Joanna Newsom is the greatest musician to ever live Sup Forums. I've listened to each of her albums hundreds of times and they're timeless masterpieces I never tire of. In celebration of her amazing genius I've decided to rank each and every Joanna Newsom song.
Elder God Tier
>Only Skin >Go Long
God Tier
>Soft as Chalk >Baby Birch >Have One on Me >In California >Time, as a Symptom >Sapokanikan >Waltz of the 101st Lightborne >Peach, Plum, Pear >Emily >Monkey & Bear >Sawdust and Diamonds
Phenomenal Tier
>Leaving the City >Divers >A Pin-Light Bent >You Will Not Take My Heart Alive >Cosmia >Sadie >Inflammatory Writ >Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie >Swansea >Easy >No Provenance >On a Good Day >Occident >Kingfisher >Does not Suffice
Great Tier
>Anecdotes >Goose Eggs >Bridges and Balloons >En Gallop >Sprout and the Bean >The Book of Right-On >This Side of the Blue >81 >Good Intentions Paving Company >Jackrabbits >Kingfisher >Ribbon Bows
Good Tier
>The Things I Say >Esme >Colleen >Make Hay >Yarn and Glue >What We Have Known
Meh Tier
>Autumn >Same Old Man >Erin >The Fray >Flying a Kite
Things I Say has some of my favorite lyrics of hers >There's an old trick played when the light and the wine conspire to make me feel I'm fine
Joshua White
Grimes > Joanna
/thread
Owen Perez
Easily the most retarded thing I've ever heard anyone say.
David Davis
Chill, Joanna fanboy. Joanna is not a deity as you think she is.
Parker Hill
have you made this thread before? i feel like i've seen this a few months ago
Meh Tier
>Autumn
i dont get why everyone hates on this song
this tbqh can you grimesposters start using trips please?
Mason Brown
Grimes is only okay.
Nathan Diaz
webm
Christopher Diaz
That's just your unpopular opinion. Joanna knows better than you:
>Interviewer: What young artists do you feel an affinity with? I heard you're a Kendrick fan. >Joanna Newsom: I loved the latest Bjork album, I'm excited about the idea of Grimes. I haven't wrapped my head around the record. I find her so compelling and so unlike anybody else and so incredibly talented, skilled, and fun. I love her. I met her in LA a few months ago, she told me something along the lines of, "I grew up listening to your music". I will say, it made me feel really old for about five minutes, then it made me feel really happy. I was like well, I guess I'm old now, but that's okay because this awesome and amazing young musician likes my music and said that it was special to her when she was younger, so that's great. i-d.vice.com/en_au/article/life-after-whimsy-joanna-newsom-is-no-ethereal-creature
>I’m super excited that Grimes is getting so much attention for her amazing production too because she’s super, super talented. And she does everything! She produces completely on her own. spin.com/2015/11/joanna-newsom-divers-interview/
>In terms of people today, as I said, I’m a little out of the loop, but I have noticed I’m really excited by the way that Grimes frames herself, and seems utterly disinterested in her own beauty, which is really exciting to me. Sometimes it’s useful for an idea, and then other times it’s not useful for an idea, and she seems unaffected either way. I like her music as well, and I like what she says. rookiemag.com/2015/10/joanna-newsom-interview/4/
Chase Lee
I agree with this for the most part. Could just be a personal thing but I feel like Anecdotes should be a tier or two higher.
Zachary Young
How does the harp work? She does chords so quickly.
Samuel Baker
I like both. I personally like Joanna's music more.
Nicholas Richardson
A lot of stuff she likes I think is just okay. I'm not a big Jay Z fan either. I never said Grimes was bad, chill out.
Jaxson Miller
Joanna has a better shape.
Nolan Hall
>you'll never be Joanna Newsom
Joshua Robinson
>I’m really excited by the way that Grimes frames herself, and seems utterly disinterested in her own beauty She isn't wrong but if a guy said that he would get blown up.
Noah Cox
Is there any person or entity who is known to play her compositions to make them not sound awful?
Joseph Collins
>you just KNOW
Luis Ortiz
...
Tyler Bennett
Never get so attached to a poem. You forget truth that lacks lyricism.
Nicholas Parker
Never draw so close to the heat That you forget that you must eat
???
what does that even mean though
Dominic Brown
op here, that lyric sort of ruins the song for me.
Hunter Wright
It means don't go digging through my songs trying to find the hidden double meanings and metaphor. I guess she has seen some people go down the route of over analysing things and seen it have a negative effect.
Perhaps
Cooper Ross
I've really tried Sup Forums
really really tried to love her. But her voice just cuts through me, and her songwriting seems so uneventful. Please explain what I'm not getting
Juan Peterson
Her voice is really an acquired taste. At least try Grimes, has has a weird voice too, but much more accessible.
Adam Torres
I'm in the same boat as you. I find her completely overrated. Ys actually pains my ears when I listen to it.
Xavier Myers
Vocalist and harpist Joanna Newsom, raised at the border between California and Nevada, debuted with the self-released EPs Walnut Whales (2002) and Yarn and Glue (2003). Newsom sings with the shrill and untrained voice of a little child on The Milk-Eyed Mender (Drag City, 2004), and plucks the harp in a rather casual and haphazard way (the harp is used like a banjo, a contrabass, a dulcimer, a xylophone, etc). The childish games of Bridges and Balloons, Sprout and the Bean can hardly be said to be "sung": they resemble recitals a` la Laurie Anderson or Meredith Monk, sometimes bordering on Larry "Wildman" Fischer's street madness, nursery rhymes and Appalachian folk tunes. Bach must be turning in his grave hearing how she hammers the harpsichord in Peach Plum Pear. Elsewhere, she intones the relatively catchy The Book of Right-On, or embraces a piano for the cabaret number Inflammatory Writ. But the childishness is soon forgotten, as Newsom almost yodels the plaintive and lugubrious This Side of the Blue and the spiritual-like lament Three Little Babes. This was, literally, a new voice, that does not belong to any codified genre of music. She sounded just a little afraid of being so unique, and that's the only drawback to an otherwise innovative work.
Nervous Cop (5 Rue Christine, 2004) is a project fronted by Joanna Newsom with two drummers (Deerhoof's Greg Saunier and Hella's Zach Hill) and some electronics (Deerhoof's John Dieterich). Except for Setting The Bushes On Fire and a few other rational moments, the sound is a nightmarish evocation of the nuclear holocaust, a worthy soundtrack of an apocalyptic sci-fi movie.
Easton Myers
Newsom employed producers Van Dyke Parks, Steve Albini and Jim O'Rourke to craft Ys (Drag City, 2006), whose five (longer, more intricate, subtler) songs mark a turn towards Jane Siberry's and Bjork's eccentric pop but with a sense of narrative melodrama that matches Blonde On Blonde-era Bob Dylan. The sparse orchestral soundscape of the 12-minute Emily is dwarfed by the virtually free-form vocal tour de force of the singer. She engages in a continuum of tones, from proud lullaby to introverted moan to rollicking rigmarole, while maintaining a fundamental melodic motif, so that, musically speaking, the song sounds like a series of variations on a theme. The harp is the one instrument that stands out, because it's the one that best mirrors the undulations of Newsom's voice. She begins Monkey And Bear on a quasi renaissance note, diligently followed by the orchestration, and for nine minutes she tiptoes her way around the strings as if her voice was just one of them. The effect is one that straddles the border between dancing, fairy tale and Broadway show-tune. Her voice is so expansive and malleable and passionate that it sounds like she is reciting, not singing, in Sawdust & Diamonds. The ten-minute piece flows like a collage of stances borrowed from Leonard Cohen and Van Morrison, but also from theatrical actors.
Anthony Phillips
Don't get caught up in passions and love that you forget to meet you basic needs
Aaron Torres
The 17-minute Only Skin builds precisely on those "theatrical" foundations. If the other songs could have been dialogues, this is unquestionably a soliloquy. After five minutes her melisma has become so dejected that she seems about to start crying. By the eighth minute she's back in control, modulating her lyrics as if they were notes of the national anthem. And after 14 minutes other voices join in, and her psalm soars, if only for a brief moment. Newsom's calm eloquence here may not boast the austere depth of a Joni Mitchell, nor does Newsom attempt to match Mitchell's intellectual focus, but her lucid stream of consciousness nonetheless attains a magical state of connection between the intimate and the public. Existentially speaking, these fluid structures sound like terminal confessions of a visionary whose visions have drained her soul. The second protagonist of Newsom's stories is Parks' orchestration, but that's another story altogether.
Xavier Ward
Absolutely love that line
Parker Watson
The two-hour tour de force of Have One On Me (Drag City, 2010) was justified not by a broader stylistic palette but by a deeper understanding of her own psyche. In fact, many of the songs refrained from the potentially wider choice of instrumentation and returned to her harp soliloquies. Newsom mines both the rich tradition of introspective female singer-songwriters and the rich tradition of avantgarde singing. She delivers meditation steeped in the profound aloofness of a Joni Mitchell. Easy follows in the footsteps of Jane Siberry, Lisa Germano and Kate Bush mixing childish bedroom nursery rhyme, austere renaissance song, Chinese opera and gospel melisma. The harp delight of '81 is a miniature version of the same multi-cultural and multi-generational synthesis. The eleven-minute Have One On Me is an exercise in creating and dissolving chaos, as it begins quietly in the vein of neoclassical chamber music and cool jazz but slowly builds up, along the way toying with marching-band pomp, quasi-Caribbean effervescence and multi-voice choral counterpoint. One of the most radio-friendly songs, Good Intentions Paving Company, delivered in a wavering tremolo voice over a sprightly country-rock rhythm, sounds like a cubistic version of vintage vocal harmonies. That's as much entertainment as she's willing to grant. The soul of the album, in fact, lies in the more spartan songs. Vocal pyrotechnics provides the scaffolding for No Provenance, and it's just the appetizer for Baby Birch, one of her artistic peaks, over nine minutes of delicate spiritual-like invocation that achieves a sort of mildly psychedelic and Eastern spiritual ecstasy before embracing an earthly blues rave-up. The piano-based In California is a close second, with a tone that endlessly mutates from wailing to meditational and to tragic and to mesmerized, frequently soaring to chirping heights.
Levi Stewart
not OP, but I made a thread with really long winded arguments about how HOoM is the greatest album of all time not too long ago. She has really devoted fans
Charles Lee
Forming a trilogy of sorts with those two, Go Long (one of her zeniths as a poet) climbs even higher summits of pathos, the harp tinning like a baroque harpsichord while the voice is indulging in a fragile solo dance. The voice has to carry a significant weight when it is accompanied only by harp or piano. Esme is more expansive and quick-footed, and anchored to a stronger melody, resembling an exotic melodic fantasia. Ribbon Bows pivots around another touching melody, imagining a quasi-operatic folk revival. You And Me Bess borders on the gentle pop lullabies of Burt Bacharach but slowed down to a pace more appropriate for a requiem. The ultimate perfection is sculpted in the solemn two-minute harp ode On A Good Day. Newsom also returns to the abstract chamber lieder of Ys with Autumn and Kingfisher. However, that format here feels a bit weak and steely compared with the other more humane elegies. She still shuns facile emotions. The closest she gets to being martial and anthemic is in the piano-based Occident. The most powerful rhythm emerges from the bolero-like piano crescendo and flamenco-like castanet rustle of Soft As Chalk. The album closes with a final spiritual-like piano-based incantation, Does Not Suffice, that boasts the one moment of dissonance in over two hours: it's the moment when everything disintegrates and she disappears like a philosophical fairy queen. She has partially abandoned the turgid meandering of Ys and its baffling Joyce-esque lyrics, a fact that brings forth the elegance and sophistication of the lower, inner layer. Exhausting and exhilarating, this album pushed Newsom to a higher orbit than any of her contemporary singer-songwriters.
Brody Russell
In 2013 Newsom married comedian Andy Samberg.
Newsom finally made the "uneven" album that was typical of singer-songwriters after a creative album: Divers (Drag City, 2015). The mistake was to take herself too seriously. She was neither a symphonic composer nor a laureate poet, just a singer-songwriter. This collection of simple songs tried a bit too hard to paint her as what she was not. The album abandons the meandering, sprawling, serpentine metaphysical format and contents itself with the more traditional format of The Milk-Eyed Mender, except that the music is burdened with overdone baroque arrangements as if each song were a Beethoven symphony. The arrangements are often busy for no logical, narrative or emotional reason, simply because the instruments are there and the musicians are paid to attend the session, and occasionally she comes through as a pretentious child a` la Kate Bush.
Tyler Ross
wait
Lincoln Sullivan
The highlight is the spiraling singalong and ragtime music-box with music-hall declamation of Sapokanikan (bouzouki, baglama, piano, celesta, recorder, trombone, guitar, bass, drums). There are plenty of rousing moments in the album, but perhaps not the ones that she had planned: the more electric Goose Eggs (electronic keyboards, harpsichord, synthesizer, electric guitar) boasts a jazzy-classical instrumental intermezzo a` la Doors' Light My Fire; the seven-minute ballad Divers is woven around gamelan-ish tinkling of keyboards; and the old-time music replete with hoedown of Waltz Of The 101st Lightborne (accordion, recorder, piano, organ, violin) ends with a soaring choir. Typical of the album's ornate excesses is the courtly Renaissance madrigal Anecdotes (for cello, bass clarinet, double bass, English horn, harp, piano, synthesizer, trombone, viola, violin). Alas, the album quickly fades into routine with the epic folk of Leaving The City and the skeletal A Pin-Light Bent for harp and voice only. The symphonic crescendo Time As a Symptom is emblematic of what can happen when a singer-songwriter mis-interprets the word "music".
This should have been a six-song EP
Nathaniel Evans
Is this Scaruffi? Can't agree with him about Divers, I think it's amazing. Does have a few weak spots though, I'll admit.
Kayden Reed
>Does Not Suffice not being in elder god tier
KILL YOURSELF UNCULTURED SHIT TASTE FAGGOT
Grayson Allen
En Gallop, Anecdotes and Colleen are way to low on that ranking system famm
Julian Peterson
First two are great songs; Colleen is only good, imo.
It's good. Maybe it should be in God tier, but not Elder God tier; Go Long and Only Skin are her two best songs by a fair margin.
Logan Cox
Yeah I don't really like the guy (despite agreeing with more things he says than I'd like to admit to) but he's spot on about Divers. Ys and HOOM are both among my favorite albums of all time but Divers was just very disappointing for me. On the other hand, I don't think I've listened to it all the way through since shortly after it came out. Maybe I ought to give it another chance.
Kayden Baker
it may just be the synthpop lover in me but grimes does actually hit the spot sometimes.
I do think that often her melodies aren't that interesting, however sometimes, especially on her earlier records she does a decent job
Isaiah Baker
Poor man's Natalie Rose Lebrecht
Ian Hill
Scaruffi's a fucking low functioning autist, this review says absolutely nothing of value
Landon Nelson
Grimes + Joanna
+ Kurt Cobain
Robert Walker
I havne't listened to Divers properly yet, with lyrics, uninterupted, and not distracted. Every time I feel like doing it, I end up listening to Ys or HOOM again. Ys is my GOAT album, how does divers compare?
Bentley Lewis
It's better and you're missing out
Aaron Sullivan
Divers is her worst but it's got some really great tracks on it.
Chase Parker
It's not better. He is missing out though.
Jason Bennett
I'd say it's better than Milk Eyed Mender, but it has lower lows.
Colton King
>tfw no Joanna
Cooper Robinson
Post rare Joannas
Aiden Morris
lol her stupid face and those cringey as fuck song titles
not even gonna listen to 2 seconds of this garbage
Ian Edwards
ok
Parker Thomas
Weakest bait I've ever seen.
Grayson Myers
Flying a Kite took me a long time to like but I love it now. Great song. Autumn and Heart Alive are my least favorites.
Who saw her on this last tour?
Jackson Garcia
I listened to 2 seconds of that garbage. Good decision.
Nolan Gomez
...
Eli Ward
why can there never be a thread about a female musician without people mentioning grimes? whether she's better or not is entirely irrelevant, this is a thread about joanna Grimesfags please please gtfo
Aaron Roberts
ass
Jason Garcia
Screenshots? I'd like to read this
Jace Barnes
This is for you lad
Carter Barnes
It's not enough that she's an incredibly talented and creative. musician and songwriter, she also has to have the best ass a white girl has ever had. I hate this world
Lincoln Thompson
anutha one
Nolan Young
Look at what the OP said >Joanna Newsom is the greatest musician to ever live Sup Forums. Such bold words demand action.
Luis Scott
noone knows. its magic
Grayson Jones
I can't really get into her music unfortunately, like the instrumentation is pretty good, but as much as it pains me to say it, I just can't get into the vocals. I generally don't like to be dismissive of artists for having an unusual singing style, but idk man, I just don't feel it.
I can definitely get into her ass, tho
Jeremiah Hernandez
>this guy
Connor Martinez
have you listened to hoom? her voice is more normal sounding on that one
Lincoln Cox
sarah > both
/thread
Luke Roberts
Actually I don't think I've heard it in full but I do remember hearing a couple songs off of it while I was out one day (at a coffee shop lol) and I did really like them.
I forgot I made a note to listen to that album and then I never did, thanks user.
I saw her in London a little over a year ago, it was an awesome show. Emily and Anecdotes were the highlights.
Jack Hughes
Post your favorite Joanna moments
I have got some business out at the edge of town section
or the story about the bird in Only Skin too
Luke Bailey
Did play PPP or Good Intentions? I loved the new bits they added to those songs.
If anyone wants three high quality full show recordings from her latest tour I can upload them. I already have about six of her shows in a rar on Mega. Just reply
Carson Torres
what is this from?
Ryder Cook
Portlandia
Xavier Flores
Joanna is far more talented
Nathaniel Gonzalez
No? O-okay..
Luis Bennett
Nigga ain't no one want that shit.
Evan Parker
Be nice. It's a Joanna thread.
Grayson Jenkins
Each string is tuned to a different note (ABCDEFG) sort of like how each key on a piano is a different note. The harp also has 7 pedals, each of which controls all the notes of a particular pitch (all the C's, etc.) and converts them to Csharps or Cflats. The player's hands and feet have to work together in a manner unlike any other instrumentalist.
James Hernandez
how is she so pretty, bros?
Isaiah Reyes
yes please
Chase James
yes please
I saw her at the Sydney Opera House in January, easily the most amazing concert I've ever been to.
Christian Smith
i agree. best thing off her last album imho, and one of my favourite songs of 2015
Ryan Watson
Me too! It was fantastic, I was right up close. The way her hands dance across her harp is mesmerising
Isaiah Perry
Yeah can we please not have these shitty waifu worship threads for Joanna?
She's an incredible musician, but this shit is annoying as fuck. Don't turn her into the next Grimes.
Christopher Barnes
all her music is good go f urself
Jaxson Cooper
How is her songwriting uneventful? And I understand her voice cutting through you on her earlier work but I don't see it on Divers. Her voice really isn't that weird on that album.
Jackson Jenkins
Agreed OP, but En Gallop and In California and Have One On Me are elder God tier.
Nathan Turner
Saw her in Boston five rows from the front. One of the best experiences of my life.
Luis Cook
Her vocals are relatively normal on Divers as well, though I think Have One On Me is the better album (I love her voice though so you might feel pdifferently)
Luis Brooks
It will grow on you. It's not equal, but it is very very very good. Listen to it man.
Also, scaruffis review is shit imo. Not sure what this shit shit her being "just a singer songwriter" and being over ambitious. Scaruffi regularly praises artists for trying so hard to transcend their classifications. He's doing what he often does and making ststements without justifying why they're in this context negative or actually sound bad.
