some getting used to--there's beauty everywhere, but the streets are far from a neat grid. But as you walk them, Holter's genius as a sonic town planner reveals itself."[14]

Year-end rankings

Publication Rank
Consequence of Sound
The Guardian
Mojo
Pitchfork
Sputnikmusic
The Wire

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "World"    4:52
2. "Maxim's I"    6:07
3. "Horns Surrounding Me"    4:46
4. "In the Green Wild"    4:07
5. "Hello Stranger"  Barbara Lewis 6:16
6. "Maxim's II"    5:28
7. "He's Running Through My Eyes"    2:18
8. "This Is a True Heart"    3:30
9. "City Appearing"    7:16
Total length:
 44:40

Chart performance

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 60
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 140
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[26] 91
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[27] 20
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 88
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 103
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[30] 19

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sherburne, Philip (August 19, 2013). "Julia Holter's Erudite Avant-Pop Epic 'Loud City Song' Will Beguile and Engulf You". Spin. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  2. ↑ "World – Single". iTunes Store. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  3. ↑ "In the Green Wild – Single by Julia Holter". iTunes Store. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Loud City Song by Julia Holter reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Reviews for Loud City Song by Julia Holter". Metacritic. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "Loud City Song – Julia Holter". AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Kivel, Adam (August 19, 2013). "Julia Holter – Loud City Song". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Gibsone, Harriet (August 15, 2013). "Julia Holter: Loud City Song – review". The Guardian. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". Mojo (238): 94. September 2013.
  10. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (August 15, 2013). "Julia Holter – 'Loud City Song'". NME. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  11. 1 2 Zoladz, Lindsay (August 16, 2013). "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  12. 1 2 Smith, Robin (August 22, 2013). "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". PopMatters. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". Q (327): 103. October 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". Uncut (196): 96. September 2013.
  15. ↑ Hakimian, Rob (August 28, 2013). "Album Review: Julia Holter – Loud City Song". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  16. ↑ Robertson, Alex (August 24, 2013). "Julia Holter – Loud City Song (album review 3)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  17. ↑ Griffin, Alex. "Julia Holter – Loud City Song". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2013". Consequence of Sound. December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Best albums of 2013". The Guardian. December 5, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  20. ↑ "MOJO's Top 50 Albums Of 2013 Unveiled". Mojo. December 2, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  21. ↑ "The Top 50 Albums of 2013". Pitchfork. December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  22. ↑ Spencer, Trey (December 18, 2013). "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2013: 10-1". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  23. ↑ "The Wire's Top 50 Releases of 2013". Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Julia Holter – Loud City Song" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Julia Holter – Loud City Song" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Julia Holter – Loud City Song" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Julia Holter – Loud City Song". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Julia Holter – Loud City Song". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  29. ↑ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – Weekly Updates Sales 2013". Zobbel.de. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Julia Holter – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Julia Holter. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.