Joanna Newsom
Ys
Drag City Records
Do you like fairy tales? Neo-folk singer/songwriter and classically trained harpist Joanna Newsom does. For her second album, Joanna has returned not only with the harp, but with an orchestral arrangement by the legendary Van Dyke Parks. Entitled Ys (pronounced “ees”)- the name of an island in Breton mythology-this album is 55 minutes and five songs long, with some songs lasting upwards of seventeen minutes. They’re chorus-free and labyrinthine, giving you a glimpse into Joanna’s world as she takes you by the hand and gently leads you through the magic and wonder. You find your imagination racing as you count stars, pick flowers, and wander through vast landscapes. Ys is a magic window into another world that I try my best to get lost in and never return. But this music isn’t for everyone-some people obsessively love it while others completely loathe it. However, I encourage you to buy Ys, brew some tea, light a candle, and get ready to embark on a life-changing journey. Joanna, will you marry me?-Tim Karpinski
The Ponys
Turn The Lights Out
Matador Records
As a longtime magazine editor, I’m irrationally annoyed by this band’s refusal to use the correct form of the plural for pony. It should be The Ponies, of course-not The Ponys-but I’m willing to overlook it in this case on the simple and scientific grounds of rock and roll awesomeness. Like the previous two albums, Turn The Lights Out lurks around in the 70s and 80s influence-wise, but this time the sound lands a little more in the 80s with the dirty feedbackiness of early Sonic Youth and a bit of that dark and dismal Joy Division stuff. But don’t despair! The overlying theme here is still rock-sassed-up, fun, and blistering-so don’t worry about this album sounding like a bunch of wussy boys from New York remaking 80s new wave. These guys (and girl) are from Chicago, and their utter proximity to Detroit means that they must and do bow down to the rock gods.-Jennifer Sherowski
Witchcraft
Live at the Doug Fir, Portland, Oregon
When someone invites you to a show on the grounds that you’re about to see a “semi-bitchin’ Sabbath rip-off band,” you stop what you’re doing, put on your jacket, and go. When you find out on the way that it’s Swedish heavy metal, you hesitate for a minute. You remember all the scary stuff you’ve heard about Scandinavian death metal-devil worshipping, church burning, murder, and the like. The band is called Witchcraft, after all, and so it wouldn’t be all that surprising if you were on your way to see a bunch a ghouls with painted faces and fangs biting the heads off fake kittens. But no, by two songs in, you’re willing to remove the “semi” and just dub the band “bitchin’.” Started, interestingly enough, as a group of friends getting together to make a Pentagram tribute E.P., Witchcraft has gone on to became a force all its own, drawing on ultra-obscure doom-rock, heavy-metal, and psych-rock influences to make a sizzling sound full of energetic riffin’ and Ozzy-esque vocals. The best part is they’re just a bunch of polite Swedish fellows-a bit on the skinny side-who wear tight jeans and say “please” and “thank you.” They actually asked permission of the audience to sing a song in their mother tongue, saying, “It’s up to you.” Ain’t that nice? Anyway, Witchcraft, this shit is on fire, seriously.-Jennifer Sherowski
The Collection
Gretchen Bleiler’s “Ten Songs For Gettin’ It Done” Playlist
1. Citizen Cope, “Bullet And A Target”
2. Chamillionaire, “True”
3. John Mayer, “Waiting On The World To Change”
4. Katie Tonsdall, “Suddenly I See”
5. Shiny Toy Guns, “Le Disko We Are Pilots”
6. Flipsyde, “Someday”
7. Bright Eyes, “At The Bottom Of Everything”
8. Muse, “Map Of The Problematique”
9. Slightly Stoopid, “Wiseman”
10. Manu Chau, “Y Tu”
Sounds
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