Bleep

Creating a maze-like world of soft instrumentation with a delicate pop sensibility, Julia Holter's fourth album proper Have You In My Wilderness is possibly the most realized view of her multi-instrumentation lead compositions yet. Having released various mini albums-of-sort and singles on a vast array of labels including Human Ear Music and NNA Tapes between 2006 until 2010 it wasn't until 2011 that she really broke through into the underground with her startlingly original debut album of ambient pop Tragedy for Leaving Records. This was shortly followed up with the break taking Ekstasis on Rvng Intl. which was shortly signed and reissued by Domino and lead to her Loud City Song LP last year. This all leads us up to Have You In My Wilderness which builds on the experimental characteristics of previous works but from the start of album opener Feel You showcases a more open and polished sound. The drums sound crisper and the space between each instrument; where previously was dusted over to gel together (in no bad way at all by), is more spaciously aware with each note hanging in the air with delicate ease. The ten tracks on show are finely crafted sculptures of pop-rooted, almost classical composition and each one a different window into the same world created within the album's length. How Long? is a string laden piece of soundtrack sorrow while Silhouette is a confident, jangly number in the finest traditions of self aware pop while live favourite Sea Calls Me Home gets a loving update with a fresh production job that breaths new life into the piece. Have You In My Wilderness has the power to both have you lounge in its quite sometime sadness but also yield the power to rejoice in the transcendent up lifting quality of its heart felt beauty, a truly unique recording from a truly unique artist.