Loud City Song

Loud City Song
Studio album by Julia Holter
Released August 20, 2013 (2013-08-20)
Genre
Length 44:40
Label Domino
Julia Holter chronology
Ekstasis
(2012)		 Loud City Song
(2013)		 Have You in My Wilderness
(2015)
Singles from Loud City Song
  1. "World"
    Released: May 22, 2013
  2. "In the Green Wild"
    Released: August 1, 2013[1]

Loud City Song is the third studio album by the American musician Julia Holter. It was released on August 20, 2013 by Domino Records.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic88/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Consequence of SoundB[4]
The Guardian[5]
Mojo[6]
NME9/10[7]
Pitchfork Media8.6/10[8]
PopMatters[9]
Q[10]
Spin8/10[11]
Uncut9/10[12]

Upon its release, Loud City Song received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 88, based on 30 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "Loud City Song is Holter's most polished work to date, and another example of how she upholds and redefines what it means to be an avant-garde singer/songwriter."[3] Alex Robertson of Sputnikmusic stated, "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."[13] Robin Smith of PopMatters stated, "It's an impressive record to listen to--the compositions are even more beautiful than Ekstasis, even though they're often more fragmented--but it's also a frightening depiction of what it feels like to have a whole population making you up in its head."[9] Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork Media stated, "Though it draws upon the distant past, Julia Holter's made a timeless people-watching soundtrack: an acutely felt ode to the mysteries of a million passersby, all the stars of their own silent musicals."[8]

Adam Kivel of Consequence of Sound stated, "Loud City Song is a sightseeing trip with a person fully able to portray the objective beauty of the sights, as well as her own take on them."[4] Harriet Gibsone of The Guardian stated, "Barbara Lewis's soul classic "Hello Stranger" gets a chillout makeover, which doesn't quite work; but any faults are obliterated by the album's closer, "City Appearing"."[5] Laura Snapes of NME said, "This is wild music, a celestial cabaret that absorbs and unsettles."[7] Q stated, "Her songs are challenging, expansive and cinematic, turning minimalist melodies on their heads and redefining the limits of pop."[10] Philip Sherburne of Spin stated, "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."[11] Uncut stated, "Like any new city, this album may take some getting used to--there's beauty everywhere, but the streets are far from a neat grid. But as you walk them, Holter's genius as a sonic town planner reveals itself."[12]

Accolades

The album was voted the #1 album of 2013 by both The Wire[14] and Sputnikmusic.[15]

Country Publication List Rank
US Consequence of Sound[16] Top 50 Albums of 2013
12
UK The Guardian[17] The Best Albums of 2013
30
UK Mojo[18] The Top 50 Albums of 2013
47
US Pitchfork Media[19] The Best Albums of 2013
49
US Sputnikmusic Top 50 Albums of 2013
1
UK The Wire Top 50 Releases of 2013
1

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "World"    4:52
2. "Maxim's I"    6:07
3. "Horns Surrounding Me"    4:46
4. "In the Green Wild"    4:07
5. "Hello Stranger"  Barbara Lewis 6:16
6. "Maxim's II"    5:28
7. "He's Running Through My Eyes"    2:18
8. "This Is a True Heart"    3:30
9. "City Appearing"    7:16
Total length:
 44:40

Chart performance

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 60
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 140
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[22] 91
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[23] 20
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 88
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 103
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[26] 19

References

  1. ↑ "In the Green Wild - Single". iTunes. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Reviews for Loud City Song by Julia Holter". Metacritic. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "Loud City Song – Julia Holter". AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Kivel, Adam (August 19, 2013). "Julia Holter – Loud City Song". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Gibsone, Harriet (August 15, 2013). "Julia Holter: Loud City Song – review". The Guardian. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". Mojo (238): 94. September 2013.
  7. 1 2 Snapes, Lauren (August 15, 2013). "Julia Holter – 'Loud City Song'". NME. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Zoladz, Lindsay (August 16, 2013). "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Smith, Robin (August 22, 2013). "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". PopMatters. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". Q (327): 103. October 2013.
  11. 1 2 Sherburne, Philip (August 19, 2013). "Julia Holter's Erudite Avant-Pop Epic 'Loud City Song' Will Beguile and Engulf You". Spin. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Julia Holter: Loud City Song". Uncut (196): 96. September 2013.
  13. ↑ Robertson, Alex (August 24, 2013). "Julia Holter - Loud City Song (album review 3)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  14. ↑ "The Wire's Top 50 Releases of 2013". Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  15. ↑ Trey Spencer (December 18, 2013). "Staff’s Top 50 Albums of 2013: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2013". Consequence of Sound. December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Best albums of 2013". The Guardian. 5 December 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ "MOJO's Top 50 Albums Of 2013 Unveiled". Mojo. December 2, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  19. ↑ "The Top 50 Albums of 2013". Pitchfork Media. December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Julia Holter – Loud City Song" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Julia Holter – Loud City Song" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Julia Holter – Loud City Song" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Julia Holter – Loud City Song". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Julia Holter – Loud City Song". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  25. ↑ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – Weekly Updates Sales 2013". Zobbel.de. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Julia Holter – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Julia Holter. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
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