:: Track Listing

1. Colleen
2. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie
3. Cosmia

:: Record Review

Joanna Newsom

Joanna Newsom & the Ys Street Band EP
(Drag City; 2007)

Rating: 73%
Combined Rating: 73%


Joanna Newsom has decided to continue her winning streak in a strange way: a three-song, twenty-four minute EP that includes only one new song and has the most groan-inducing pun of a title in recent memory. This may seem a strange way to capitalize on last year's acclaimed Ys, but then again, Newsom followed up her much-loved pop-sized Milk-Eyed Mender (2004) with an album of exceedingly long, ornately orchestrated songs. She's unpredictable, and that's one of the many things people seem to love about her.

What's been remarkable about Newsom, thus far at least, is that she's able to make these risks pay off. While Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band's returns aren't terribly substantial the EP is nonetheless a worthwhile document of her songwriting acumen and the strength of the backing band she has assembled. For completists, "Colleen" is a treat; it's Newsom's sixth officially released song of the last three years. It's a pleasant enough song -- it would have fit well on Ys, I imagine -- even if the whole thing feels like a bit of a genre exercise. The take on Milk-Eyed Mender closer "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" seems unnecessary; it's a fantastic song, but the band adds little more than a few backing vocals. It would have been more interesting to hear them take on one of Mender's weaker tracks and really expand on it. A full-band take on "Cassiopeia" or "Peach, Plum, Pear" would have been more worthwhile.

The real reason to track this EP down is the new version of "Cosmia." On her most recent tour, Newsom was playing Ys in its entirety with her band, trading Van Dyke Parks elaborate orchestral constructions for a simpler, organic approach. While it wasn't a total success, there were moments where these alternate arrangements cut through the clutter of the originals and struck an emotional chord far more resonant than anything on the album. "Cosmia" is the best example of this, and the version presented here just reinforces that impression. "Cosmia," the shortest song on Ys, gets almost doubled in length here, and the Parks elaborations from the original -- the swirling strings and goofy accordion -- get swapped for banjo and guitar. The results are haunting: the song still has driving intensity but the whole thing becomes far more eerie. Melodic counterpoints that are drowned out in the original crop up, and the addition of drums in the middle third is an inspired choice. The long fade-out is a nice touch too; the abrupt conclusion of Ys always felt a bit strange, and the band stretches the song out beautifully.

Whether this justifies your eight bucks is hard to say. The fans are going to need it and the detractors aren't going to find anything here to change their minds. The whole thing is beautifully recorded and produced, even without the big names that graced Ys, and Newsom's singing voice just continues to improve. Mostly, though, the EP makes me wish she'd rerecord Ys with the touring band -- maybe slip it in as a bonus disc on a reissue some day, or just as a give-away for fans. If "Cosmia" is any indication, the results could very well show up the original. Peter Hepburn :: 5 May 2007 |