The Leader

Issue date: 11/8/06 Section: Music

There seems to be a recent trend in indie rock toward adding lush and elaborate accompaniments to otherwise sparsely-arranged songs. This isn't at all a bad thing when used carefully, having resulted in a number of amazing records in recent memory (ahem, Illinois). The Decemberists are guilty as charged; so is indie "it" boy Sufjan Stevens. Joanna Newsom can now be added to the illustrious list, with her new album, Ys, making use of a near-full orchestra, arranged by Van Dyke Parks, to complement her ambient harp and howling yelp.

Ys (pronounced "ees") is, in every way, the antithesis of Milk-Eyed Mender, with its 15-minute folk epics and lush, twirling strings. Newsom's preternatural connection with both European and American folk traditions is unique and fresh. Her intimidating vocabulary fuses Appalachian dialects with European balladry, which will no doubt garner comparisons to Colin Meloy. Instead, where Meloy can sometimes come off as indulgent and awkward in his writing, Newsom proves herself to be one of the best songwriters of the past decade, if not ever. Do not approach this album without a lyrics book.

This is an epic folk composition clocking in at nearly an hour with only five songs. Van Dyke Parks' breathtaking orchestral arrangements accentuate and flatter every trill of the harp and quaver in Newsom's voice, which sounds innocent and childlike, yet, still weary.

However, with Ys the most mesmerizing aspect of this album is not the intricate string arrangements or even Newsom's elfin croons and virtuoso harping, but the extremely dense and ultra-literate lyrics. Have a dictionary handy and put on some reading glasses, because Ys is something that should be read, as well as heard

"Emily" opens the album with a 12-minute, organic ballad that Newsom brilliantly illustrates with her lyrics, "Emily, I saw you last night by the river/ I dreamed you were skipping little stones across the surface of the water/ Frowning at the angle where they were lost/ And slipped under forever/ In a mud-cloud, mica-spangled/ Like the sky'd been breathing on a mirror." Gasp!

The second arrangement, "Monkey & Bear," is a heartbreakingly beautiful song that, with Newsom's vivid imagery and humor, could be made into a children's story. In it, a monkey and a bear escape from a life of being forced to perform, traveling through the countryside seeking happiness (omg, that's so cute!). At least, that's one of the many interpretations that could be applied to the prose that Newsom skillfully and generously weaves with metaphor. Her penchant for nuanced phrasings and metaphoric imagery makes translating a bit vague, but the story can be appreciated nonetheless, "They trooped past the guards/ Past the coops and the fields and the farmyards/ All night, till finally/ The space they gained grew/ Much farther than the stone that Bear threw/ To mark where they'd stopped for tea/ But walk a little faster/ And don't look backwards/ Your feast is to the East, which lies a little past the pasture."

As can be seen, this album does not skimp on the storytelling. Each song can only be done justice if given an adequate number of run-throughs.

Joanna Newsom's Ys is a masterfully crafted, transfixing work that is far too gorgeous to take in all at once. Only multiple listens will reveal the layer-upon-layer of brilliance and sheer talent that Newsom brings to it. Set a weekend aside and prepare to surrender to its sweet embrace.

4.5 of 5

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools