Loud City Song - Julia Holter
Loud City Song Image
Metascore
89

Universal acclaim - based on 29 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 42 Ratings

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  • Summary: The third full-length release for the Los Angeles artist was influenced in part by the film "Gigi."

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. musicOMH.com
    Aug 14, 2013
    90
    It’s certainly Holter’s most accomplished and imaginative album--indeed, there hasn’t been an album this packed with ideas since tUnE-yArDs' w h o k i l l a couple of years ago.
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    Aug 19, 2013
    90
    This is wild music, a celestial cabaret that absorbs and unsettles.
  3. Sputnikmusic
    Aug 26, 2013
    90
    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.
  4. The Line of Best Fit
    Aug 16, 2013
    85
    Like her previous works, Loud City Song requires time and patience, but once you grasp its intent the investment will feel wholly worthwhile.
  5. Drowned In Sound
    Aug 22, 2013
    80
    It’s a jaw-dropping accomplishment, one of those records that’s almost pointless to listen to as a series of individual songs--tracks are mini symphonies in themselves, and to break Loud City Song down into tracks would be missing the point.
  6. Spin
    Aug 19, 2013
    80
    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.
  7. The Quietus
    Aug 16, 2013
    70
    It is an easier, more focused listen than Ekstasis, but there is nothing here to rival that album's 'Marienbad' for sophisticated songwriting.

See all 29 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. indiegalaxy10
    Aug 20, 2013
    10
    This is simply the best album of 2013 so far, the beauty of the songs and the voice of Julia are magnificent. The sounds and the lyrics are incredible and the albums is a masterpiece!… Expand
  2. buzzlight
    Aug 24, 2013
    9
    This is a very good and original album. Love the gentle texture and rhythms of each of the songs. Very relaxing. After several listens, Maxim's I, Hello Stranger and This is a True Heart are standouts for me; however, all songs are great. One of the best albums this year.… Expand
  3. Nedloh94
    Aug 25, 2013
    9
    The best way I know how to describe this album is by saying that this is the album that David Byrne and St. Vincent's album, Love This Giant, should have been. The varying vocal styles, the energetic baroque-pop, the eccentric lyrics, and a mix between the ambient and atmosphere, as well as bouncier arrangements and more jubilant sounds. Tight songwriting, natural sounding production, and as cohesive as could be, this is one of the most solid listens that anyone will find this year. Standouts, like "Horns Surrounding Me," "In the Green Wild," and "City Appearing" are three of the best tracks of any other songs of 2013, but each track on this record is something special. This is a must-listen album.… Expand
  4. Decorama
    Aug 25, 2013
    8
    Like listening to someone's thoughts throughout a day, "Loud City Song" holds a surreal theme, yet does so through the exploration of peaks and valleys. Many of the low key compositions and arrangements are intense and take a bit of getting used to. Once you're there and have occupied Julia's train of thought, it becomes as comfortable as a cup of unusual tea you can't help but drink to the bottom (and gets tastier with every refill). Regardless of hints at possible influences Julie Anderson and others, this is overall a lovely and original effort with true moments of brilliance.… Expand
  5. WadeVS
    Sep 6, 2013
    5
    I am totally on the fence with this one. I want to like it. But ultimately I feel it's a bit overrated. Unusual yes and that is a good thing. But it feels like a sorbet when you are extremely hungry nice, refreshing, but doesn't hit the spot. Maybe I'll have to give it a few more listens but there's not much to grasp onto here.… Expand

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