Julia Holter – ‘He’s Running Through My Eyes’
Today’s Track of the Day comes from a beautiful place: Julia Holter’s heart.
In another mellifluous example of infusing several genres together, the Californian composer – and I shall call her that, as ‘He’s Running Through My Eyes’ and other delicacies from her latest record Loud City Song suggest and deserve – has harnessed, channelled and projected the inspiration from Sidonie Gabrielle Colette’s famed French novel Gigi into a precious piece of her own.
Gigi’s plot focuses on a young Parisian girl being groomed for a career as a courtesan, and her relationship with a wealthy, cultured man named Gaston, whom she falls in love with and eventually marries.
Holter beautifully leads the listener through the enclaves of the young woman’s heart and mind as she falls deeper into the crimson clutches of her man’s desire. Each passing second of the track paints a picture, with Holter’s vulnerable vocal delivery acting as the fine-tipped brush and her minimal lyrics the easel. I can only imagine our lady sitting in her solitude, nervous, apprehensive, and unsure if the feelings she harbours are mutual, desperate for emotions not to be unrequited. She’s fallen, and his figure is tattooed upon her iris.
“Oh this time my stubborn mind will take his love seriously / But when the summer’s over, will he remember winter words? / Do men’s hearts grow old, lullaby? He’s running through my eyes.”
Julia Holter
The classical piano throughout only emphasises the above, while a transient horn adds a disorientating spiritual slant to the song’s spectrum. Such is the majesty of Holter’s arrangement, it only takes a mere two minutes for the listener to almost become our young Parisian. Any music that harbours such ability is a more than worthy Track of the Day for Far Out Magazine.
If this appeals to you, then I would highly recommend Holter’s third and most recent album. If not, give it a whirl anyway, as you never know what internal changes may occur.
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