Tragedy (Julia Holter album)

Last updated

Tragedy
Julia Holter - Tragedy.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 30, 2011 (2011-08-30)
Genre
Length51:15
Label Night School Records [1]
Producer Julia Holter
Julia Holter chronology
Tragedy
(2011)
Ekstasis
(2012)

Tragedy is the debut studio album by the American musician Julia Holter, released by Leaving Records on August 30, 2011. [2] Pitchfork wrote that Tragedy was Holter's "first LP... [which] calls to mind the arty, austere work of Laurie Anderson, Grouper, and Meredith Monk". [3]

Contents

The album is inspired by Hippolytus , a play by Euripides. [4] Holter recorded Tragedy with electronic instrumentation, largely out of necessity, since she lacked the funds to hire session musicians. [5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The List Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Pitchfork 8/10 [3]

Tragedy was received positively by music critics, who cited Holter as an innovative avant-garde electronic artist. [5] Mike Powell, reviewing the album for Pitchfork, wrote that "Holter has made a dreamy, intense album that aligns with a variety of traditions but, like a lot of great contemporary music, synthesizes them in novel or at least artful ways". [3]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Introduction"3:08
2."Try to Make Yourself a Work of Art"6:55
3."The Falling Age"9:14
4."Goddess Eyes"3:25
5."Interlude"2:26
6."Celebration"9:49
7."So Lillies"7:19
8."Tragedy Finale"8:05
Total length:51:15

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air (French band)</span> French music duo

Air is a French music duo from Versailles, consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Their critically acclaimed debut album, Moon Safari, including the track "Sexy Boy", was an international success in 1998. Its follow-up, The Virgin Suicides, was the score to Sofia Coppola's first film of the same name. The band has since released the albums 10 000 Hz Legend, Talkie Walkie, Pocket Symphony, Love 2, Le voyage dans la lune, Music for Museum and Moon Safari Rarities . The band is influenced by a wide variety of musical styles and artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thom Yorke</span> English musician (born 1968)

Thomas Edward Yorke is an English musician, best known as the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been described by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest and most influential singers of his generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Tundra</span> Musical artist

Benjamin Thomas Jacobs, more commonly known by the stage name Max Tundra, is an English multi-instrumental musician, singer and music producer. His work is noted for its maximalist approach, which is predominantly electronic music but incorporates non-electronic styles and instruments. Jacobs' production style has been noted as an influence on the hyperpop style which became prevalent in the 2010s onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naomi Yang (musician)</span> American singer

Naomi Yang is an American musician, graphic designer, photographer and filmmaker. She was a member of the dreampop band Galaxie 500, psychedelic rock band Magic Hour and is half of the psychedelic folk duo Damon and Naomi. She has also made videos for a wide number of artists including Future Bible Heroes, Waxahatchee and Julia Holter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neon Indian</span> American band

Neon Indian is an American electronic music band from Denton, Texas. The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo, who is also part of the band Ghosthustler and releases solo music under his birth name and the stage name VEGA. The project has been characterized as defining the 2010s music genre chillwave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Meredith</span> Musical artist

Anna Howard Meredith is a Scottish composer and performer of electronic and acoustic music. She is a former composer-in-residence with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and former PRS/RPS Composer in the House with Sinfonia ViVA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Blake (musician)</span> British musician (born 1988)

James Blake Litherland is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first gained recognition following the release of three extended plays (EPs)—The Bells Sketch, CMYK and Klavierwerke—in 2010. He signed with A&M Records to release his self-titled debut album (2011) the following year, which was met with critical praise and peaked within the top ten of the UK Albums Chart. He then departed the label in favour of Republic Records, through which he released his second album, Overgrown (2013) to further critical and commercial success; it likewise peaked within the chart's top ten and moderately entered the US Billboard 200. His third album The Colour in Anything (2016) was followed by his 2018 single "King's Dead", which peaked at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart and marked his first entry–at number 21–on the Billboard Hot 100. Its success foresaw the release of his fourth album, Assume Form (2019), which yielded his highest entry on both the UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200. His fifth and sixth albums, Friends That Break Your Heart (2021) and Playing Robots Into Heaven (2023) followed thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolas Jaar</span> Chilean-American composer and musician

Nicolas Jaar is a Chilean-American composer and recording artist based in New York. Among his notable works are the albums Space Is Only Noise (2011), Sirens (2016), and Cenizas (2020). He has also released two albums as one half of his band Darkside and two further albums under the alias Against All Logic.

Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, known professionally as Cole M.G.N., is an American musician, record producer, songwriter and mixer. He is a former member of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. Cole has worked with Beck, Julia Holter, Christine and the Queens, DāM-FunK, Ariel Pink, Real Estate, The Vaccines, Thurston Moore, Snoop Dogg, NxWorries, Kossisko, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Blood Orange and Nite Jewel. In 2016, Cole M.G.N. released his self-titled debut extended play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nite Jewel</span> Musical artist

Ramona Gonzalez is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Holter</span> American singer-songwriter

Julia Shammas Holter is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, composer, artist, and academic, based in Los Angeles. Following three independent album productions, Holter released Tragedy as her first official studio album in 2011. Ekstasis followed in 2012. After signing with Domino Records in 2013, she released the albums Loud City Song (2013), Have You in My Wilderness (2015), the live-in-the-studio album In the Same Room (2017) and the double album Aviary (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hundred Waters</span> American band

Hundred Waters is an American band formed in Gainesville, Florida in October 2011, composed of Nicole Miglis, Trayer Tryon and Zach Tetreault. The group came to prominence in 2012 with the release of their first self-titled album and an unexpected partnership with Skrillex's predominantly electronic Owsla record label. Hundred Waters wrote and produced most of their second album, The Moon Rang Like a Bell, while on tour with alt-J, The xx, Julia Holter and others; it was released on May 27, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurel Halo</span> American electronic musician

Laurel Anne Chartow, known professionally as Laurel Halo, is an American electronic musician currently based in Los Angeles, California. She released her debut album Quarantine on Hyperdub in 2012 to critical acclaim; it was named album of the year by The Wire.

<i>Loud City Song</i> 2013 studio album by Julia Holter

Loud City Song is the third studio album by American musician Julia Holter. It was released on August 20, 2013, by Domino Recording Company. The album was co-produced by Holter and Cole M.G.N., marking the second time the pair had worked together. The album was preceded by the singles "World", "In the Green Wild" and "Maxim's I".

<i>Ekstasis</i> (Julia Holter album) 2012 studio album by Julia Holter

Ekstasis is the second studio album by the American musician Julia Holter. It was released on March 8, 2012, by RVNG Intl. It was preceded by two singles, "Marienbad" and "In The Same Room". A 12" EP, "Goddess Eyes" - which featured both versions of "Goddess Eyes" from the LP - followed in December 2012, after the album had been issued by Domino in the UK on October 26.

Daniel Wohl is a Paris, France born composer based in Los Angeles, California, known for his use of both electronic and acoustic instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Mondanile</span> American musician (born 1985)

Matthew Anthony Mondanile is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American indie rock band Real Estate, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and for his solo music project Ducktails.

<i>Have You in My Wilderness</i> 2015 studio album by Julia Holter

Have You in My Wilderness is the fourth studio album by American musician Julia Holter, released on September 25, 2015, by Domino Recording Company. Co-produced by Holter and Cole M.G.N., the album was preceded by the singles "Feel You" and "Sea Calls Me Home". Two further videos followed its release, for the tracks "Silhouette" and "Everytime Boots".

<i>In the Same Room</i> Album by Julia Holter

In the Same Room is a live studio album by American musician Julia Holter, released on March 31, 2017, on Domino Documents. Recorded with her backing band over two days at London's RAK Studios, the album was recorded during the tour for Holter's fourth studio album, Have You in My Wilderness (2015).

<i>Aviary</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Julia Holter

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.

References

  1. "Night School - LSS008: JULIA HOLTER - 'Tragedy' CD". Night School Records. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  2. "Allmusic biography of Julia Holter", AllMusic. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Mike Powell (2011) "Tragedy - Julia Holter" Pitchfork, October 19, 2011. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  4. Welsh, Margaret (September 26, 2012). "Julia Holter gets comfortable with working together". Pittsburgh City Paper . Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Logan Austin (2016) "Julia Holter: Have You in My Wilderness", PopMatters , February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  6. "Julia Holter - Tragedy". April 18, 2012.