Ekstasis - Julia Holter
Ekstasis Image
Metascore
83 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 18 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: The second release from the Californian indie singer-songwriter has more of a pop feel than her 2011 debut, Tragedy.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. cokemachineglow
    Mar 23, 2012
    87
    With Julia Holter, with this profound and inexhaustibly gorgeous album, we can transcend our own transcendence and find the greatest bliss in the joyful renunciation of what makes us us.
  2. Resident Advisor
    Apr 5, 2012
    80
    Ekstasis is brimming with them though [moments that are avant-gard yet instantly accessible] -an album so coherently constructed that it's perhaps more notable for its instants, its moments and sequences, than its full tracks.
  3. The Guardian
    Nov 29, 2012
    80
    The more time you spend with it, the more its structures make sense, the more the melodies begin to sparkle, the more the sense of some unsought truth fighting its way out becomes apparent.
  4. The Observer (UK)
    Dec 3, 2012
    60
    More immediate songs such as In the Same Room are ineffably breezy, while other tracks illustrate her handle on ancient Greece (This is Ekstasis) and the uncommon control she has over textures and motifs, atmospheres and vocoders.

See all 18 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. idiotwind
    8
    This is perhaps the most unique album I've heard all year. On "Ekstasis", Holter envelopes the listener in the world of her music -- and it is a very rewarding visit. This album is challenging, to be sure; I personally didn't come close to wrapping my head around it until the third listen. However, any patient listener will discover a true gem. Holter succeeds in balancing eccentricity and consistency. Impressively varied instrumentation, engaging melodies, ambient textures, and delicate arrangements produce a truly intriguing ambiance that's not without its share of hooks and surprises. It sounds at once modern and traditional, lighthearted and serious, like some sort of renaissance fair in a Blade Runner world. I very much look forward to more from Julia Holter in the future.… Expand
  2. ramona
    8
    Only for the first track I could realize that this is an album that requires several listens, for the complexity and cohesion between the songs. However, in my first listen, it transmitted me contradicting emotions of warmth and coldness, being distant and close at the same time, seeming to be made a in her own room and at the same having some really interesting production arrangements. This contrasts are probably a result of making the Electronics of this album sound very natural (sometimes). It is a very enjoyable and realizing album… Expand
  3. AlexxTrusc
    8
    Julia Holter's "Ekstasis" album is definitely invading the waters of pop music with more power than its predecessor "Tragedy". And it's certainly better. Tracks have something that makes you forget yourself thanks to them. Compositions are kind of seemingly quiet indie folk songs combined with elements of electronics or synthesizers, but overall you listen to album with pleasure.… Expand
  4. MBond1810
    7
    Not good as 'Tragedy', which is one of the best albums of the decade, but more commercial and accessible. 'Marienbad' is one of the best pop songs of the year.… Expand

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