Julia Holter – Marianbad

Julia Holter’s extraordinary debut album ‘Tragedy’ swept the end-of-year boards last year, or at least the boards where 400-run concept albums about Euripides plays made by classically trained pop musicians influenced by illuminated manuscripts get their just dues. Making music of ambition, clarity and verve, it’s closer to the avant pop explorations of Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt, or fellow compositionally trained Americans Arthur Russell and Laurie Anderson than any of her contemporaries.

This spring, RVNG INTL, a label who care, will release her second album, ‘Ekstasis’. The above video, directed by contemporary artist Rick Bahto, is the first visualisation of her new work, and sees her walking in a park, and shows much, much promise. It’s not the first time Bahto and Holter have worked together – below is a filmed co-performance of Holter’s Pale Full Tiny / Empty Loose Tight / Bare Huge Lax by Istvàn Zelenka alongside Rick Bahto’s version of ‘Two Dots’ by Mark So.