Possibly The Awesomest Terrible Singer In The World

[plumtreeblossom]

I stumbled across Joanna Newsom completely at random while reading the Wikipedia page of her boyfriend (actor Andy Samberg). At first listen I was both bewildered and riveted at the same time. I didn't want to keep listening but couldn't stop listening because there's something akin to magic about the bizarre music she makes. Honestly, her voice sounds like Bjork's irritable Siamese cat with an epic sinus infection. But juxtaposed against her gorgeous harp playing and her rich, quirky lyrics, it folds together into something that defies... pretty much everything.

There's something inspiring about an artist who can take every contemporary convention we have about what constitutes "good" singing and chuck them right out the window. Lots of composers with mediocre or poor singing voices collaborate with better voiced singers to bring their songs to life. But sometimes, someone wants to sing their own song regardless of what their voice sounds like, and if they have the right combination of confidence, stage presence and thick skin, they can do it, damn the torpedoes. Whether liked or disliked, the voice of this elven bardette certainly draws strong emotional reactions. If you click through to the comment thread on Youtube, there is passionate fighting between those who think her vocal cords should be slit and those who look up to her as a hero.

Anyway, listen if you can handle it, respect if you're inspired to.

Comments

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

She was reliably on pitch, so she's more musical than half the pop stars out there. Her sound is definitely weird, but it reminded me of some of Kate Bush's early vocal effects. I think perhaps her voice has not matured yet.

The thing I found least satisfying about her was that her diction is imprecise, which makes it very hard to figure out what she's saying. There might be some poetry there, but I couldn't tell. All in all, I wouldn't buy an album, but neither would I turn off the radio if she came on.

[lifecollage.livejournal.com]

Ditto on the pitch thing - what makes me claw my ears is when any voice (including my own) just can't seem to hold onto a pitch with a pair of pliers. She's got a deeply quirky way of producing melody, but it's a true melody for all that. I agree with the Bjork and the Kate Bush concepts both.

Also, for the record, I can't *stand* Dylan. I'll read his poetry all day long, but I'd rather put out my own ears with salad tongs than listen to him. The only time I've sat through his music was when Ani Difranco opened for him - and even that was in deference to the older gent who'd driven me to the concert.

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

I love how you managed to propose removing two of your body parts with two different types of tools within this comment. :)

[bookly.livejournal.com]

I normally love British accents, and I've had my fair share of exposure to them, but hers--combined with her diction--didn't help me parse the lyrics at all. Which are actually quite captivating, somehow...

[bookly.livejournal.com]

Ooops. She appears to be born, bred, and trained in the US. But that pronunciation of "floozies" and "choosy" (to cite one example) doesn't sound like anything American I've ever heard.