Ekstasis - Julia Holter
Metascore
83 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. Beats Per Minute (formerly One Thirty BPM)
    Mar 13, 2012
    86
    Ekstasis is a challenging listen, but a rewarding one.
  2. 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.
  3. Pitchfork
    Mar 13, 2012
    86
    Music that's both haunting and life-affirming, something to make you dream and think.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. 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.… Full Review »
  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… Full Review »
  3. 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.… Full Review »
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