Aviary
by Julia Holter
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. DIY Magazine
    Oct 26, 2018
    60
    Unusual yet distinctive, Aviary may alienate some but you can’t fault the depth of Julia’s grand vision for her work.
  2. Mojo
    Oct 24, 2018
    60
    It's all so sad, and surrounded by 80-plus minutes of restless, questing uncertainty. [Nov 2018, p.90]
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Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Best Album of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 53 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 53
  3. Negative: 6 out of 53
  1. Gizmo-Guy
    Oct 31, 2018
    10
    Most important album of the year or maybe 10 years. Most cohesive sound i've heard since In Rainbows by Radiohead
  2. BrushedRed
    Oct 28, 2018
    1
    Quite the bummer after the superb Have You In My Wilderness. I’ve not been a huge fan of hers in the past, but I loved her catchy and etherealQuite the bummer after the superb Have You In My Wilderness. I’ve not been a huge fan of hers in the past, but I loved her catchy and ethereal chamber pop tracks. There wasn’t a single bad song on that album. Here, though, I struggle to even finish a track. All of them are long and drawn out. They’re very sparse and have very little in the way of hooks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I want ALL hooks, but I’d like something to keep me around. All of these songs could be condensed down to a minute or less and lose no merit. It seems like she just pranced around a studio in a flower halo while randomly hitting random instruments while quietly whispering over them. After her last album, I couldn’t wait for more material, but as the singles rolled out, I quickly lost hope. I think the only redeeming track here I found was “Another Dream.” It was one of the ones I found less painful. Kinda spacey and engrossing. Can’t say the same for much of the rest. It was way too long.… Full Review »
  3. SergioAllIndie
    Oct 26, 2018
    8
    Could be Holter's most unorthodox effort thus far, and probably its length has something to do with it (excessive for some). Nevertheless, itCould be Holter's most unorthodox effort thus far, and probably its length has something to do with it (excessive for some). Nevertheless, it remains somehow pure and truthful. It's a creature grandiloquently parading its inner visions and thoughts throughout the vast density of a forest-like darkness, making a guiding light of itself for us to endure the ninety-minute tour de force it lasts, and bringing us several moments of awe, unsettlement, relief, joy and self-contemplation along the way. It grows on you. Not as fast as you'd might want it to, but it grows. We shall love.… Full Review »
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