New Joanna Newsom Album "Ys" Due Nov 14

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Huzzah.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 9 September 2006 02:07 (seventeen years ago) link

e. e. cummings like "Sun In My Mouth" or "Sonnets / Unrealities XI"??

The strings... man, it all comes across so piped after a while, less cinematic than just blandly romantic, the comment about the recording process upthread could well be the most OTM comment in this thread.

And hmmm "without coming off as self-consciously clever" Oh god, I wish that were true because I'm just finding it slightly amusing, but not actually very entertaining, or all that intellectually stimulating and certainly not a whole lot of fun.

― just say no to individuality (fandango), Saturday, 9 September 2006 02:25 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah but it's self-consciously clever as a postmodern method. There may be moments where it's overboard, but on the whole I actually think there's a kind of restraint to these narratives - I mean, they are after all sort of sketchy poetic stories. In any case, I don't find much of it pretentious at all and most of the writing to be serving the purpose of these very moving songs.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 9 September 2006 02:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Guys are suckers for baby talk lisping. Even if it's drawling about mooncalfs and spooky mountain folk.

Newsom's a harpy. Don't say I didn't warn you.

― Hot Hot Heat (Hot Hot Heat), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:17 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah thanks. Very insightful.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:26 (seventeen years ago) link

Well, she is a harpist, at least. I heard she actually talks like that, too.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:27 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost - I'm just not finding it moving enough. It feels very lite on that score. I HOPE something clicks (as I initially thought it was going to) because I genuinely admire her artistry and value the opinions of a lot of people who like her... but it's still stuck in this weird zone between some kind of straight-faced adult Jackanory and Victoria Williams for hipsters for me and add all that to the suffocatingly monotone orchestral paint job and well, I'll post again if I do change my mind but I'm doubting it happening now.

― just say no to individuality (fandango), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:30 (seventeen years ago) link

Do you have the lyrics or, if not, are you able to follow along w/ the narratives?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:32 (seventeen years ago) link

No need to get uppity, Tim. Just admit that you're hopelessly swayed by baby talk.

Correction. *Pretentious* baby talk.

― Hot Hot Heat (Hot Hot Heat), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:38 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh OK. Yeah, you were right.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:39 (seventeen years ago) link

I hate the album now and feel shame.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:41 (seventeen years ago) link

Well, little man, I'm sure that you'll earnestly express your feelings about the album on your music blog. And in at least 12 ILM threads. And however many other music forums you inhabit.

― Hot Hot Heat (Hot Hot Heat), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:46 (seventeen years ago) link

Ah, my nemesis...

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:47 (seventeen years ago) link

You wish. Ha!

― Hot Hot Heat (Hot Hot Heat), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:48 (seventeen years ago) link

WTF this is weird.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:51 (seventeen years ago) link

The truth is that I actually kind of like Tim. Deep down he's quite cuddly, in an anti-social record collector geek sort of way. You're a nice guy, Tim, so from now on I'm just going to be kind to you. Honestly.

― Hot Hot Heat (Hot Hot Heat), Saturday, 9 September 2006 03:54 (seventeen years ago) link

xposts - I'm able to follow the narratives pretty well without the lyric sheet I think, vocally she's quite clear, although it DEFINITELY takes more than a couple of plays for some meanings and a lot of her imagery to unravel & unpack properly. There are some lovely, lovely lines and sentiments in here (the one about clouds like breaking bread especially) and yet...

It's not that I have a low attention span it's just that I begin to stop caring after too long. Monkey and Bear makes me wince too, despite having some of the most engaging and vivid language on here late in that track, overall I find it kind of embarrasing, but then I'm not one for prog much tbh.

If there's an ongoing story running through the whole record I haven't quite worked it out so far though.

― just say no to individuality (fandango), Saturday, 9 September 2006 04:08 (seventeen years ago) link

More listens definitely, when I can face the prospect. I might have to give "The Drift" another go first though ;-)

― just say no to individuality (fandango), Saturday, 9 September 2006 04:10 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.suburbanjungle.com/images/proud_furry_huge.gif

― señor citizen (eman), Saturday, 9 September 2006 04:14 (seventeen years ago) link

Someone's attempted a lyric sheet for the album already, complete with Wikipedia entries for the "difficult" words:

http://www.fromamouth.com/milkymoon/lyrics.htm

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Saturday, 9 September 2006 06:13 (seventeen years ago) link

That site's had the lyrics up since she started playing the songs live, almost a year now.

― Edward III (edward iii), Saturday, 9 September 2006 16:22 (seventeen years ago) link

you caught some small death when you were sleepwalking

does this mean what i think it does?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 9 September 2006 16:29 (seventeen years ago) link

It sure does. Now I'll give you 3 guesses what "in my doorway we shucked and jived" means.

― Edward III (edward iii), Saturday, 9 September 2006 16:35 (seventeen years ago) link

"Dumbstruck" would be a good way of describing my reaction to this album. Maybe "awestruck."

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 10 September 2006 07:08 (seventeen years ago) link

AND BTW FWIW FUCKING "ORGONEGIRL"/FUCKING "HOT HOT HEAT" - AND OH YOU'RE GOING TO BE NICE TO ME NOW GEE THANKS - I AGREE WITH MY MAN TONY RETTMAN IN HIS BLOG SCHPIEL RIGHT HERE ABOUT PLZ DONOT FUCKING CHARACTERIZE MOIS AS DORK/GEEK JUST CUZ I HAPPEN TO BE A MUSICIAN/CRITIC/SCHOLAR WHEN YOU DONOT EVEN KNOW ME.......TAKE THAT ONE TO THE BANK FULE.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 10 September 2006 19:39 (seventeen years ago) link

(well, I agree w/ the spirit of tony's post if not some of the particulars anyway...)

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 10 September 2006 19:42 (seventeen years ago) link

Music blog writer deferring to (and plugging) someone else's music blog in order to "explain" his true personality = DORK/GEEK x INFINITY

CRITIC/SCHOLAR? More like a HYPE MACHINE.

Actually, Tim, we did once meet at La Mesa. Granted, I don't "know" you, but the consensus was that your sexist cracks and "wigga" jokes didn't exactly endure you to anyone.

― Hot Hot Heat (Hot Hot Heat), Sunday, 10 September 2006 20:33 (seventeen years ago) link

You've lost me w/ the latter part of your retort - no idea who you are or to what you are referring. Stop the slander.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 10 September 2006 20:56 (seventeen years ago) link

I am a quiet person with a progressive sociopolitical outlook. : (

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 10 September 2006 21:03 (seventeen years ago) link

Hot Hot Heat, take it to the noise board.

― just say no to individuality (fandango), Sunday, 10 September 2006 21:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Turangalila you're not making sense of Rihm's music. Collagists aren't usually academics (= or dry)* about their music. Did you just google quotes about him using 12-tone music? First of all, the list of composer Rihm was bracketed with is totally fine. Secondly, I've also read (and it certainly sound like that) that he doesn't adhere to a strict system and uses whatever he wants. He does place 'riffs' from one piece to another so there is the collagist side to him, but having multiple approaches, unlike Boulez or Carter, doesn't sound bad at all.

*of course academics/freelancers is only a job description, it doesn't say anything about the quality of the music that has been written.

― xyzzzz__ (jdesouza), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:43 (seventeen years ago) link

I take my hat off to VDP for orchestrating 12 mins of a 'meandering' song, presumably listening to it over and over and fitting in bits all the way through it.

At least we get to listen to the finished product and decide it's tough going. Must have been a buggr to transcribe!

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:51 (seventeen years ago) link

Julio, I admit my ignorance on most of Rihm's music, so yes, I googled about him to corroborate my own impression about what I heard years ago. Secondly, I never used any of his characteristics to denote anything about the quality of his music. I only said it sounded dull and humorless. Third, I specified he didn't adhere to a strict 12-tone system, but who does anymore, really? Strict is out of fashion.

But, yeah if rubbing in your "superior" knowledge on the subject in a cocky way (and completely missing my point in the process) makes you feel any better about yourself, go ahead.

― Turangalila (Salvador), Monday, 11 September 2006 08:57 (seventeen years ago) link

Sorry if thats the way it came across I just wanted some clarification bcz I wasn't sure what yr point on his music, actually, apart from the bad humour and that he ws just plain bad. Its hard to tell about that quality of his music, from what I've heard (and he has composed far too much). I never feel he is trying to make you laugh or smugly smirk or anything like that.

― xyzzzz__ (jdesouza), Monday, 11 September 2006 09:05 (seventeen years ago) link

The lyrics are all in the, er, lyric booklet funnily enough, I'd have transcribed them myself if someone asked nicely. OK, and paypalled me a load of money

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Monday, 11 September 2006 09:42 (seventeen years ago) link

I listened to this while driving to the airport in the rain yesterday morning, and it sounded splendid.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 11 September 2006 13:47 (seventeen years ago) link

CRITIC/SCHOLAR? More like a HYPE MACHINE.

Album of the Decade

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 17 September 2006 17:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Which decade?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 17 September 2006 17:56 (seventeen years ago) link

you caught some small death when you were sleepwalking
does this mean what i think it does?
-- Amateur(ist) (amateurist@gmail.com) (webmail), September 9th, 2006 5:29 PM. (Amateur(ist)) (link)
It sure does.

-- Edward III (ehonaue...) (webmail), September 9th, 2006 5:35 PM. (edward iii)(link)

I'm not so sure...

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 17 September 2006 18:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Just got this in the post, it's basically the best thing ever to happen to music.

― Nedpoleon (NedBeauman), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 14:47 (seventeen years ago) link

i can't figure out that "you caught some small death when you were sleepwalking" line either.

― spastic heritage (spastic heritage), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 15:41 (seventeen years ago) link

Edward has it all figured out. Just ask him.

― cosmo vitelli (cosmo vitelli), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 15:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Small death = orgasm

― Am I Re-elected Yet? (Dada), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 15:52 (seventeen years ago) link

right but i don't know if it means nocturnal emission. the character is a "sleeper" - he was sleepwalking into...

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 15:55 (seventeen years ago) link

stumbled into his fate, i guess. have to look again.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 15:56 (seventeen years ago) link

I love this more the more I listen to it.

In order of preference:

1) Only Skin ("though we felt the spray of the waves / we decided to stay till the tide rose too far")
2) Cosmia
3) Emily
4) Monkey & Bear
...
5) Sawdust & Diamonds

Yeah, I always skip S&D.

― Turangalila (Salvador), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 17:37 (seventeen years ago) link

i cant believe this thread has stayed dead so long (even though I know the album comes out in November officially)...first five listens I took sparely, didn't give much attention, wrote it off as nothing special...50 listens in and its mesmerizing, the best album of its kind (and by that I dont mean "chick with a harp", I mean more singer-songwriter) of the year...no hyperbole...I've never heard someone cycle and evolve songs so effortlessly, they are all treasures (cant see how someone who likes 1,2,4 and 5 couldnt like 3...the best I agree is Only Skin (all 16+ minutes of it)...is that Bill Callahan on backup? or Will Oldham (less likely), maybe Vedder (as on Cat Power)? Van Dyke Sparks perfectly accentuates the mood, I love the subtle touches from JIM O'Rourke (I think I hear a digeradoo somwhere?)...Albini's presence is less obvious because there's no drums or loud guitars, but damn, that harp sounds heavenly

― Space Is the Place (Space Is the Place), Saturday, 30 September 2006 20:25 (seventeen years ago) link

woops...all it took was Wikipedia to show me that the backup vocals are indeed Bill Callahan (brilliantly, slightly off-beat)

― Space Is the Place (Space Is the Place), Saturday, 30 September 2006 20:29 (seventeen years ago) link

and yaa, Dyke Van Parks, dont type drunk folks

― Space Is the Place (Space Is the Place), Saturday, 30 September 2006 20:30 (seventeen years ago) link

or van dyke parks if ya like

― Space Is the Place (Space Is the Place), Saturday, 30 September 2006 20:48 (seventeen years ago) link

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