With almost a full minute of cymbal drone leading into it, “Maxim’s I” demands the attention of the patient listener. As we have come to expect for Julia Holter, your patience is rewarded to stunning, maximalist ends, in what could only be described as a chamber pop cataclysm. Or even an event: of washed out chamber instruments and Holter’s sometimes ecclesiastical, sometimes villainous voice. “Maxim’s I” dumps you in the deep wood of a mystic kingdom controlled by demon violinists, then whisks you to a seaside alter for a bridge of cloaked druids banging drums as Holter whispers ancient curses in your ear, in stunning tribute to Elizabeth Fraser. Holter’s voice also bears some resemblances to Kate Bush in its ability to dip from mystic reverie into an accusatory directness at the drop of a dime. The bridge of “Maxim’s I” is similarly reminiscent of Bush’s Never for Ever album, especially the underappreciated second track “Delius.” But “Maxim’s I” is not mere resuscitation; it is an experience that I suspect will prove to be a new archetype for chaotic pop, something as influential to a new wave of artists as its own ’80s forebears probably were to Holter.
Loud City Sound is out August 20 on Domino: do everything in your power to get your hand son this album.
