Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender

Artist:

Newsom, Joanna

See Also:

Animal Collective Banhart, Devendra Stevens, Sufjan Kings Of Convenience

Description:

Personnel: Joanna Newsom (vocals, vocals, harp, piano, Wurlitzer piano, harpsichord); Noah Georgeson (guitar, background vocals).
Joanna Newsom plays the harp, looks like an elf princess, and sings in a squeaky child-like voice, all of which contribute to her unique charm. Like her pal and frequent collaborator Devendra Banhart, she`s also a shining light of the early 2000s neo-folk movement, which bonds quirky wordplay and fuzzy eccentricity with a deep reverence for authentic rural folk.
Whether accompanying herself on harp, harpsichord, or piano, Newsom plunges into the archaic depths of American roots music and cherry-picks the most heartbreaking passages, weaving everything together with lyrics of shockingly formal eloquence that present dense poetic imagery in the vein of BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME-era Dylan. Songs like "Sprout and the Bean," "Peach, Plum, Pear," and "Sadie" weave enough elaborate visions for a dozen ballads, adding something more than the expected folksy tweeness. Throughout THE MILK-EYED MENDER, Newsom`s lulling harp and odd vocalizing combine to create something utterly original, yet deeply familiar, standing firm at the crossroads between outsider art and genuine brilliance.

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. Bridges And Balloons
2. Sprout And The Bean
3. Book Of Right-On, The
4. Sadie
5. Inflammatory Writ
6. This Side Of The Blue
7. En Gallop
8. Cassiopeia
9. Peach, Plum, Pear
10. Swansea
11. Three Little Babes
12. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie

Album Information

Release Date:

03/23/2004

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Rock & Pop

Subgenre:

Alt Country

Label:

Drag City

Producer:

Noah Georgeson

Catalog Number:

263

Original Release Year:

2004

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

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