The press materials for Ekstasis, Julia Holter’s third release and her debut for the excellently curated outré outpost RVNG records, cite each of the following as influences and inspirations on the LP: time spent studying at Cal Arts, time spent studying harmonium and voice under a guru in India; medieval manuscripts; her classical training. This may strike some of you as pretentious, which is fine, because if those mere words scare you then the filigreed, delicate but experimental vocal/Rhodes electronic music Holter makes will not sit well, either. But make no mistake, “Marienbad” is a fairly fantastic, madrigal-tipped track: It’s named after the film Last Year At Marienbad, which Wiki will tell you is “famous for its enigmatic narrative structure,” and the song lives up to that with its non-linear five-minute plot and ren-faire stylings. Pro tip: Reorder your records alphabetically by first name and slip Julia Holter between your Joanna Newsom and Julianna Barwick LPs; that’s where this one belongs. Hear “Marienbad”:



Julia Holter – Marienbad by RVNG Intl.

Ekstasis is out 3/8/12 via RVNG.