The Milk-Eyed Mender was a striking debut that set Joanna Newsom apart from her indie folk contemporaries.
Its simplicity and depth, and the way it sounded timeless and fresh, made her a singular figure in that scene.
On her second album, Ys (pronounced "ease"), she continues to move in a very different direction than her peers, and even a different one than what her audience might expect.
The Milk-Eyed Mender's 12 gentle vignettes sounded like they were basking in sunlight; Ys is epic, restless, and demanding, made up of five dazzling, shape-shifting songs that range from seven to 16 minutes long.
Newsom embarks on this adventure of an album with help from talents as diverse as engineer Steve Albini, arranger Van Dyke Parks, and producer Jim O'Rourke (who, come to think of it, is the perfect meeting point between Albini and Parks).
Ys' boldly intricate sound plays like an embellished, illuminated, expanded version of Newsom's previous work.
Parks' lavish, but never intrusive, orchestral arrangements sometimes make the album feel -- in the best possible way -- like a Broadway musical based on The Milk-Eyed Mender, particularly on the album closer, "Cosmia." Crucially, though, Ys isn't any less "real" than Newsom's other music just because it's more polished.
The nature and craft imagery in her lyrics, the transporting sense of wonder and the one-of-a-kind voice of The Milk-Eyed Mender are here too, just in a much more refined and ambitious form: Ys is a gilt-edged, bone china teacup to Mender's earthenware mug.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monkey & BearJoanna Newsom | Joanna Newsom | Play | 09:28 | 21 MB | 49 MB |
| 2 | Sawdust & DiamondsJoanna Newsom | Joanna Newsom | Play | 09:55 | 22 MB | 47 MB |
| 3 | Only SkinJoanna Newsom | Joanna Newsom | Play | 16:53 | 38 MB | 90 MB |
| 4 | CosmiaJoanna Newsom | Joanna Newsom | Play | 07:17 | 16 MB | 38 MB |
| 43 mins | 99 MB | |||||
| 43 mins | 225 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Albini | Engineer, Vocal Engineer |
| 2 | Briana Bandy | Viola |
| 3 | Tim Boyle | Engineer |
| 4 | Caroline Buckman | Viola |
| 5 | Bill Callahan | Vocal Harmony |
| 6 | Matt Cartsonis | Banjo, Mandolin |
| 7 | Giovanna Clayton | Cello |
| 8 | Patricia Cloud | Flute |
| 9 | TJ Doherty | Mixing Assistant |
| 10 | Peter Doubrovsky | Bass |
| 11 | Jeff Driskill | Clarinet |
| 12 | Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick | Cello |
| 13 | Karen Elaine | Viola |
| 14 | Phillip Fethar | Oboe |
| 15 | Grant Geissman | Guitar (Electric), Main Personnel |
| 16 | Rich Good | Design |
| 17 | Susan Greenberg | Flute |
| 18 | Don Heffington | Main Personnel, Percussion |
| 19 | Sharon Jackson | Violin |
| 20 | Peter Kent | Concert Master, Violin |
| 21 | Gina Kronstadt | Violin |
| 22 | Miriam Mayer | Viola |
| 23 | John D. Mitchell | Bassoon |
| 24 | Peter Nevin | Clarinet |
| 25 | Emily Newsom | Vocal Harmony |
| 26 | Joanna Newsom | Composer, Harp, Leader, Main Personnel, Pedal Harp, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 27 | Jim O'Rourke | Mixing, Mixing Engineer |
| 28 | Robert O'Donnell, Jr. | Trumpet |
| 29 | Van Dyke Parks | Accordion, Arranger, Conductor, Orchestral Arrangements, Producer |
| 30 | Cameron Patrick | Violin |
| 31 | Vladimir Polimatidi | Violin |
| 32 | Julie Rogers | Violin |
| 33 | John Rosenberg | Conductor |
| 34 | Bart Samolis | Bass |
| 35 | Terrence Schonig | Cymbalom, Marimba |
| 36 | Leland Sklar | Bass (Electric), Main Personnel |
| 37 | Edmund Stein | Violin |
| 38 | David Stenske | Viola |
| 39 | David R. Stone | Bass |
| 40 | William T. Stromberg | Copy |
| 41 | Marda Todd | Viola |
| 42 | Jessica van Velzen | Viola |
| 43 | Benjamin A. Vierling | Paintings |
| 44 | Nick Webb | Mastering |
| 45 | Nick Webb | Mastering |
| 46 | John Wittenberg | Violin |
| 47 | Shari Zippert | Violin |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |