Aviary (album)

Aviary is the fifth studio album by American musician Julia Holter, released on October 26, 2018, by Domino. It was preceded by the singles "I Shall Love 2" and "Words I Heard". The album title is derived from a line in poet Etel Adnan's 2009 collection Master of the Eclipse.

Aviary
Studio album by
Julia Holter
ReleasedOctober 26, 2018 (2018-10-26)
StudioBand House and Julia Holter's Studio (Los Angeles, California)
GenreExperimental pop
Length89:48
LabelDomino
Producer
  • Julia Holter
  • Kenny Gilmore
Julia Holter chronology
In the Same Room
(2017)		 Aviary
(2018)
Singles from Aviary
  1. "I Shall Love 2"
    Released: September 6, 2018
  2. "Words I Heard"
    Released: October 17, 2018

Writing and composition

Holter has said that concepts regarding 'memory' were a key influence during the writing of Aviary. In an interview with DIY she revealed that "Memory was a theme that kept coming up. Memories that emerge in the mind that get in the way of your own thoughts. I started noticing there was wings imagery, birds."[1] She has mentioned that these themes were mainly influenced by Etel Adnan's Master of the Eclipse and Mary Carruthers' The Book of Memory. Talking about both works in an interview with Pitchfork, Holter stated that "I was reading Mary Carruthers' The Book of Memory, about how memory functioned in the Middle Ages. Memory is something I'm deeply interested in. The Etel Adnan book talks about how memories stalk you, and that really resonated with me:.. "I found myself in an aviary full of shrieking birds." What I've realized is that there are these connections in my mind between extremes: beautiful sounds of birds, shrieking sounds of birds, beautiful memories, terrible memories... And that's where_ Aviary_ all made sense to me: These birds that are like memories flying around, everything kind of happening at once."[2]

Holter has also named jazz musician Alice Coltrane and her fifth album Universal Consciousness as an influence. While composing songs such as "Words I Heard", Holter has stated that she, "improvised some melodies to fly around the song, and then transcribed that for violin into 4 parts [...] each in similar ranges, doing similar things but at different times, kind of diving into that "hocketing" effect I was into throughout the record. That exciting combination of synth and strings in Coltrane's music feels hopeful in a way, the beauty feels infinite or something, and I was inspired by it."[3]

Release and promotion

Holter announced the release of Aviary on September 6, 2018,[4] alongside the release of the lead single "I Shall Love 2", accompanied by a radio edit and a music video directed by Dicky Bahto, who also designed the album cover.[5][6] On October 17, she released a second single, "Words I Heard", also accompanied by a radio edit and a music video directed by Bahto.[7][8] The video was inspired by an essay by Etel Adnan, who also inspired the album title.[9] The album was released on October 26 through Domino Recording Company digitally and on a double CD and 2xLP.[10] Holter began writing the album in 2016, and later recorded demos of the songs at home. Many of the vocal takes from those solo recordings, which she used to guide collaborators in the studio, ended up on the album.[11]

Alongside the album announcement, Holter announced a North American and European tour in support of the album. The tour began in Lake Perris on October 14.[12]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year80/100[13]
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10[14]
Metacritic83/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Consequence of SoundB+[17]
Exclaim!9/10[18]
Financial Times[19]
The Guardian[20]
Mojo[21]
Pitchfork8.2/10[22]
Q[23]
Resident Advisor4.3/5[24]
Uncut8/10[25]

Aviary was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 83, based on 23 reviews.[15] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[14] Album of the Year assessed the critical consensus as 80 out of 100, based on 24 reviews.[13]

Matthew Blenkarn of Exclaim! wrote, "Sweeping and intimate all at once, Aviary never settles for comforting platitudes or dour resignation. It's honest, it's hopeful, and it's surely among Holter's finest achievements."[18] Under the Radar's J. Pace stated that while the album "may appear to be on fire, it has always been so, and the everyday emergency in which we find ourselves is not the exception: it's the rule. And surrounded by all this noise, this eternal series of accidents, Holter the poet chooses to process it all and create something beautiful."[26] James Oldham of Q wrote, "It's not always easy, but it is frequently brilliant."[23] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Heather Phares stated "Holter answers the chaos of 21st century life by following her bliss; the results are a constellation of moments that celebrate the fullness of her music and, as always, make for fascinating listening."[16]

Jim Wirth of Uncut said, "There are jarring moments but Holter's quest to channel the clatter of the universe produces transcendent beauty too."[27] In a more critical review, Chris White of musicOMH said, "Aviary is not a great album—it's too much of an ordeal for that accolade, requiring multiple listens to even start to engage with meaningfully. But it is, in its own idiosyncratic way, a towering artistic accomplishment. Just be prepared for a hard slog scaling the summit."[28] Mojo's Andrew Male gave the album a mixed review, writing, "It's all so sad, and surrounded by 80-plus minutes of restless, questing uncertainty."[21] Consequence of Sound's David Sackllah wrote, "While some edits could have crafted a more concise record, this grand, indulgent piece finds Holter at the height of her ability. Even the quiet periods are always entrancing."[17] Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian said, "Holter doesn't drop quite enough of these joyful crumbs to cajole the listener through the entirety of this 90-minute epic—yet there remains a glut of beauty and braininess in store for those willing to stick around."[20]

Accolades
Year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
AllMusic AllMusic Best of 2018 N/A
[29]
Consequence of Sound The Top 50 Albums of 2018
25
[30]
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2018
19
[31]
musicOMH musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2018
16
[32]
Noisey Noisey's 100 Best Albums of 2018
14
[33]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2018
24
[34]
The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s
109
[35]
PopMatters The 70 Best Albums of 2018
16
[36]
The Quietus Quietus Albums of the Year 2018
20
[37]
The Wire The Top 50 Releases of the Year
12
[38]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Julia Holter, except "Les Jeux to You", written by Holter and Devin Hoff.

Aviary track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Turn the Light On"4:16
2."Whether"2:58
3."Chaitius"8:10
4."Voce Simul"6:34
5."Everyday Is an Emergency"7:45
6."Another Dream"6:07
7."I Shall Love 2"5:18
8."Underneath the Moon"6:49
9."Colligere"6:11
10."In Gardens' Muteness"6:36
11."I Would Rather See"4:51
12."Les Jeux to You"6:18
13."Words I Heard"6:39
14."I Shall Love 1"5:09
15."Why Sad Song"6:07
Total length:89:48

Notes[39]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Aviary.[39]

Charts
Chart performance for Aviary
Chart (2018) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[40] 86
Scottish Albums (OCC)[41] 34
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[42] 94
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 99
UK Albums (OCC)[44] 73
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[45] 16

Release history
Release formats for Aviary
Region Date Label Format Ref.
Various October 26, 2018 Domino
[10]
gollark: I have many slightly useful libraries:* skynet* libdatatape* polychoron* okay that's three
gollark: Not everything I recommend is bad.
gollark: Yes, well.
gollark: <@184468521042968577> It's easy.
gollark: excellent. MWAHAHAHAHA!

References
  1. Ayers, Mike (October 26, 2018). "Julia Holter: 'I Don't Write Music Based on What I Think Other People Want'". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  2. Sherbourne, Philip (November 8, 2018). "How Destitute Times Inspired Julia Holter to Make an Album of Beautiful Excess". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  3. Richards, Will (October 17, 2018). "Julia Holter talks the empathy and escape of new album 'Aviary'". DIY. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  4. "Julia Holter returns with fifth album, Aviary". Fact. September 7, 2018. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  5. Rettig, James (September 6, 2018). "Julia Holter – "I Shall Love 2" Video". Stereogum. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  6. "I Shall Love 2 (Edit) – Single by Julia Holter on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  7. Slingerland, Calum (October 17, 2018). "Julia Holter Shares New Song 'Words I Heard'". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  8. "Words I Heard (Edit) – Single by Julia Holter on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  9. Minsker, Evan (October 18, 2018). "Julia Holter Shares New Song 'Words I Heard'". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  10. "Julia Holter | Domino Mart". juliaholter.dominomart.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  11. Geffen, Sasha (October 18, 2018). "Julia Holter on 'Aviary', Her Great New Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  12. Daramola, Israel (September 6, 2018). "Julia Holter Announces New Album & Tour; Releases "I Shall Love 2"". Spin. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  13. "Julia Holter – Aviary – Reviews". Album of the Year. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  14. "Aviary by Julia Holter reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
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  17. Sackllah, David (October 26, 2018). "Julia Holter Creates a Dreamlike Kaleidoscope on Aviary". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
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  21. Male, Andrew (November 2018). "Julia Holter: Aviary". Mojo (300): 90.
  22. Pelly, Jenn (November 2, 2018). "Julia Holter: Aviary". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  23. Oldham, James (December 2018). "Julia Holter: Aviary". Q (392): 108.
  24. Cetin, Marissa (October 30, 2018). "Julia Holter – Aviary". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  25. Wirth, Jim (November 2018). "Julia Holter: Aviary". Uncut (258): 24.
  26. Pace, J. (October 24, 2018). "Julia Holter: Aviary (Domino) Review". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  27. Wirth, Jim (November 9, 2018). "Julia Holter – Aviary". Uncut. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  28. White, Chris (October 24, 2018). "Julia Holter – Aviary". musicOMH. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
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  31. "The 50 best albums of 2018: the full list". The Guardian. December 21, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  32. "musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2018". musicOMH. December 5, 2018. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  33. "Noisey's 100 Best Albums of 2018". Noisey. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  34. "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Pitchfork. December 11, 2018. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  35. "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 9, 2019. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  36. "The 70 Best Albums of 2018". PopMatters. December 10, 2018. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
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  39. Aviary (LP liner notes). Julia Holter. Domino Recording Company. 2018. WIGLP417X.CS1 maint: others (link)
  40. "Offiziellecharts.de – Julia Holter – Aviary" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  41. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  42. "Top 100 Álbumes – Semana 44: del 26.10.2018 al 1.11.2018" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  43. "Swisscharts.com – Julia Holter – Aviary". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  44. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  45. "Julia Holter Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
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