Newsom masters vocal range, adds orchestra for latest work

Joanna Newsom - Ys 2006 - Drag City Records 4 (out of 5)

"The meadowlark and the chim-choo-ree and the sparrow/Set to the sky in a flying spree, for the sport of the pharaoh…" So begins the first track of Joanna Newsom's epic second album Ys. The five songs on the album total 55 minutes and are multi-movement compositions filled with deeply descriptive lyrics. All of the songs build an illustrious sound off of Newsom's beautiful harp.

On Ys Newsom took an entirely different approach at production than on her debut, The Milk-Eyed Mender. Four of the five songs have a full orchestra accompany-ing Newsom, drastically adding texture to Newsom's melody and rhythm as well as accentuating many understated movements in the songs.

Joanna Newsom's Ys is one of the most acclaimed albums of the year, an extremely difficult feat for an artist whose style and sound is off-putting to many a first listener. Newsom's unique voice is often the first thing a listener notices. Somewhere between a cartoon character and an overly articulate second grader, she reels off poetically dense lyrics. She also has commanding vocal range; her delicate alto can be quickly silenced before letting out a high-pitched squeak followed by her beautiful soprano.

Joanna Newsom's music is finding a comfortable home blurring the lines between obscure independent music and the artsy avant-garde. She's often been described as being a member of the current psychedelic folk movement, yet she merely deems this the media's attempt at creating labels for what is essentially indefinable.

For Ys, Newsom managed to attract an acclaimed core of producers, engineers, and musicians to put together this immense endeavor.

Co-producing the album with Newsom as well as arranging the orchestral music is Van Dyke Parks, most famous for co-writing Brian Wilson's Smile. Newsom, also, attracted recording engineer Steve Albini, whose work on Nirvana's In Utero as well as the Pixies' Surfer Rosa made him one of the most acclaimed recording engineers of all time. Mixing the production was left to Jim O'Rourke, a legend in his own right for his contributions to modern experimental music, as well as his pseudo-membership in the band Sonic Youth.

All of the songs on Ys require a great deal of attention, the shortest track "Cosmia" lasts over 7 minutes, the longest track "Only Skin" ends at nearly 17 minutes. The songs often have wildly inventive story-telling which take on a varied cast of perspectives. The poetic language she uses helps create a mystical world and her verses seem to paint moments of beauty. The music parallels to the lyrics in its movement form, whereby, as melodies are reprised the lyrics and themes are also echoed.

Ultimately, Ys marks an incredible achievement for the 24 year-old musician. It is unlike anything else to come out of music this year. Ys might be very difficult to approach and is not for the casual music listener.

However, with a kind and careful ear, one can hear how Newsom has masterfully used her unique voice and beautiful harping to unveil a beautiful world filled with simple yet deeply affecting imagery.