Joanna Newsom Doesn’t Pluck Around

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 12, 2010 6:20PM

Joanna Newsom is somewhat of a controversial artist; people seem to either hate her or love her. Some say she’s just a unicorn-loving, harp-plucking faerie and others say the singer / songwriter / harpist is an avant-garde leader of the neo-folk scene. Well, we think she’s pretty fantastic and that her music isn’t all angelic and innocent like her instrument of choice might connote. Fellow fans will be glad to hear that she’s coming to Chicago in April in support of her upcoming album, Have One On Me, a triple LP running over two hours long. Samples and details of the massive album, due for release February 23, have been kept strictly under wraps, but for the past few weeks Newsom’s label, Drag City, has been streaming one selected track each week on its site.

Two weeks ago they released “81,” an enchanting, pleasantly simple harp and vocal melody whose protagonist claims for herself a plot of land in the Garden of Eden. Sure, the song may be excessively lovely - almost sedating - but it really shows off Newsom’s songwriting skills; try deciphering some of the track’s beautifully cryptic lyrics, like, "Tell me what is meant by sitting alone/in a garden, seceded from the Union in the year of '81?" And last week’s track, "Good Intentions Paving Company," revealed a drastically different sound. Employing a plethora of instruments including piano, mandolin, banjo and horns, it’s an upbeat, jazzy piece layered over with Newsom’s soulful, sultry vocals, and it’s probably the best thing we’ve heard from her yet.

This week’s streaming track, “Kingfisher,” is a lengthy, medieval-sounding composition featuring harp, flute and Newsom’s rich, resonant voice. You can listen for yourself at Drag City’s website until Tuesday, when they’ll release the fourth selected track for preview. These few tracks are of course merely samples, and we can’t say whether the album will be a hit or a miss. But it’s fair to say that, with its poetic narratives and massive proportion, this won’t be the type of album you digest in one sitting, but rather absorbed over time and slowly reflected upon.

Joanna Newsom performs Saturday, April 3 at the Vic, 3145 N Sheffield, 7:30 pm, $25, All Ages