One of the best records I've come across in a very long time is Tragedy by Julia Holter. Inspired by Euripedes' Ancient Greek tragedy Hippolytus, the vision and scope of these songs is stunning. Lyrical passages from the text along with her massive-minimal sound of synth/drum/classical/slowed-down otherness create something deeply ancient, personal, and unmistakably original. These songs are like a labyrinth: startling, illuminating, and flat out beautiful.
Julia is based in Los Angeles and has collaborated with both Nite Jewel and Linda Perhacs. She is also involved in a project called Lady JJ with Jana Papenbroock, which is a monthly transatlantic video collaboration.
Tragedy was released earlier this month by Leaving Records in an edition of 300 and sold out almost immediately. The album will be repressed soon and is also available on iTunes. There is no excuse for not hearing this music.
You can find out more about Julia at her website. Below is a list she sent of some of her favorite records.
JULIA'S FAVORITES
1. Rock Bottom - ROBERT WYATT
2. Live Evil - MILES DAVIS
3. Court And Spark - JONI MITCHELL
4. Have One On Me - JOANNA NEWSOM
5. Parallelograms - LINDA PERHACS
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