The Cure For ADD

How often have you switched the song on your ipod because it gets too repetitive? Are you ready for something new even during a three- minute pop song? That is both the pet peeve and the habit of many music listeners; maybe Joanna Newsom’s latest record Ys is the cure for this music ADD. Each song on Ys represents a movement in the symphony that is the entire record. Ys has only five songs yet lasts 55 minutes, with little repetition or verse-chorus-bridge structure. This organization might annoy people used to listening to 12 to 15 song records from which they can pick favorite tracks and hooks. The individual tracks on Ys are uniformly excellent, preventing any one track from standing out as a clear favorite.

ame Newsom’s childlike voice and celestial playing fit perfectly with her orchestral composition style. Her harp and vocals are full of glee and wonder, whereas the violins and cellos in the background are just ominous enough. This tension freezes the listener in anticipation of what’s to come, something Newsom’s more traditional first album The Milk-Eyed Mender did not do.

ame Lyrically, Newsom leaves absolutely nothing to be desired on Ys. Take her lesson from “Emily” as a small example: “The meteorite is the source of the light and the meteor is just what we see / And the meteoroid is a stone that’s devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee.” Music today is dying for more artists to write poetry like that.

ame Ys may gain Joanna Newsom new listeners who passed her off as just another freak folk artist. In a world where few can tolerate a song longer than six minutes she gives us reasons to truly appreciate the entirety of a song and, furthermore, an album.