Juliana Barwick: The Magic Place

Julianna Barwick
The Magic Place
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Louisiana born, Brooklyn based vocalist Julianna Barwick's latest album, The Magic Place, occupies a middle ground between the advant-garde musings of acts like Grouper and the overproduced ambient pablum of Enya. Barwick takes loops of her vocals and builds almost overwhelmingly gorgeous cathedrals of sound. Most of the vocals are wordless chants with only a few songs hinting at actual words, her voice working more in the vein of Elizabeth Fraser's more angelic tones. On listening to the album, you can definitely feel Barwick's church going upbringing, the music hymn-like, fractured like light through stained glass.

Barwick compliments her voice with muted instrumentation; treated Eno-esque pianos, heavily delayed guitar, hushed synths, and heartbeat soft percussion. The focus is always on her voice, which is never overshadowed by any instrument. Indeed, her voice, multi-tracked as it is, becomes an instrument itself. In a couple of instances, there truly is difficulty determining if it is a voice or a keyboard.

The music sounds old and decayed, wrapped in a foggy haze, as if discovered in a vault after many years lost. Opening track "Envelop" lives up to its name, covering the listener in a mist of Gregorian chants and the sea-intoning charms of the Sirens. "Keep Up The Good Work" evokes a mystical place full of singing nymphs:

Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place - Keep Up the Good Work (asthmatic kitty) by pdis_inpartmaint

While title track "The Magic Place," could be the soundtrack for the gates of heaven:



The highlight of The Magic Place is "Vow" with a delicately repeating piano refrain, and hint of accordion, that propels Barwick's voice into the stratosphere.

Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place - Vow(asthmatic kitty) by pdis_inpartmaint

Lovely echoed guitars intertwine with ghostly piano on "Bob In Your Gait," where Barwick's voice reaches operatic highs. "Prizewinning" continues the heavenly theme with delicately layered voices, merging the right amount of ambiance and forcefulness, and the one track on the album with noticeable percussion:

Julianna Barwick - Prizewinning by ZDBmuzique

The Magic Place is a gorgeously rendered album, full of beauty and stunning moments. But in the end, I have to admit it doesn't register deep inside me. When I have it on, I am at peace and feel calm, yet the moment I am done with it, I can't remember or recall anything specific about it. Unlike the instrumental ambient drones of Tim Hecker, there is nothing meaty here to digest and take with you. While Hecker's soundscapes are bold, hearty and sit in your stomach long after the meal, Barwick's music is like an amuse bouche before the main course, delicate and light, leaving a pleasant taste on the tongue, but lost once something more substantial is on the plate.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.