Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me (RIP blogs)

I wish I liked this album half as much as everyone else.
Most of these new songs just aren't very good, imo. None of the (plentiful on Ys) revelatory climactic resolutions are there, save for a couple of songs (which sounded 1000x more affecting live anyway). Obviously a lot of thought & work has been put into this album, but I think the sparser arrangements/deliberate restraint only help reveal how brittle and deceitfully noneventful most of this whole thing really is.

A lot of the songs are actually musically really repetitive. It's seriously ten minutes of her doing variations on the same melody line. Yes it breathes more than Ys and she's (IMO) singing much better, and her lyrics and storytelling is pretty great, but musically and chordally these songs really drag and don't really do that much. Even when they crescendo they crescendo on the same chord progression and generally peter out on the same one too. It's not as EXHAUSTING as Ys, but it's also nowhere near as interesting. That said I find it infinitely more listenable but still something I'd never see myself reaching for much

lol

wow we got that wrapped up, what, 40 hours after it leaked?

you instant let-me-hold-forth guys ever take yr time with anything?

Fuck, I like "Good Intentions Paving Company." I think it could be a little shorter (around 4:00 it takes some of my breath away, but then there's still 3 minutes to go and it's a let-down waiting for it to end), but it's so pretty at moments that it even makes me forget how annoying her voice is. Particularly what she does at, "But I fell for you, honey, as easy as falling asleep," and, "It had a nice a ring to it / When the old opera house rang / So with a song I'm all ran / Signed, sealed, delivered I sang."

brb sean gramophone, questioning my worth as a human being

you instant let-me-hold-forth guys ever take yr time with anything?

― sean gramophone, Monday, February 22, 2010 1:14 AM Bookmark

That's what she said.

i'm waiting for the 2020 quadruple "deluxe edition" with previously unreleased bonus tracks.

The CD packaging is really cool. Its like a flip open (side spine) actual "box" a little under half an inch deep, then each disc is in its own sleeve and a pretty hefty book of liner notes and lyrics. The pictures on the sleeve covers and the lyric book certainly back up her emphasizing the "hot" Joanna Newsom. Black and white photos of her lounging on a chair wearing what sort of looks like a bathing suit with overall type straps over the shoulders.

This is the first time I'll be going to the record store the day of release in a while!

The store I stopped by this afternoon just happened to have it out already!

So anyone able to buy copies of this in Austin, TX yet?

i saw them at end of an ear on saturday

I wish more people respected the release date for the album of the year. Respect, respect!

i wonder if it will sound different if i wait til tomorrow to illegally download it

Thieves!

Why wait until tomorrow when you can do that today?

Have One On Me = I give you permission to download my record illegally

"... pretty hefty book of liner notes and lyrics"

rilly? the vinyl box has no notes, just lyrics and recording info.

Black and white photos of her lounging on a chair wearing what sort of looks like a bathing suit with overall type straps over the shoulders.

wait--i think you're confusing this with the new robert wyatt record.

velko otm

Analog recording + orchestra + 2 hours of music + cost of harp upkeep. Probably cost at least 50k to make. $25 for three vinyls.

+ couture!

haha

^ Likely comp'd, or discounted. At least, I hope so.

rilly? the vinyl box has no notes, just lyrics and recording info.

You are correct, I jumped the gun. Its all lyrics and recording info, just seemed like there had to be more to it than that. I forget how many words she crams into songs.

Andy Samberg 9.2!!!!!

Thing is, "Ys" had long songs, but it was 1 CD, so was digestible.

This is 3 CDs of long (and some not so long, heck one's short!) songs.

I haven't attempted it yet!

Mere hours before the record store opens.

i wish drag city would man the fuck up and let their stuff stream on lala or whatever

So anyone able to buy copies of this in Austin, TX yet?

― Moodles, Monday, February 22, 2010 4:33 PM (Yesterday)

i saw them at end of an ear on saturday

― city worker, Monday, February 22, 2010 4:38 PM (Yesterday)

I saw it there on Friday afternoon -- politely inquired that I didn't think it had been released yet, and they replied that they had heard otherwise from Drag City, and put it onto the shelves that day, so who knows...

I left all the copies there for you fans, btw.

The pictures on the sleeve covers and the lyric book certainly back up her emphasizing the "hot" Joanna Newsom. Black and white photos of her lounging on a chair wearing what sort of looks like a bathing suit with overall type straps over the shoulders.

This is sad, but was due to happen sooner or later, I suppose. Gotta inject something new into her image, it'd be impossible to keep up with the "Hipster Renaissance Fair" look of Ys forever...

i am playing hard to get and waiting til i can pick this up next week before listening, but the pitchfork review of it is great, so clear and devoid of cliche

This is sad,

why?

Visions of Joanna

i wish drag city would man the fuck up and let their stuff stream on lala or whatever

or emusic, even! I NEED THIS NEW TRIPLE-DISC FROM JOANNA NEWSOM.

This is sad,

why?

― by another name (amateurist), Tuesday, February 23, 2010 3:43 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark

innocent fairy prince sullied & sexualised by music business is certainly a trope on JN messageboards

Slightly off-topic, but I would suggest, with the best intentions, that naming shops that are perhaps selling things early is not always going to do them a good turn.

I know of specific instances where blog posts and message board chat has landed local independents round here in minor bother on such fronts.

Not that any shops would do such things, of course. Also, I genuinely don't know the specifics of the release date and Drag City and US indies communications in this case. It's more of a general point that I'm trying to raise.

so apparently after going massively out of the way to make sure it didn't leak they're releasing it ten days later in europe?

no wait just a week i suck at math

still kinda stupid imo

These CDs do not want to come out of the paper sleeves easily.

"On A Bad Day" -- thought that was a Daniel Powter cover for a moment

These CDs do not want to come out of the paper sleeves easily.

Take this as a sign, turn away before it is too late...

C -

Had to tag the first and third disc myself. iTunes was able to pull in the art. Genre: harpcore

are you liveblogging now

ksh: Listening to Joanna Newsom's new album so I don't have to!

j/k, I would love to see a liveblog of this though.

10:35 a.m., Feb. 23: The tears have begun to spill from my eyes as the wonder and magic envelops my soul