Singer/songwriter Joanna Newsom has always been a singular artist with an intensely personal vision. She plays the harp after all! And, while she’s a name that’s oohhed and ahhed over in downtown folk circles, she’s moved even further left of center with her latest musical venture, a five song EP called Ys While it’s certain that this latest collection won’t find her climbing the Billboard charts, Newsom continues to be one of the most pure artists out there in that she completely ignores popular culture and still comes up with a group of songs that remain compelling even if they do leave you shaking your head at times.
If you flunked your high school paper on The Canterbury Tales, then you might want to proceed with caution where Ys is concerned. Most of the characters we meet on the album are on a quirky journey through the topsy turvy world of Joanna Newsom. It’s the kind of place where one of the images she describes, a white dove swinging a sickle, would be a common sight.
Her tunes run from the star-crossed story of a Monkey and a Bear to the lush hippiness of the story song “Emily”. It’s on this song most of all that the fingerprints of Newsom’s co-producer Van Dyke Parks are most noticeable. He seems to truly “get” the harpist and makes the most out of her epic (one of the songs runs 16+ minutes) songs. An orchestra was also employed this time around to flush out Newsom’s harp and surprisingly, it works well. It adds just a touch of color without being overwhelming or turning the tone of the tales into complete mush.
Ys will always stand out as a curiosity in the music world of 2006 and perhaps in the catalogue of Newsom herself, but only time will tell. Many listens are probably required to get all that is going on here, but at 55 minutes for 5 songs, a big commitment will have to be made by listeners. |