Track of the Day: Julianna Barwick

​I played a little of Julianna Barwick's new record, Florine, for a friend recently and he said it sounded like being in church. There's definitely something holy in the harmonies she creates when looping her own voice, her melodies dissolving into the rafters. She's a choir of one emboldened by her own breath against delicate piano and synth builds.

Barwick becomes a subtle instrument in her songs, barely speaking (although sometimes you can hear a ghostly passage like "I loved you so") as much as she coos in high falsettos. In that way her songs are reminiscent of Sigur Ros, another act that evokes a spectrum of emotions using little in the way of language. (Two of the songs on Florine, "Sunlight, Heaven," and "Cloudbank," sound terribly, beautifully sad.)

Today our chosen track from her set is "Bode,"  which begins with a chorus of her chants before spreading out into icy, angelic backing vocals. Pretty stuff.