Joanna Newsom
Similarly to contemporaries like Antony & The Johnsons and Devendra Banhart, what strikes the listener when hearing Newsom for the first time is the voice. Like the aforementioned artists or even other's like Björk, it is utterly unique; others have and/or will try to imitate, but no one can ever equal the originals and Newsom is definitely an original. Sitting behind her huge harp (she is an accomplished player), the little girlish voice that comes out feels like it will be crushed under the weight of the instrument (and yes, I do realize that the sounds that come out of the harp sounds delicate from the start, so imagine the voice). But don't let my description and the whicker-basket folk imagery turn you off, Newsom isn't some sort of bland, new-age, overly-feminine pop artist. There's some underlying weirdness behind it all. On one song she might yelling at the top of her little lungs like a mad elf and on another one she could be pounding away on the harpsichord. It might take some adjusting, that voice isn't for everyone, but the music is as beautiful and magical as it can be and will please anyone with a soft spot for poetic folk pop.
The Milk-Eyed MenderLabel: Drag City Release: 2004 Format: CD Cat. no: DC263CD |
Song list: |
|
YsLabel: Drag City Release: 2006 Format: CD Cat. no: DC303CD |
Song list: |
|