New Joanna Newsom Album "Ys" Due Nov 14

CRITIC/SCHOLAR? More like a HYPE MACHINE.

Actually, Tim, we did once meet at La Mesa. Granted, I don't "know" you, but the consensus was that your sexist cracks and "wigga" jokes didn't exactly endure you to anyone.

*of course academics/freelancers is only a job description, it doesn't say anything about the quality of the music that has been written.

At least we get to listen to the finished product and decide it's tough going. Must have been a buggr to transcribe!

But, yeah if rubbing in your "superior" knowledge on the subject in a cocky way (and completely missing my point in the process) makes you feel any better about yourself, go ahead.

Album of the Decade

-- Edward III (ehonaue...) (webmail), September 9th, 2006 5:35 PM. (edward iii)(link)

I'm not so sure...

In order of preference:

1) Only Skin ("though we felt the spray of the waves / we decided to stay till the tide rose too far")
2) Cosmia
3) Emily
4) Monkey & Bear
...
5) Sawdust & Diamonds

Yeah, I always skip S&D.

10-04 Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club
10-05 Montreal, Quebec - Ukranian Federation
10-06 Bennington, VT - Bennington College
10-07 Brooklyn, NY - Barge Music (New Yorker Festival)
10-08 Storrs, CT - Von Der Mehden Auditorium

11-08 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
11-10 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
11-11 Logan Square Auditorium - Chicago, IL
11-13 New York, NY - Webster Hall (early & late shows)
11-14 Somerville, MA - Somerville Theatre
11-16 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11-17 Washington DC - Black Cat
11-18 Greensboro, NC - Gail Brower Huggins Perf. Center
12-03 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater

I'm going to the release date gig! The Somerville's a converted 1914 movie theatre, supposed to have great acoustics. Very jazzed.

FAUX avant-garde music judged self-indulgent in mainstream publication film at 11

Ithangyew.

If you don't like it, that's fine - I didn't get the memo that says everybody has to like Joanna Newsom, and I'm assuming you didn't either. But applying "meandering" to Ys, the reviewer might as well have said "too many notes" or "I couldn't be arsed to pay attention."

Call it whatever you want, uncommercial, complex, challenging, avant-garde, faux-fairy-wrangling, indie-fuX0r-suX0r-shitbath. But it's not the product of a lack of focus or discipline, and it's not an album that's easily appreciated after a few cursory listens.

In 1994, the RZA was avant-garde - in my book it's got fuckall to do with snobbery and everything to do with innovation.

If you think this records is as easy to market as Britney Spears FINE.

If you think releasing a somewhat less instant & digestible (than her debut) song-suite where every track is around the 10 min+ mark, and is best heard whole is typical Top 40 behaviour...

If you think her voice is in any way "average" and an easy pitch to new listeners...

What is your problem with calling this somewhat "uncommercial"?

avant-garde is a catch-all term for people who are doing shit nobody else is doing. This, ok, I'm fine with I suppose. I'm not a semantics nazi. I just don't want her to get a snobby audience, which is the danger when slapping that term onto her stuff.

Because it's not, by definition. Also, it's an ambiguous term that tells you nothing about the quality of the music, as describing music in terms of its marketability is quite beside the point.

Never said it was as easy to market as anything, but the moment something is put out to be sold, it's commercial (in whatever degree) by nature.

And Tim Ellison, it's quite influenced by Kora playing. You should listen to a CD called "Kora Melodies From The Republic of The Gambia, West Africa" by Alhaji Bai Konte.