Ys

God help me, I tried for three tracks but I just can't. I'm not going to be mean about this. I'm not going to say there are parts where she sounds like Carol Kane impersonating Regina Spektor. I'm not going to say that the lyrics sound like a rough draft of Jewel's middle school poetry. I won't say this sounds like a bad acid trip at a small-town Renaissance Faire. I won't mention my confusion that her voice is so raspy yet high that it sounds like she's sucking helium through a lit cigarette. I tried, but I just can't make sense of this.

Wish.com Bjork. Possibly the worst album I’ve ever heard.

This album is quite astounding. Very ambitious but she achieves what she aims for. I may even go so far as to call this album "visionary," which is a rare thing indeed. I am consistently disappointed by how the users on this 1001 generator website rate great, unorthodox albums; people here have an enormous bias against anything unconventional. I much prefer RYM users in this regard: even if they are more snobby, they are better able to appreciate the weird albums too.

Fuck, I really like this, and I was not expecting that AT ALL. I mean, five songs all longer than what I consider casually listenable? Seems like something I'm destined to be annoyed or at least bored with, but I really adored this. Firstly, it's gorgeous both musically and lyrically, with the strings really meshing well with the weirder choices such as a mouth harp and banjo. In that way it reminds me of a Leonard Cohen album, but I'd say the lyrics are far more abstract than Cohen's works, but it still really works. I like that there s no regular song structure yet it returns to the same line every few minutes to bring the song into its own orbit and not let it stray too far outwards and become a mess. I don't know if I'll go out of my way to listen to most of these songs separately due to their length, but as a whole album this is certainly up there as something great. I will admit her vocals remind me a little bit of whoever sings "Dance Monkey", but not really annoyed at it here. Then again, I never found the vocals on that track too annoying either, so perhaps I'm the one broken. Any way, amazing album, truly unexpected.

Oh my god she never shuts up. 2/5

this has less than a 3 on here... didn't know they let the deaf use this website

I’m mad I had to listen to this

Just when you think each song is about to end... you get 6 more minutes of 2-star music.

The strengths of this album (originality, ambition, storytelling, cool chamber music vibe, cohesion) are outweighed by the weaknesses (vocals, length of the songs, wandering song structure). It's interesting, I almost enjoyed it in places, and I can see a place for it on this list. But personally, overall, not for me.

Friends are supposed to help keep you making a fool of yourself. This woman has no friends.

"Come on home, the poppies are all grown knee-deep by now Blossoms all have fallen, and the pollen ruins the plow Peonies nod in the breeze and while they wetly bow with Hydrocephalitic listlessness ants mop up their brow" Maybe it's all the harps, but I'm pretty convinced that Joanna Newsom is an angel. No human person could fit the phrase "hydrocephalitic listlessness" into a musical phrase so beautifully. This music is sent from somewhere divine. A friend put Newsom's Peach, Plum, Pear from her first album on a mixed CD for me many years ago and I was entranced with its harpsichord and the first lines: "We speak in the store I'm a sensitive bore You seem markedly more And I'm oozing surprise." The Milk-Eyed Mender became one of my favorite albums, so lovely it nearly breaks my heart. Ys is a harder album to digest. Tracks are long. So are the words. Deep listening is rewarded again and again. This isn't music meant for the background. But still heart-achingly beautiful and holy.

I bet Andy Sandberg is hony for harp music.

Ok so the background music was awesome, but I could not do her voice. Whenever she hit a high shift and squeaked it actually hurt.

one of the best rap albums i’ve ever heard

This. Is. A. Vibe. Gentle and touching and weird and whimsical. A beautiful record. Rating: 5/5 Playlist track: Cosmia Date listened: 30/11/23

I've given Joanna Newsom a listen before but didn't like it. Maybe that's changed, I dunno. Oh no, no, noooo. That voice is too much for me. She can sing really well but there's this horrid inflection in some words that makes me wince. Plus a lot of the time the singing had almost zero connection to what was going on behind it - no doubt the point, but no thanks. The music itself was like jazzy renaissance fair stuff, but with the voice added in it had an odd country flavour. This was a struggle. 2/5.

This is an incredible album. The musicianship and songwriting is just on another level. I have always liked Joanna Newsom but hadn't listened to this album in a while. It got me hooked again. I listened to this one all the way through multiple times today and then moved on to listen to "Have One On Me" for the rest of my work day. I'll probably listen to "Divers" all day tomorrow. It's a 5/5. Standout Tracks: Emily, Monkey & Bear, Sawdust & Diamonds, Only Skin, Cosmia

Incredibly unique. I'll probably need another listen while reading along with the lyrics to fully appreciate it. Orchestral folk, but I like the terms "prog folk" and "freak folk" to describe it. Not my cup o' tea musically, but maybe I'll give it another shot.

The people who suggest they like her apparently only do so in an attempt to appear interesting. They're not interesting. Neither is Joanna Newsom. We already have Björk, who's mastered whatever this genre is and has proved no one else should even try it. Not for nothing, but I'm sure that Icelandic Princess Björk and I would get along famously. Joanna Newsom seems like someone who wouldn't put up with any of my shit.

The most wonderful fever dream

This first day I listened to this album, I ended up listening to Joanna Newsom’s entire discography. This album is absurdly beautiful. The instrumentation, arrangement, and Van Dyke Parks’ production is truly stunning. Newsom’s lyrics span mythology, allegory, and mythologized scenes from her life and childhood. Though this album is five songs and almost an hour long, the songs never overstay their welcome and are engaging to the end. Joanna Newsom is perhaps my favorite current songwriter and I find her talent staggering.

pretentious, artsy nonsense

Jesus christ this is effing terrible. I wish I could give negative stars.

Opening the first track and playing the first 5 seconds... *extreme wince face*... Oh man, this is going to be an experience. Her singing voice is really bad. Like, really bad. And not just her voice, but the performance of it. It's like she's role-playing a crone from Macbeth at times, and other times as some kind of woodland nymph, caught up in a state of perpetual wonder at the natural world. The music around her is all dis-jointed and awkward. She occasionally juts in with this extreme shrill tone, and it would always make me jolt back in an alarmed manner. I might actually quite dig some of the music if it wasn't accompanied by such an awful performance. But let's be honest, most of it sounds like cringey, medieval minstrel music, with artsy-fartsy poetic lyrics that are WAY too earnest. I don't just dislike this, it makes me really annoyed. Awful.

This was my introduction to Joanna Newsom. I think I need to spend a bit more time with it to fully absorb her music. I especially loved the orchestra arrangements with the marvelous harp. I was a little less enamored, but very much intrigued, by her vocals and wandering lyrics. Maybe a little Björk mixed with Blossom Dearie? I just can't say I loved this, but I really would like to try it again sometime.

yikes

Nope.

Someone here said she's Wish.com Bjork and now I can't unsee/unhear it. Good god "Y" did this make the list? Horrid singing and just droning on and on about nothing. 2/10.

"She sounds like Lisa Simpson." I'm playing Milk Eyed Mender for my college roommate. Scratch that: I've hijacked a bedroom at the party to play Joanna Newsom for several nonplussed people circled on the carpet, including my roommate, who has eviscerated her by comparing her voice to Lisa Simpson's. This will always hang over my relationship with Joanna Newsom's music, and my total lack of surprise at the sub-3 average rating for this album (does anyone else consider 3 the turning point for average ratings here? Anything below feels like an insult, anything above feels like universal acceptance). I've gotten into it before, but I was heavily alienated by my college experience: mix up some culture clash with self-doubt and mix in the late-teens impatience to Become the adult I'm still working at being twenty years later, and you get one unhappy camper. I dove deep into music; while my socal peers were deep into dance-rock (your Bloc Party's, your The Faints, your Arctic Monkeys), I was falling headfirst into Freak Folk. Joanna Newsom was the woodsy poet who proudly kept some Yes and Gong records on the shelf. Lyrics were especially important to Young Me, and Joanna had lyrics for days. I carried Ys with me everywhere for the coming year: walking a California-winter college campus, flying back to Arizona for Thanksgiving and Christmas, temping for a loan company in rural Arizona for all of January, then zigzagging over Europe for four months as I studied abroad solely for an excuse to not be in California for that time, all of it culminating in my first long-term relationship with someone whose parents were mysteriously connected enough to obtain two tickets to Joanna's sold-out show at Walt Disney Concert hall in fall '07. This album is inextricable from my experiences. It's a bit of a shame none of her music is on Spotify; I'm sure more people could benefit from accessing it more easily. It's kept me away, as well; I don't have it on vinyl (I will rectify this soon) so my only copies live on my laptop and ipod. It's probably been a decade since I've listened to Ys. But from "the meadowlark" on, I'm tuned back into a complex yet completely familiar part of myself. The music has so many nooks and crannies, touches and flourishes which I can nestle into like the couch in my childhood home. I can't speak to this music from an objective place. But I sure hope that if I heard it for the first time today I'd take pause. That I'd come back to the person who used to sit for a moment as the final track ended, and then press play on track one once more.

Surprised by the low ratings. This thing is a journey, a sublime masterpiece. Full marks

I totally understand Samberg. Had I met Joanna Newsom the same year this was release I would have fallen in love too. Ys is uniquely complex, fragile and beautiful. It’s like nothing else. A rare work of utter brilliance. I don’t think there’s ever a time when I’m not in the mood for this.

Unlike anyone else

4.0 + "Emily" encapsulates all that is amazing on this record. Newsom's combination of harp and vaudeville-styled vocals are among the most unique in music, and the lyrics evoke images from nursery rhymes, ancient myths, as well as a childlike fascination with the cosmos. The rhythms and tones morph constantly, creating strange and exciting landscapes. This records offers up a feast for the senses, though perhaps one that's best consumed in small bites.

I’ve had this remarkable album for almost two decades and I still don’t know what to do with it. Too intense to stay in the background, over a close listen it demands a commitment to its convolutions that I’m unwilling to give. It’s loaded with imagery and analogy that I’m too knackered to decipher, and while it sounds gorgeous and close (requiscat, Albini) and its intricate movements are dynamic, for anything to linger I’d have to march through it… well, I haven’t marched through it enough times yet. I like this record, but “it’s complicated”.

The way she sings is quite similar to Björk, and I really like Björk but in this instance I feel like it's detracting from the music immensely. I really like this project except for her vocals. It's a shame.

Típic disc que encanta a la crítica, per la seva valentia, el seu so, la seva imatge. I és cert: és un treball valent, amb només cinc llarg temes, amb l'arpa i la veu de Newsom com a protagonistes; amb un so diferent i molt propi, encerclat en la corrent de l'alt-folk que tan en boga estava en aquells anys. I amb una imatge exquisida, com una guapa joglar medieval recent aterrada en els nostres dies. El contingut, però, no està a l'alçada de tot el que l'envolta

OMG! The first singing notes caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up, and not in a good way. MAKE IT STOP!

If a whiny Alvin the chipmunk had tried to record an arthouse album. Zero stars. This is just bad luck that this album came a day after I had to sit through a Joni Mitchell crap-fest.

Goodness sakes what a horrible album. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a worst vocalist. This album seemed like a mashup the chipmunks & other cartoon characters singing.

1.5 I really try to be mindful and open to new music that’s very much outside of my normal wheelhouse… but Jesus, what was this? Yoko Ono presents Snow White? As someone who has never been to a ren faire before, this may have single-handedly convinced me to keep it that way. Ok, this album admittedly has a lot of lush instrumentation to it and is produced incredibly well. Hell, if it was an instrumental album, I actually may have mildly enjoyed it (how often do you hear me say that?) - but holy cow, I find Joanna’s vocals unbearable. Look, I’m normally one of the first pretentious a-holes to praise unconventional vocalists - I genuinely think there’s a unique sense of beauty and identity in imperfection - but my God, this made me want to pour bleach down my ears. Before anyone writes me off as having not given this a proper chance, I listened to this four times, each time dreading the next listen more than last. I’ll give credit to this album for certainly being a unique release for 2006 and for the sense of tranquilness to its instrumentation, but it ain’t for me - feels more like a thing for theatre kids. Or Andy Samberg I guess.

Surprising that this is a mid 00's album and not an early 70's or late 60's album. It sounds like it would fit in much better with the psychedelia movement at that time. That said, it doesn't offer much of a new spin on that movement either, so I can't understand why this is even only the list. Perhaps it's noteworthy for reviving interest in a genre that was last popular before many listener were born. Musically, the album may be nuanced, but ultimately, it sounds pretty contrived. The swings in volume make Newsom's singing sound grating, occasional squeakiness in her voice really doesn't help either. The album would probably also have benefitted from fuller sounding instrumentation. All in all, a very unpleasant listening experience. I didn't finish it.

Was initially interested that she was a harpist, thinking this would be some nice soothing music to put on and chill. Instead what I heard was shrill wailing that was like nails on a chalkboard. I saw one review say she is the “wish.com Bjork” and funnily enough it’s pretty accurate. Her music does grow on you a bit but there is almost no chance I’ll give it any more than the time already given to her. 1.5/5 as it’s not the absolute worst thing I’ve heard. Annoyed at first that this wasn’t on Spotify but found on YouTube. Now I’m glad it’s not on Spotify so I don’t have a song to add to my 1001 playlist.

Forget the rack, the Scavenger's Daughter and the manacles if the tower of London had this they would have had way better success torturing people. She can play but her voice makes me want to confess to heresy.

Awesome folk album

Loved it, start to finish

One of the oddest (in an amazingly good way) artists out there today

I may have heard 𝘰𝘧 Joanna Newson, and filed her under some indie critics' darling, I think?, but never her music. So glad this changed today. Whoa. Never expected anything like this. What is it even? In the lineage of Kate Bush and circa Tori Amos, but Folk Prog? Whatever the possible label, this is gorgeous, simply wonderful. This is: I need to visit my record dealer tomorrow and see if he has this. Because I will need to listen to it a lot more in the future, all of the future (not willing to release on Spotify is an extra 0.5 rating points these days). And wrap myself in it. Notwithstanding some weird squeaks in the otherwise enchanting singing performance (or whatever happens in the first note of "Only Skin"?), the sum of it all might be the finest and most important album this side of the year 2000 the generator has introduced me to. I love this.

I have no clue how someone could conceptualize this album in 2006 as a 24 year old because it sounds like it's from the 1500's and we're on a pirate ship sailing the seas. There is such an incredible whimsical approach with lyrics that are more similar to Ye Olde English than anything we typically hear today. Her metaphors and analogies are so unusual that it makes it difficult to keep up with what the heck is going on in any of the 10+minute songs. Use of vocabulary is exceptional because it's just so out of place for today. This really is musical poetry and each time I hear an unusual analogy, I have to go back and try and figure it out. Like in Monkey & Bear, when the bear is frolicking in the sea and the bear's shedding it's clothes, which "fell off as easy as if sloughed from boiled tomatoes". Ok it's easy when it's written, but when you randomly hear her talking about boiled tomatoes in a song, you wonder how we got here. Also, she plays the harp. WHAT?! Honestly it seems unfair to have this album on a list with some of the more vapid, well known singers. Popular singers certainly have more public sway, but in terms of true artistic ability and value, I find this album on a completely higher plane.

Wonderfully unique. It's not the most accessible album but clearly a masterpiece. Newsom has an unusual singing voice that would be grating were the compositions weaker, but they are perfect for the dreamlike fantasy atmosphere that the whole album gives off. Also, why don't we hear more harp in popular music? It's superb here. One of the best things about this album is the production. Steve Albini is one of the best producers out there, but this might be his best work. Honestly might be the best produced album I've ever heard. It really allows Newsom's vocals to shine. As a huge fan of prog rock, I was curious what progressive folk would be like. Turns out I love it. I hope it's not that unique, so I can find more like this.

THIS WAS SO GOOD WHAT PUT THIS ON STREAMING NOW SO I CAN PLAY IT ALL THE TIME

-absolutely mind-blowing work of art. this album hits like a truck every time -Joanna Newsom is a strong contender for one of my favorite lyricists of all time, and it’s exemplified here perfectly. and the fucking harps and orchestra?? incredible. such an ambitious album but pulled off perfectly, has moved me to tears a few times -Favorites are Emily, Monkey and Bear, and Sawdust and Diamonds

I love this album so much i wish i could live in it.

This average rating here is criminal, do you people just not like music? One of the most original and beautiful hour of music you'll hear in your life right here. 'Sawdust & Diamonds' and 'Cosmia' are like an out of body experience every time.

Oddly affecting

“Does that mean it’s more whimsical? Is it any more whimsical?” “Well, it’s one more whimsical, isn’t it? It’s not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten...Where can you go from there? Where?” “Why don’t you make ten a little more whimsical? Make that the top number and make that a little whimsier?” “These go to eleven.” But I fucking loved it.

fuck dude, I reaaaally want to give this a 10/10 I love almost everything about this; the instrumental arrange is simply divine, and the songs are all so well written what’s really driving me crazy is her voice I am NOT a fan of how she sings it’s like if Bjork was a ukulele girl, it’s painfully annoying I was thinking of giving this an 8/10, but again, these songs are so damn good I’ll give it a 9/10 maybe on a relisten it’ll be a full 10/10, but for right now, those vocals are just driving me crazy

Adele if she was good

4/5. This one really struck a chord with me. Newsom's voice has a unique quality to it.

I wasn’t really looking forward to this when it popped up with just 5 tracks coming in at nearly an hour but it was something of a revelation. Slow and ever developing prog-folk and baroque pop weaves a tapestry of wonderful music that reminded me of someone like The Mummers whose music also enraptured me from the very beginning. With tracks ranging from 7 to 17 minutes it’s not one you can just pop on and listen to in the background; it demands attention but rewards you for it. I’ll be returning to this and her for sure!

Listens: 3 Standout tracks: Emily, Bear and Monkey Well this is certainly unique and off the beaten trail from what you normally get from the List. "Baroque Showtunes" , with a orchestral quality, steeped in heavy metaphoric, symbolic, poem-style lyrics, with a great use of harp and other string instruments. It's wild this was produced in 2006. I really liked this. It's clear Joanna really poured her soul into this album. I enjoy how her voice squeaks or cracks at the high notes and beginnings of stanzas. There's something about the quality of her voice that I cant quite place, someone she sounds like (or someone who sounds like her).

I somehow never sat down and listened to a whole album by Joanna before today. I can't believe what I've been missing. This album is magical. Thanks for the recommendation.

"Ys" is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom. Progressive folk, indie rock, baroque pop, avant pop and indie rock are the Wiki-listed genres. Yes, I guess...more on that later. The album has five tracks, which deal with events and people in Newsom's life including a sudden death of a best friend, a continuing illness and a tumultuous relationship. Newsom has also stated that Roy Harper's "Stormcock" was an inspiration for the album. The album was produced by Newsom and Van Dyke Parks. Bandmembers included Newsom (harp, vocals, pedal harp), Lee Sklar (bass), Grant Geissman (guitar), Donna Heffington (percussion), Matt Cartsonis (banjo, mandolin), Van Dyke Parks (accordion) and Terry Schonig (marimba, cymbalom). The album had universal acclaim and, commercially, hit #134 in the US and #41 in the UK. "Emily" begins the album. Strings and harp accompany Newsom's voice. It's a song about her sister, Emily, and their differences. The sky, meteors and light are used to help describe the differences. The production sounds like it was recorded in the 1930's/1940's. I kind of like that. A flute is added to "Monkey & Bear. It's a story about the exploitation of the bear by the monkey and, in song bigger sense, about the desire for freedom and the consequence of escape and the illusion of liberty. In "Only Skin," Newsom's voice sounds like Kate Bush. This story involves a soldier and a female character (lover/Mother) who tries to heal his damages but can't. This album can best be described as Newsom's personal poetry reading accompanied by music that is primarily a harp, strings, and other mostly acoustic instruments. I guess that puts it in s folk category of sorts. The stories are allegories to bigger and more personal meanings. The music is sparse but accentuates the lyrics appropriately. This is not an album that you can play in the background and hope that you like it; it requires some work listening but the reward is there with her intricate stories and larger meanings. An album that is not for everyone but poetry, folk or any music fans can find this to be quite an album. I eventually did.

I really don't know how to feel about this

Another 2000's darling gathering dust on my flash drive. I think I forced myself through it once when it came out, did not know Albini engineered it! Surprised me how enjoyable this was today, sharp and tuneful although undeniably flighty and precious. Decent result overall; kids hate it, of course, condemned as a deranged Disney soundtrack

I don’t think it works for me

This was a fairly annoying listen, not least of which is that it’s not on Spotify. Besides that, her voice is extremely annoying, despite good music and lyrics.

Oh I don't know It's really good, it's also really bad Just when you start liking it it smacks you in the ear with a rubbish section Songs are too long which may be the tipping point for me into not listening to it again

Vocals range from “charming” to “annoying,” often during the same line. Instrumentation is not for everyone, including me. I tried liking this, but just couldn’t.

I found Joanna's singing to be disagreeable. Not a fan.

I can certainly see the appeal and the reason that this album is on this list. However, I personally did not like this album at all. Listening feels like biting into a juicy, ripe fruit with a flavor that I just don’t like. The album meanders along like a butterfly flapping through a garden, jerking in the wind to whichever direction it feels, occasionally stopping on a bright and beautiful flower. And while this would be a sight to behold for some, I personally don’t belong in this metaphorical garden ogling at the beauty of nature (I’d be something like a caveman doing brute, monotonous tasks in the metaphorical Yeezus world). All things considered, it’s probably objectively a 4, personally a 2, and -1 for not being on Spotify, so giving it a 2

disjointed and she sings in cursive.

Horrible I simply hated it music cool back in the 1700s. Should never be mear a lost like this.

even the lyrics were boring

0.5 couldnt make it through but i gave it some credit for creativity. Her voice was just too grating

Yea......so my coworker walks in for some information, hears this and asks if I'm listening to cartoons. I wish I was. This is not for me. Quite a tough listen. Best part of the album is seeing the song titled Emily. We love Emily and can't wait to be introduced to her first child soon. Shout out to Emily and Aaron. All I got for for this.

Keep giving me songs not available in US on Spotify. Had to listen on YouTube. Amazing album — I had heard of her but hadn’t heard her music. Reminded me of an Appalachian Bjork. Have a feeling music will grow on me.

I’m given 5 points of bardic inspiration from listening to this, so i provide 5 stars. I get why so many people hate on this album, it’s really not easy to get through to the meaning of these lyrics, and the groove is sometimes best described as medieval. But by the meadowlarks and monkeys and stuff, there isn’t anything else like this music. The melodies are haunting and happy and sad and exciting throughout. I have no clue how Joanna can perform any of these epic poems live and remember all the lyrics and stories and interwoven metaphors. It’s dense, it’s unusual, but it’s 110% worth sticking with and giving a chance.

A wonderful surprise. I vaguely knew Newsom as a parodied, warbly hippy type, and was expecting some sub-Joni Mitchell guff, but this is an astonishing puece of work. Her voice is unique, and the song structures are more sound poems than obvious verse/chorus/verse, but its incredibly evocative, the orchestration is lush, the songs switch between cute, gritty, playful, powerful and heartfelt like a leaf blowing in the breeze. An unusual combination of something that hits you immediately but also makes it clear there are depths to be uncovered on multiple listens. Instant 5.

One of my all time favorites! I saw her perform it live following the release at the 400 bar.

What an amazing voice, the only other singer I could see a comparison with would be Bjork. I enjoyed the musical through lines of the music in all the songs like it was chapters in a book but with the same characters.

Très cool, entre The Do et Regina Spektor, 2 ambiances que j'adore, vraiment bonne découverte je pense que je vais creuser cette artiste

Entre Agnès Obel et Kate Bush vocalement, j’ai trouvé ça vraiment top ! J’adore ce genre de voix féminine À ne pas écouter dans n’importe quel contexte je trouve, car c’est pas très joyeux. J’irai regarder ce que fait l’artiste

the doomsday have finally descended upon me. it is the doomsday known as the unleash of "rate your music core" albums, or "rymcore" albums. but anyway why is this album so fucking whimsical i am fucking crying i mean it i am a mature sixteen years old person a mature person who navigates the real world like an adult i shouldn't consider this as one of the best albums of all time because of how childish it is... but i love it. and no matter how strongly i deny the feeling it will just become stronger and the just slightly audiable accordion in many songs are so good... every song is longer than 5 minutes but it don't seems to drag on for a second. in general i love this. 5/5

Very interesting and ambitious album. It's essentially five very long, harp-driven, reflections on important people in Newsom's life. The lyrics are written in a deliberately flowery and, at times, archaic parlance, but Newsom doesn't struggle to eke out some genuinely touching phrases despite that. She also shows admirable restraint in not sacrificing the emotional essence of the songs in an attempt to impress with her command of language. Newsom's squeaky high notes are, unsurprisingly, a point of contention among listeners, but the imperfections in her voice don't distract from the earnestness and creativity on display here. Probably more of a 4.5/5, but I'm happy to round it up for it's uniqueness.

Whoa ! This is something else, not your usual hits and radio friendly music. If you are a close minded person don't even give it a try . If you want background noise then skip it. It needs time to digest it, to get yourself familiar with her voice, arrangements and the wonderland where this album lives in. Once the initial shock pass one can discover the wonder of this fairy tale inform of music, only more complex, unusual and unique. "Monkey and Bear" is my favourite song of the album.

There's a lot of albums on here I'm deeply familiar with I give 5s to because they bring so much joy; on the other hand this is an album I'll give a 5 to because of how much it devastates me every time. I always love a lyrically dense songwriter and Joanna Newsom is maybe the most lyrically dense songwriter on this whole list, with words so allusion and symbol heavy you could write multiple disserations on "Monkey & Bear" and "Sawdust and Diamonds" alone. I could see the storytelling being grating....if it wasn't backed by moments of pop-level clarity: "But still, they have got to pay the bills, hadn’t they?” "Why the long face?" "And all those lonely nights down by the river..." I'll leave the interpretations up to you, but if you're not moved alone by incredible orchestral arrangements and/or use of treble-heavy harp motifs to their maximum effect here I'll be judging you a little bit. Or, maybe to put it more gently: If you can get through "Cosmia" without getting at least a little teary, you're a stronger person than I am. Ys is a late era folk revival album that's not-so-secretly some of the highest art we're going to get on this list, and if all you can hear is "wow Joanna Newsom sings kinda funny", well, that's on you.

Incredible album, can't believe it has less than a 3 average rating

Wow, this was amazing. It’s a shame it’s not on Spotify because it will never be in my rotation.

Whimsical banger.

I've listened to this album so many times. When I saw this pop up in my list, I was certain that most people would dislike her: the voice, the weird musical timing/wording and, honestly, spoken poetry. Understandably, not for everyone. I am one who has loved her music/songs for years and will continue to look forward to anything she's putting out. Today, I listened to this album 3 times, with an emotional response each time. But I do understand that many would not like her at all. I am just in the other camp: I love this. Give me more.....

Listening Notes: Ooh I think these vocals are super intriguing. And harps? How fun! Review: Not writing so much here, but this was dope. I enjoyed thoroughly and would relisten if it was on spotify.

Дуже неординарний альбом, який вміє дивувати. Джоанна Ньюсом створює тут певну казкову атмосферу, але при цьому ти розумієш що ця казка - доросла. Авант-поп, 5 довгих пісень, цікаве аранжування. Музика, яку цікаво досліджувати.

Que LINDO! Sem palavras, não conhecia nada! A harpa, a voz, as letras, tudo é perfeito!!!!

beautiful and inventive compositions and playing (especially the strings) a voice packed with emotion, some damn pathos! another album i had listened to in previous years and left unimpressed but revisiting it i agree wholeheartedly with all the praise it's received

astonishing album, otherworldly instrumentation and dramatic lyricism really creates a picture in my head, the medieval sounding harp makes it feel so good

I loved this one, don’t get the awful record here. It felt like symphonic poetry. I could easily either get lost in the eloquently written and delivered verses while picking apart the meaning or get swept away to a whimsical works of fantasy with the sweeping orchestral arrangements. Already listened to it twice through yesterday and foresee more to come.

Jokes on you 1001albumgenerator, not only have I heard this album in full before but it’s one of my very favorites. I became obsessed with the song sawdust and diamonds around 2018 and when I tell you I played it every single day I truly mean it. Joanna has no music on Spotify so I turned to my trusty YouTube album that I have bookmarked and favorited. It’s such a gorgeous album. Her haunting voice plus her prose like lyrics, means that I love this album in the same way I love albums by Joni Mitchell and Regina Spektor. If you love medieval music (because I listen to bardcore more often than I’d probably admit) you will absolutely adore this album. The fact that she’s playing the harp makes her singularly a bard or a fairy or an elf or some combination of the three. This album makes me feel like I’m being awoken from an ancient time. There’s so much that shouldn’t work but it does or that could become cheesy but it doesn’t! It’s perfect and glorious and I love it. Thanks for giving me another reason to listen to a favorite today :)

Modernized Disney princess music with dense lyrics Highlights: Emily, Only Skin

🐣💚

A propulsive, complex and beautiful record. One of my favs!