So. Originality, eh? Tough job in music. But on the other hand, have you heard of a San Franciscan singer/songwriter who plays a harp and has a voice so quirky it makes chipmunk's blush? Wait, don't answer yet. This album only has 5 songs but they stretch to around 55 minutes in total, and has a 30+ piece orchestra. Well, I guess it's as close to originality as we can get, right?
Joanna Newsom's sophomore album has all of these things, but it's difficult to get the full scope of this album across because there's so much going on. Be it her voice, cooing, crooning and dramatising each song, the fantasy-themed stories presented throughout, as in 'Monkey And Bear', or the quality of the playing, as in the stunning 'Sawdust And Diamonds', in which an unaccompanied Newsom plucks for almost 9 minutes at dizzying speeds, singing lines such as "I wasnt born of a whistle or milked of a thistle at twilight". That's not mentioning the highly intruiging cover, or the 'blimey!' factor achieved whilst listening.
Don't worry if you perceive this album to be mental, because in all fairness, it is. But it's also intensely listenable, accessible and absorbing. It's length can be a bit of a crutch at first, but after repeated listens the full majesty of this album eventually flourishes into one of the most ambitious and original records I've heard. I'd suggest giving it a go just on the strength its identity and character alone, because it's truly unlike anything you're likely to have heard before.
Joanna Newsom's sophomore album has all of these things, but it's difficult to get the full scope of this album across because there's so much going on. Be it her voice, cooing, crooning and dramatising each song, the fantasy-themed stories presented throughout, as in 'Monkey And Bear', or the quality of the playing, as in the stunning 'Sawdust And Diamonds', in which an unaccompanied Newsom plucks for almost 9 minutes at dizzying speeds, singing lines such as "I wasnt born of a whistle or milked of a thistle at twilight". That's not mentioning the highly intruiging cover, or the 'blimey!' factor achieved whilst listening.
Don't worry if you perceive this album to be mental, because in all fairness, it is. But it's also intensely listenable, accessible and absorbing. It's length can be a bit of a crutch at first, but after repeated listens the full majesty of this album eventually flourishes into one of the most ambitious and original records I've heard. I'd suggest giving it a go just on the strength its identity and character alone, because it's truly unlike anything you're likely to have heard before.
