Olympia (CD)


Austra

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Also available in: Vinyl LP

Amoeba Review

Andrew, Hollywood 09/01/2013

Ok, so I don’t even know how to begin or where to start with this magnificent and beautiful record. Olympia departs from the darkwave feel of its previous release, Feel It Break, and ventures into more dance and house sounds, while still maintaining the mystical feel from all of Austra’s songs.


06/17/2013

The opening verse on Olympia opener “What We Done” sounds like a common complaint for underground musicians: “I dance for free/And there is no glamour,” sings Austra’s lead singer, Katie Selmanis. But the Toronto trio quickly proves there’s plenty of pleasure to be derived from dancing with yourself on Olympia, the band’s second album after 2011’s hype-producing Feel it Break. After an orchestrated first half, “What We Done” perks up with a dance beat that preps you for an album that brims with melancholy and beatwork in equal measure. “What do I have to do to make you forgive me?” Selmanis pleads on “Forgive Me,” but it’s not a simpering track, as Selmanis quivers and coos through the syllables and the band provides somber strings and a steady beat. But Olympia really picks up on “Painful Like,” a twee banger of a track that displays how readily Austra’s moody synth-pop can transform into dance party fodder. Similarly, “Home” splits the difference between referencing classic house with its simple beat and piano chords, but its constructed more organically and spaciously to give room to Selmanis’ operatic vocal. With any luck, Austra won’t be dancing for free much longer, as Olympia keeps their art-school cool while upping their dance-pop ambitions.



Track Listing



Disc 1 Titles
Artist
Length
1.
What We Done?
Austra 05:01
2.
Forgive Me
Austra 03:20
3.
Painful Like
Austra 03:59
4.
Sleep
Austra 04:32
5.
Home
Austra 04:15
6.
Fire
Austra 04:42
7.
I Don't Care (I'm a Man)
Austra 01:11
8.
We Become
Austra 04:22
9.
Reconcile
Austra 03:31
10.
Annie (Oh muse, you)
Austra 03:47
11.
You Changed My Life
Austra 03:11
12.
Hurt Me Now
Austra 03:56

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