Ys
Joanna Newsom
View More by this ArtistOpen iTunes to preview, buy, and download songs from Joanna Newsom
| Name | Artist | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emily | Joanna Newsom | 12:08 | Album Only | View In iTunes |
| 2 | Monkey & Bear | Joanna Newsom | 9:28 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 3 | Sawdust & Diamonds | Joanna Newsom | 9:55 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 4 | Only Skin | Joanna Newsom | 16:53 | Album Only | View In iTunes |
| 5 | Cosmia | Joanna Newsom | 7:17 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| Total: 5 Songs |
iTunes Review
Pronounced “ees,” harpist Joanna Newsom’s second album is an unusual piece of modern artistry; it doesn’t sound like anything else released in 2006. Five songs in 55 minutes, the album slowly unravels in its idiosyncratic nuance. Newsom’s voice recalls old style jazz and cabaret singers with the touch of a ‘60s folkie while her compositions and arrangements are steeped in wandering, ponderous art song. Strings, woodwinds, brass, a variety of percussion – at points, a full orchestra — and the expert scoring of legendary and controversial producer Van Dyke Parks who has enhanced and skewered the music of the Beach Boys, Randy Newman and Victoria Williams over the years, make this onion worth unpeeling. There is no easy point of entry. The opening cut, “Emily,” for example, begins: “The meadowlark and the chim-choo-ree and the sparrow set to the sky in a flying spree, for the sport of the pharaoh.” These are not easy songs to penetrate, narrative in moments and quickly abstract, romantic in the longing for an existence very apart from modern life.
Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent
by Max1692When I first heard her music, I was intrigued and slightly annoyed like so many others. But her song bridges and balloons never left my head.
I debated for a long time on whether I should get this CD. I heard snippets and loves some songs. I bought it anyway and ended up being immersed in this beautiful musical experience. She's not just singing, she's telling these amazing stories and if you take the time to listen to them you realize what music is supposed to be... An experience. My favourite is by far Sawdust and Diamonds and Only Skin is quite spectacular, too.
It's Another Thing
by Egos Like HairdosIf you like music only for dancing or singing along to, you may choose to navigate away now. If music can be an intellectual experience for you, you may choose to read and listen.
In chronicle of my appreciation for this album: I downloaded it upon its release, and listened to it casually in admiration of its boldness. But the orchestration seemed choppy; other music had my ears at the time, and so it sat in silence for a while.
I brought it out again later, listening to the lyrics, and for me, that's the key. Previously, paying attention to her harp had carried me through the singularity of her voice until I loved the whole from which the parts cannot be separated; this time, it was the lyrics that brought me to the place where I gape open-mouthed and wide-eyed at every bit of Ys.
If you would like, do some research. Google Joanna Newsom, and you will find that her influences are particular, personal, and global. Note how her techniques draw from a source apart from her stories. I myself marvel at her lyricism, the way she plays the harp (unlike anything anyone else in this country does), and her boldness in using her voice, as well as the way she incorporates a band--musicians alongside herself--in this highly personal saga of an intense time in her life.
For as long as I've had this album (it is now almost 2010), I still find corners and currents that make me squint and say: "I think I have to hear that again, and listen this time."
If, for you, a musical experience can incorporate any of the above, I think you may come to appreciate this album, especially if you're willing to be patient with it. Really, it's like entering another world: once you get past the burn of the atmosphere, it is opened up to you, full of complexities and the delight of endless surprises.
There are voices and there are voices
by weinitoI am player and fan of soul music - nearly exclusively (though I define this with some license). When I heard Joanna Newsom's first album for the first 20 times, I found her annoying and precious. Then I was convinced to go to a concert by my wife, and my opinion has changed. There are voices (by which I don't simply mean her voice, but her music) which are unique. They don't fit to standards of the time, or any time in particular, and this is no simple or common thing. You will never hear Joanna Newsom and think of her as dated, or retro, or pop, or outmoded or any of the other terms that have come into play since music has become a commodity. Comparisons are Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Mavin Gaye, Prince - not for any similarity in their sound, but for the shared singularity and strength of voice (as used above) of their music. I am not a fan of Joanna Newsom's 'kind' of music, because there is no such thing. Joanna Newsom is brilliant, and this album is no exception.
Biography
Born: 1982 in Nevada City, CA
Genre: Rock
Years Active: '00s
Top Albums and Songs by Joanna Newsom
| Name | Album | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sprout and the Bean | The Milk-Eyed Mender | 4:32 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 2 | The Book of Right-On | The Milk-Eyed Mender | 4:29 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 3 | Peach, Plum, Pear | The Milk-Eyed Mender | 3:33 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 4 | Sawdust & Diamonds | Ys | 9:55 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| 5 | "En Gallop" | The Milk-Eyed Mender | 5:07 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
- $9.99
- Genres: Alternative, Music, Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock
- Released: Nov 14, 2006
- ℗ 2006 Drag City Inc.
