Julia, the ocean, and strange lightness (4/5)

Looking back on the whole album, Theo G. writes: „Something in the Room She Moves, Julia Holter’s 6th record, thematically revolves around life and death. Written after the birth of her daughter and dedicated to the memory of her young nephew who recently passed away, it sonically incorporates these paradoxical forces seamlessly. There’s an almost unbearable lightness to her best work and Something in the Room She Moves has that in spades.“ Looking back on the album, that‘s what we will do, too, in the last part of our approach to the album, and i do thank Julia Holter very much following our thoughts and questions and thinking out loud… for now, let‘s start with the only purely instrumental piece, “Ocean“ …

Ocean

Michael: The ambient piece, the oceanic piece. Julia is smart: instead of delivering a purely peaceful landscape, she let‘s the uncanny in sideways, after a while. You never know, oceanwise… it ends on a tranquil note though.

Olaf: Nothing to add. „Ocean“ is another proof of Julia Holter‘s versatility; unique music, that fits perfectly at this moment. And it wouldn‘t feel out of place on any state of the art ambient album.  This snapshot of the ocean was made in the evening, which brings us to the next song.

Evening Mood

Olaf: A counterpart to „These Morning“. Being tired after a long day, its events appear like a mild vortex on the threshold of sleep. The voice binds the musial elements of this vortex into a song. Again: lovely singing, beautiful bass playing – and a dash of Harmonia towards the end.

Michael: Really, Harmonia? Have to listen again with your ears. The calmness, and the apparitions of the day receding… but after initial moments of letting loose and introspection , a lingering irresisitibe melody blows new life into the singer‘s voice and leads us through the evening‘s offerings between the wistful and the dreamlike. All in perfect union with heightened awareness. (From start on, listening to this album requires a very relaxed state of mind. My trick: darkness and a candle.)