Joanna Newsom: Ys

What an absolutely oddball, yet wonderful surprise it has been to stumble upon Joanna Newsom.

The album, as simultaneously discovered in Uncut and from some interwebs blogs, has been a favourite at both work and on the iPod. With it's folk undertones and ethereal, fluttering, almost mystical feel, Ys takes it's time (and then some) to play out each of it's 5 tracks.

That's right. Ys (which, by the way, is pronounced 'Ees') is 5 tracks weighing in just under an hour.

The tracks don't drag, though. Rather, they build upon themselves to create a vivid musical mosaic. With songs constructed mostly by harp, Newsom pulls us through such an amazing journey that even Tommy would be wowed.

In the end: This is different from much of what I listen to, but you can't help but enjoy, appreciate, and get lost in the tales that Newsom composes on Ys.

On the web: Hellooooooooooo Hype Machine. Also, here's a bootleg from a performance of hers last year:
2005-04-14 - Academy 2

Technorati tagged: Joanna Newsom | Folk | 2006