New Joanna Newsom album "Divers" streaming for the next couple of days

[mkeneally]

It is a beautiful album:

http://pitchfork.com/news/61720-joan...treams-divers/

Saw in Uncut magazine that "I Lost My Head" by Gentle Giant was one of the influential tracks she listened to while mixing this.


Anyone other than me here enchanted by her?

[bob_32_116]

I've heard a few tracks by her on community radio, and while i appreciate the talent, I really cannot get past her baby-girl vocal style,

[moecurlythanu]

Anyone other than me here enchanted by her?

Oh yeah. Been a fan since her first album, and have seen her live twice, I think.
An old soul .

[peppot]

Ys is an absolutely fantastic record, and Have One On Me is close to it. Listening to the new album now, and liking it. Might not have the same staying power as the two previous albums though. Pretty nice and varied instrumentation though. Loving the synths.

[Mekanik Zain]

Wonderful news! Her album Ys is one of the most outstanding works which I listened. She is absolutely brilliant....

[Pr33t]

Ys is an absolutely fantastic record, and Have One On Me is close to it. Listening to the new album now, and liking it. Might not have the same staying power as the two previous albums though. Pretty nice and varied instrumentation though. Loving the synths.

I'm looking forward to this, but not holding out for a masterpiece. Cliche, but it's the early stuff and Ys in particular that really does it for me. The first disc of Have One on Me comes close, but the other two pale for me - they're missing that spark and inventiveness that all her best material has. They're just pleasant. I've also seen her twice, and loved both shows. I'm more excited to see her live again in Brooklyn in December.

[rickawakeman]

Never investigated her but I see that both she and Joanna Gruesome have Boston dates in December.

[bob_32_116]

Never investigated her but I see that both she and Joanna Gruesome have Boston dates in December.

That's bizarre! Same bill?

[Paulrus]

Purdy stuff. Gee, I wonder if she's ever heard any early Kate Bush.

[Troopers For Sound]

My copy should be dropping through the mailbox tomorrow hopefully...so I must resist the stream can't wait. Ys is an all time favourite for sure.

Matt.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Purdy stuff. Gee, I wonder if she's ever heard any early Kate Bush.

Newsom's favourite album is Stormcock by Roy Harper. She is influenced by, among others, Zeena Parkins, Anne Briggs and Violeta Parra. I hear preciously little Kate Bush in Ys, for instance. IMO this is still her finest outing by far.

I've only been to a Newsom gig once, and this was a solo performance here in Oslo back in 2005. The people there, including myself (who'd never heard much of her music before this), were absolutely spellbound - which is more than I can say for watching a Rick Clayderwake concert.

[Troopers For Sound]

Totally love this clip from a few years ago...there's some ridiculous independence going on between voice and hands here:

[mkeneally]

^^^

It's kind of terrifying, how good that is.

I think her voice is extraordinary, but I'm also one of the few, the proud, the people who think that Annette Peacock sounded super nifty on the "Feels Good To Me" album.

[Steve F.]

^ ^

I liked that clip a lot.

I think that Annette is one of the very things about FGTM

But, I don't normally dig Joanna's 'usual' voice and because of that, I'm not a fan.

[moecurlythanu]

A review, of sorts, of the new one: http://grantland.com/hollywood-prosp...joanna-newsom/

[ProgArtist]

I've heard a few tracks by her on community radio, and while i appreciate the talent, I really cannot get past her baby-girl vocal style,

Sad to say that Joanna's voice prevents me from being a fan. I saw her on TV one day and was blown away. Yeah, her voice was "different", but hey- I like "different" voices. I'm a big fan of Kate Bush, even when she's making donkey sounds ("Get Out of My House") or sounding like she's witnessing her husband's death ("Houdini"), so why not? I bought "Have One on Me" and gave it a number of spins (which is saying a lot considering it's 2 hours long). With each listen her voice grated on me more until I gave up. The pinched nasal sound she often ends words and phrases in and the sometimes exaggerated vibrato are bad enough, but the "baby-girl vocal style", as Bob put it, is the worst part to my ears. I wouldn't even bother commenting if I didn't feel she was talented, because she is very much so, so I'm very disappointed that I can't get past her vocals. I'll probably listen to the new album anyway (how could I not if she truly was inspired by "I Lost My Head"?!). Who knows, I might even listen to "Have One on Me" again tomorrow.

[Luckie]

I've heard a few tracks by her on community radio, and while i appreciate the talent, I really cannot get past her baby-girl vocal style,

Felt the same way and put her off for ages, but I'd liked what I heard of the music and lyrics so I eventually made a concerted effort to persist and listened to the first 3 albums repeatedly on headphones over a weekend, and then it all clicked. I think my younger self would have cottoned on a whole lot quicker.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Totally love this clip from a few years ago...there's some ridiculous independence going on between voice and hands here:

Damn. She's even more beautiful than I remembered. That doesn't happen a lot.

[Oreb]

She's bloody wonderful.

[helix]

Saw in Uncut magazine that "I Lost My Head" by Gentle Giant was one of the influential tracks she listened to while mixing this.

http://postimg.org/image/t7g51n3b1/

[schlep]

Absolutely looking forward to this, tomorrow evening! I've seen the two YouTube clips, but am holding off streaming or pre-listening. Enough to inform me that it's going to be good.
Silly, old school, I know - but I want to experience the whole thing as an album, with artwork, lyrics if included, on big f**k off speakers. On the same page with Pr33t re: her earlier albums, Ys has been the pinnacle so far.

[eadric]

She's very talented and makes some interesting records. Seen her live and enjoyed it. If I'm honest, it's not so much the sound of the vocals that puts me off, more that it somehow all feels a bit ... contrived? Same with the lyrics - it feels like someone trying really, really hard. I don't know if that's just because she *is* trying really hard, or if there's a specific feel she's aiming for and she's nailing it, but it ends up somehow lacking in warmth to my ears.

If this sounds like a dumb 'objection', don't worry, it sounds dumb to me too, and I wish I could get over it. I've liked what I've heard so far of the new one, though.

[ProgArtist]

Here's the link to the interview that includes "I Lost My Head" as one of her favorite songs from 1976:

http://www.vogue.com/8204763/inheren...m-1970s-songs/

[moecurlythanu]

She's very talented and makes some interesting records. Seen her live and enjoyed it. If I'm honest, it's not so much the sound of the vocals that puts me off, more that it somehow all feels a bit ... contrived?

Wow. I don't hear it that way at all. More like (if my memory of the article I linked to is correct) "sounding guileless and ancient at the same time."

[snowsnow]

Her voice is incredible - just not in a good way...