Held is the debut studio album by English record producer David Ainley under the pseudonym Holy Other. It was released on 27 August 2012 through Tri Angle. It received generally favorable reviews from critics.
Background Held is a follow-up to Holy Other's debut EP, With U (2011). It was created in his bedrooms in Manchester and London. It took him about three months to finish the album.
Teengirl Fantasy's remix of "Love Some1" featuring Kelela, Tim Hecker's remix of "Held", and Fort Romeau's remix of "Held" were released digitally, after the album's release.
Critical reception
Bram E. Gieben of The Skinny commented that "It is an album of contradictions: his productions are minimal and sparse, but richly layered and deeply textured, with washes of synths, sampled and treated vocals and tight, subtly-structured drums." He added, "The real triumph of Held is emotional – rarely has instrumental electronic music been so heartfelt; simultaneously transcendent, uplifting, stately and sad." Ruth Saxelby of Pitchfork stated, "His music is of the wholly sensual, painfully physical kind, and with Held he triumphantly translates his bruised intimacy to full-length format without losing any of its skin-prickling power." Jamie Milton of DIY called the album "one of the most powerful records to be released in a very long time." Andrew Ryce of Resident Advisor stated, "Despite all the hints at depression, Held is a strangely uplifting record."
Accolades + Year-end lists for Held Publication List Rank Beats Per Minute The Top 50 Albums of 2012 Crack The Top 100 Albums of 2012 Les Inrockuptibles The 100 Best Albums of 2012
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from liner notes.
Holy Other – production Matt Colton – mastering Dr.Me – design Riyo Nemeth – photography
Charts + Chart performance for Held Chart (2012) Peakposition
References
Further reading
External links