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Ys [Import]

Joanna Newsom Audio CD
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
Price: £10.02 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
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Image of album by Joanna Newsom

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Biography

Have you ever seen that movie The Village? Yeah, that’s how Joanna Newsom was discovered. She came out of a dark, impenetrable forest and was so clearly from another century, it was just spooky. Fortunately for all of us, this initial impression turned out to be a complete misunderstanding! Our Joanna is clearly from the 20th century, and today, just like the rest of us, she lives in the ... Read more in Amazon's Joanna Newsom Store

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Frequently Bought Together

Ys + The Milk-Eyed Mender + Have One On Me
Price For All Three: £37.07

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Product details

  • Audio CD (6 Nov 2006)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Format: Import
  • Label: Drag City
  • ASIN: B000I2K9M4
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 34,597 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. Emily12:08Album Only
Listen  2. Monkey & Bear 9:28£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  3. Sawdust & Diamonds 9:55£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  4. Only Skin16:53Album Only
Listen  5. Cosmia 7:16£0.89  Buy MP3 


Product Description

Amazon.co.uk

If the debut album from Joanna Newsom, 2004's The Milk-Eyed Mender, suggested there was no-one in music quite like this elfin San Franciscan harpist, its follow-up Ys sees that gulf of difference become a universe of possibilities. Recorded by veteran engineer Steve Albini, with strings from Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks and vocal contributions from Newsom's current beau, Bill Callahan of alternative country miserabilists Smog, Ys is an altogether bigger, broader, more fantastical and more ambitious offering than its predecessor.

Only five tracks long, songs unfurl into grandiose narratives embossed with trumpet, violins, oboe, and French horn. But what's truly impressive is Newsom's extraordinary sense of command. On "Emily", cutesy observations of birds taking flight ("the meadowlark and the chim-cho-ree") blossom out into tales of falling meteorites, muddy-mouthed baboons and nautical adventures. Meanwhile, on the extraordinary "Only Skin" (which approaches 20 minutes in length) Newsom's voice and plucked harp flourish in strange, complimentary patterns, her voice at times born up on dramatic trumpets and cooing oboes, or for one passage, shadowed by Callahan's cobwebbed croak. It is testing in length, difficult to dip into, and not for those allergic to flights of fancy -- but Ys is a magnificent achievement, one you suspect no one else on this planet could mimic, let alone challenge. -- Louis Pattison

Product Description

CD Prod.By Albini/O'Rourke & Arrangements By Van Dyke Park

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding...... 9 April 2007
By Mr. A. J. Whiteway VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
This is a fantastic album, a song-cycle comprimised of only 5 songs, but running in at about an hour.

I'm reluctant to even try to describe this album. I think the best example to use is what generally happens after you've listened to it - little melodies, a line perhaps, tend to stick in the mind and won't be uprooted until you've found a quiet place to stick the record on.

I say a quiet place, because the obvious flaw of the album (is it really a flaw though, or is it a sad indictment about music today?), is that it demands your full attention. There are narratives hidden within the songs that overlap with others. There are garnishes of wonderful orchestral backing, but on 'Sawdusts and Diamonds' Newsom's Harp is the only other instrument, save her curious and captivating voice. 'Only Skin' is the album's longest track, a wistful blend of key changes and bizarre instrumentation. Newsom's lyrics are often fragmentary and loose, but suit her style well. Part of the fun seems to be that meanings are difficult to come by, but you will always leave this album feeling more fufilled and just a little bit wiser than you did the last time you listened to it.
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68 of 77 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly original - a classic beyond doubt 16 Oct 2006
Format:Audio CD
There are some times that I think that I and many other reviewers on here are too free and easy in giving 5 stars to albums. The problem is that when something comes along that is absolutely outstanding then it is difficult to differentiate it from that which is merely VERY good. Joanna Newsom's 'Ys' (pronounced 'ees') is one of those works that comes along as rarely as a blue moon and is not merely excellent but is 'out of this world', an instant classic.

It's all too easy to bandy words like 'classic' around but do I mean it? The answer here is most definitely yes. This is a work that you would call genre-defining - if only it didn't completely defy genre. 'Ys' stands up there with other classic albums (White Album, Pet Sounds, Dark Side of the Moon) as being so original that nothing even remotely approaching it has been released before. This is heady company to keep, but I truly believe that this album belongs in such company. Believe me, this is an album that transcends anything else that you will hear all this year.

Saying all that, will it be successful? It is so original and beyond anything that you will hear anywhere else that it's hard to imagine that it'll get much airtime. The whole album consists of only 5 tracks, the shortest of which is over 7 minutes and the longest of which is nearly 17 minutes long. There is no guitar, there are no drums. Already you can tell that this isn't any ordinary album. The songs are all centred on Joanna Newsom's beautiful voice, harp and background orchestral arrangement.

First, the voice. Joanna Newsom has a distinctive voice, though there are obvious comparisons to Bjork (occasionally you hear Billie Holliday and Kate Bush coming through). She manages to sound child-like and ageless in one. Second, the harp playing. This is exquisite. Newsom's vocals and her harp playing perfectly match each other but at the same time seem sometimes to be doing battle with each other to see which leads. Third, the orchestral arrangement. Produced by Van Dyke Parks, the orchestral arrangements are always only in the background and so never overpower the singing and the harp. This is excellent in itself and the whole work has a very full sound.

Then there are the songs themselves. Lyrically there can be few albums that have ever bettered this. Each song is a story within itself. But the stories are written as poetry. The words are pure magic. Utterly evocative.

I played this three times yesterday and again this morning on the way to work. Incredibly my usual Monday morning angry mood completely dissipated whilst listening to this. I absolutely love it.

Saying all that - is it for everybody. I guess this might just pass over some completely. If you want immediacy then you might not like this. This is something to completely lose yourself in. Something that might take you time. However, this for me is as perfect as it gets. Listening to this is like emerging from early morning mist into a lucid blue sky. Fantastic music. (10/10)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A modern classic 10 Jan 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a concept album (or a 'song cycle' as the classical world would have it), meant to be heard from start to finish, 5 songs over 55 minutes. First spins of many including me (I'll never forget it!) have the listener thinking 'doesn't this crazy woman ever shut up!'

Then we start listening to the lyrics and reading the gilt-edged lyric booklet, laid out with such precision that you know it's made for reading. It becomes clear... this is poetry set to music, and is best approached in that way. Although some might dismiss Newsom as a fairy princess, yes the words can be mystical but they are articulate, earthy and deeply personal - the first song 'Emily' is a love letter to her astro-physicist sister and positively aches with love for Emily and their father. The orchestrations of the legendary Van Dyke Parks swell and surge brilliantly throughout most of the album.

Although initially this harpist/singer/songwriter was associated with the indie music world, she deserves to be heard by anyone interested in serious (i.e. classical) music. For my part I'm a Verdi and Beethoven obsessive, but it sure is good to be able to appreciate this living poetic musical marvel. I've had this album more than 4 years and it remains a compelling listen.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars Nearly tore my ears off.
I love music. I love lots of different types, styles, eras from across the globe. I don't like to be universally negative but here is my review. Read more
Published 1 month ago by P. N. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Product
I'm so pleased I bought this. This girl is so quirky, and listening to the CD is like going on an adventure. Brilliant!
Published 11 months ago by K. B. Barlow
1.0 out of 5 stars No "Smelly Cat"
Utterly disgusted by this offering. You'd think they would include the one song any of us have ever heard before.
Published 14 months ago by Ibbots
5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly Brilliant
I bought the album after one listen of Monkey & Bear one evening on Radio 6. My success rate at buying music 'on spec' like this is somewhere around the 30% mark. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2011 by Marc Jones
3.0 out of 5 stars What I imagined is better than what I heard
I've only just discovered Newsom and after listening to the track previews on Amazon I took the plunge and bought the CD. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2011 by ESP
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful! The woman, the harp and the artwork.
Well I waited with barely concealed excitement for this album to arrive on my doorstep and I wasn't disappointed. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2010 by Dragonqueen
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Loved it! Brilliant, imaginative and skillfully scored. Catchy melodies and interesting to listen to. Kate Bush with a harp!
Published on 5 Sep 2010 by Taggart
1.0 out of 5 stars Madness
Why so many five star reviews? It makes me laugh to read so many ways of covering up the fact that this gril cannot sing by describing her voice as 'distinctive', 'crazy',... Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2010 by Bear
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant album
This is one of those albums that took a bit of work before I got it. I liked it as soon as I heard it but now I absolutley love it. Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2010 by Michael tolley
1.0 out of 5 stars really lovely if she didn't sing
The cover is striking in a medieval/folksy way, the lyrics are interesting, the music is beautiful (though the harp wasn't as strong as I thought it would be), the voice is tragic. Read more
Published on 14 Dec 2009 by Kristie Macknight
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