The Joanna Newsom phenomenon has very possibly passed many people by.
After all, her main instrument is a harp, her voice is best compared with Bjork, her music contains no obvious hooks or choruses and the shortest tracks are 6 minutes long. Not exactly a crowd-pleaser.
And yet, and yet… Joanna Newsom’s first two albums Milk-Eyed Mender and Ys were critically acclaimed as being some of the most adventurous and mind-bending of the last 10 years.
And now she’s back with Have One On Me. Fans will be very happy to hear that this is a triple album – as packed full of edgy melodies and poetic lyrics as ever.
What’s more, whether it’s due to the toning down of the squeaky voice, this is possibly her most accessible record yet.
Along with her trademark harp, there’s also accompaniment from piano, violin, lute and mandolin – among other instruments – which overall seems to make everything a lot richer than previous records.
But don’t go expecting any top 10 singles – this is still typical Joanna Newsom. Slightly discordant and not something you’d put on as pleasing background music. it’s an album that demands close listening if you want genuine reward.
It’s released on Monday 1 March, but you can hear it first on NPR for nothing if you want to find out if you like it.
– Found via @euzie
