Band Preview for MMX: Joanna Newsom

No one understands obsession better than Joanna Newsom. While her teenage peers were off getting angsty, Newsom spent the bulk of her formative years wielding the harp. Her training spans from classical to improvisational to polymetric plucking (shifting rhythmic patterns based on the Kora, a West African harp-like instrument). This distinctive combination, coupled with her punctuated, yet tender voice branded the sound of her 2004 debut album, "Milk-eyed Mender." Indie ears quickly perked up for her musicianship, as well as her lyrical command. Similar to her contemporary Sufjan Stevens, Newsom's lyrics are infused with natural and mythical imagery. Just take a line from the track, “Sadie”: "And the mealy worms/In the brine will burn/In a salty pyre/Among the fauns and ferns."

Her latest album, “Ys”, named after a mythological sunken city, consists of five songs, each close to (or exceeding) ten minutes and biographically based on the death of a best friend, loss, and a break-up. To effectively encapsulate both her emotions and experiences, Newsom recruited Van Dyke Parks (known for his collaboration with Brian Wilson on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Smile, as well as his 1968 release “Song Cycle”) to add orchestral arrangements to all tracks except “Sawdust and Diamond.” This meticulous, seven-month long, pen-pal collaboration brought an independent, esoteric richness to Newsom's harp and voice.

In lieu of this collaboration, Newsom's first U.S. orchestral tour kicks off at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Accompanied by the 28-piece Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra, prepare thy ears for the astronomy-driven lyrics and hinted electric bass of "Emily" and the life-affirming, pop-structured "Cosmia."

--Jessica Tong