Aviary is a trip. The journey bears little to no resemblance to Julia Holter’s previous album, Have You In My Wilderness. The extremely impressive Wilderness featured Holter at her most accessible. Her voice was emphasized in the mix and the songs, while they maintained and in many cases surpassed the high quality of her previous work, were generally arranged in defined verse-chorus-verse structures. Despite the success that came with Wilderness, on Aviary Holter throws caution to the wind. The Los-Angeles-based singer/songwriter completely abandons the more pop-leaning format of Wilderness, giving listeners her longest, most dense and arguably most enthralling work to date.
The 90 minutes of Aviary are pretty much impossible to put in a box. Shades of classical music, jazz, experimental pop and influences that date back to the middle ages all converge on one another to create a truly unique canvas. Holter wastes no time introducing listeners to the force of her grand new world with the first song, "Turn The Light On." The opener has her voice soaring over unrelenting waves of frantic drums and strings. It’s a cathartic and novel ground in Holter’s discography.
For some, explosions like "Turn The Light On" may be overwhelming, though if you asked Holter, she may tell you that that is the point. In interviews she has revealed that the current socio-political climate had an influence on the record. Although Aviary is never overtly socio-political, titles like "Everyday Is An Emergency", make the influence of the outside quite blatant. The dissonance of the bagpipes that begin the song could be alarms or the shrieks of a panic attack - the result of the emotional overload one can get by watching and reacting to the current news. This is sharply contrasted by the second half, a somber reckoning personified through grim piano and vocals.
Although it begins with a punch, Aviary is often ethereal. "Chaitus" is the aural equivalent to entering a beautiful medieval church, with celestial choral singing illuminating the background like sun-rays through stained glass. The atmosphere is nothing short of angelic as an elegant string arrangement guides the listener to glitchy spoken word and a stunning finish. Holter has had quality string parts before, but she knocks it out of the park on Aviary, producing some of the record's most gorgeous moments. Strings swell under her altered, metallic voice on "Colligere" and provide captivating overlapping lines with sublime trills on "Words I Heard."
The lush "Words I Heard" may go on to be considered one of Holter’s greatest compositions, but Aviary also shines in more spacious settings. "Voce simul" is a mesmerizing chant of a song that draws the listener in with a hypnotizing bass line. Holter surrounds herself with dreamy contributions from keys, harp and trumpet to create a truly spellbinding environment. The foreboding serenity of "In Gardens' Muteness", which only features Holter's voice and pristine piano playing, is relatively simple but no less remarkable. The diversity in the tracks of Aviary provides strong evidence of Holter's range. Whether she is equipped with an army of strings, playing an intimate set or experimenting within the realms of pop, she sounds great.
The first single of Aviary, "I Shall Love 2", is the closest the record gets to being as pop-palatable as the most infectious tunes of Wilderness. Warm synths, strings and a spectacular climax where the mantras of "I Shall Love" coalesce into a brilliant wall of sound combine to create the most immediately inviting piece of the record. The song's counterpart, "I Shall Love 1", opts against the crescendo format of "I Shall Love 2", instead boasting a bombastic energy driven by resolute bass playing and the cry of bagpipes.
If this album proves anything, it's that Holter does not release music based on what she thinks people like, she works based on how she feels. It's an expansive project with nothing that could be mistaken for an artistic compromise. This is most apparent in the song structure and the length, which some might find excessive. For those that came into Aviary in hope of the same pop-adjacent perfection of Holter's previous effort, some tracks could come off as indulgent or even meandering. However, for others, Aviary can be an enchanted forest - fascinating and easy to lose oneself in. These are songs to dive deep into that reveal themselves further upon repeated listens. Each is a world of its own, and the adventure is well worth the price of admission. Holter, more orchestral and idiosyncratic than ever, has again managed to produce one of the year's standout releases.
Holter was joined by Corey Fogel (percussion), Devin Hoff (bass), Dina Maccabee (violin, viola, vocals), Sarah Belle Reid (trumpet), Andrew Tholl (violin), and Tashi Wada (synth, bagpipes).
