old school beauty is better than new school money

JOANNA NEWSOM - YS

Personally, this album is a treasure chest of memories. I received this album about three years ago, along with my first Björk and Folktronica albums, from a close friend who must've introduced me to about a third of my tastes. I have strongly ingrained images of me leaping with joy, but also bawling my eyes out to this music. Soon after the album's release, the semi-infamous Melbourne tourism campaign (remember the one with the big balls of string?) came out, featuring the sounds of Sprout and The Bean, a song from her previous album The Milk Eyed Mender. So now every time I wonder the hidden lanes of Melbourne, I always remember the ringing sounds of Newsom's tart American accent, and her fingers running down her harp, delicately plucking the strings. Only a week or so ago, I was walking home from a friends at night time, and it was raining real hard, so I played this album. Rain and harp go well together.

This album, although nearly an hour long, contains only five tracks, and there is not a second of filler music. The first song, Emily, is a recollection of memories regarding her sister, an astologist. Personal thoughts like '...I dreamed you were skipping little stones across the surface of the water. Frowning at the angle where they were lost, and slipped under forever...' make this song tender and special, and you can see Newsom's wearing her heart upon her sleave. Then, the more jocular (and oddly maternal) tune Monkey and Bear begins, up-tempo and childish. We delve back into romantic poetry and meandering with Sawdust & Diamonds, which shows how exquisite her harp technique is. And just before we are wallowed by the pure beauty of the harp, Only Skin begins. An epic story-like song that, like most of the songs, features the string and harp orchestra behind her, and plays for just under seventeen minutes. It quickly changes pace and tone from one minute to the next, eventually ending in a very Hill Billy like duet, which is truly down-to-earth dirty. The last song, Cosmia, sums up the feelings and tones of this album: playful, romantic, and oh so very intimate in both lyrics, chords, vocals and instrumentation.

Ys, despite it's odd title, must be one of my all-time favourite albums which has become a soundtrack for all things tender, may that be tears, Melbourne, friends, rain, or anything else.

Favourite Song: Only Skin

Favourite Line: "...and the little white dove, made with love, made with love: made with glue, and a glove, and some pliers..."