Search - Joanna Newsom :: & The Ys Street Band Ep

A Little Gem.

William J. Walker | England | 04/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An EP with only three tracks, only one of which being a new song. Doesn't sound particularly promising does it?

Well by way of an answer it should be pointed out that all the tracks are new recordings and the total runtime is just over 24 minutes.



The songs were recorded at the end of the U.S. tour (Autumn 2006 in California)after having to cancel three gigs due to a lost voice, the songs were recorded 'live' in the studio with her tour band and minimal tinkering. Her vocal troubles certainly aren't evident here, although her voice seems to get richer and less spikey with each new recording.



Anyone lucky enough to have caught her recent live shows will be familiar with the new song here ("Colleen") and the new version of "Clam,Crab,Cockle,Cowrie"(from "The Milk Eyed Mender"album) but british fans will not have heard "Cosmia" in this form as they had the benefit of orchestral backing not available on the american tour.



"Colleen" starts the EP off with a frenetic energy and is typically untypical of anything else out there, it's kind of folky, kind of sea shanty and breaks the verses with a strange flamenco/belly dancing jig that should have you on your feet and jumpin'.

It's followed by a new recording of "Clam,Crab,Cockle,Cowrie" which is fully justified as it is very different from the album version, an almost achingly tender rendition that shows a softer side to the artist, it also benefits from the addition of an accompanying voice, richer instrumentation, and the richer vocal delivery already evident on the "Ys" album. It is possibly my favourite on the EP.

The final track("Cosmia") is in some ways the most exciting prospect as it takes the original and expands it to double its previous lengh replacing the orchestration with a rich variety of sounds utilising the band to its full. I don't think it improves on the original but will certainly be of interest to those who argued that they'd have preferred "Ys" without the orchestration (not my view). The song feels slightly more gentle here than on the album but no less rich for it.



I would say that this is definitely one for the converts (newcomers should start with "Ys") but if you are already a fan then this is an essential purchase.



A final word on categorisation of music. I hate it! This need to pigeon-hole and fence music within little boundaries. If anything new or excitingly different comes along (like this), instead of celebrating its singular beauty, there is a rush to be the first to coin the term that will peg it back. If that weren't bad enough there are a million followers-on who have to prove how smart they are by using the terminology as if it were there own. Thus we have people describing this album as 'freak-folk' a category which, if it exists at all, has been used to describe acoustic driven performers with a hypnotic trippy rythmic feel. Joanna Newsom has actively denied the tag herself and her music is actually nothing like anything in the genre (if it even exists) in fact the only connection is that she has been on stage with some acts that hover on the fringes of the genre. It really comes down to lazy journalism and second-rate 'would-be-critics'who'd like to appear smart at the expense of artists who possess genuine talent.



For all those people who need a category for this music here is one: Joanna Newsom."

Addictive Beware!

nar | brooklyn, ny | 05/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It took me almost 2 years to warm up to her first album MIlk Eyed Mender. My brother in law would play it over and over again when we went to visit. Then after one of our visits I couldn't shake the songs from my head and I had to hear them! I was hooked! This ep is also addictive! Newsom's songs have an optimistic and other worldly elegance that is missing in mainstream music culture. These songs are especially endearing, ( is it the band accompaniment?) and I especially love the mix of melodies pointing to a more ethnic sound in some of the songs. A mixing of sounds, it's fantastic."

Stunning

anon | Brooklyn, NY USA | 07/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I cried the first time I listened to this version of "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie." I feel so lucky for the opportunity to listen to Joanna's voice get better and better and better through the years. The way she sings the line in this song, "And I am watching you/ And you are starry, starry, starry..." has always gotten to me, and with her improved vocal abilities here she manages to add a new degree of touching nuance to this favorite of moments. Give it a listen, I think you'll see what I mean.



I tend to not enjoy micro-reviewing records song by song, so I think I will leave it at that. This is for Joanna both a return to a more stripped down musical presentation and a leap forward in her development as a singer. This EP makes me so happy."