Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me (Disc One)

I’ve posted about Joanna Newsom before, twice actually. Starters and bias out of the way, I think she’s an absolutely beautiful woman and I always love being reminded to listen to her music. Whether it’s just another excuse to drool all over her gorgeously unique voice and then, in turn, to be able to look for some images to drool of…well, she’s pretty bad-ass right?

I was recently reminded of her when reading a thread on a forum I post on. Basically, the gist of the thread was to put up some kind of mix tape – called Frankenstein’s mix tape – and in it, you could be a master DJ of some sort and come up with an album of songs off your favorite albums of the year. The point being that although they could be diverse, the songs needed to be placed at their original track order at least. Here is the one I came up with for fun’s sake:

1.Dance Yrself Clean – LCD Soundsystem
2. Love Cry – Four Tet
3. XXXO – M.I.A.
4. Locked Inside – Janelle Monáe
5. Gone Baby, Don't Be Long – Erykah Badu
6. I Saw the Light – Spoon
7. Empire Ants – Gorillaz
8. Djohariah – Sufjan Stevens
9. I Want to Be Well – Sufjan Stevens
10. The Undoing – Interpol
11. Animals – Bonobo
12. I’m Not the One – The Black Keys
13. Half-State – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
14. Sprawl I (Flatland) – Arcade Fire
15. Back Up Plan – Big Boi

So anyway, I noticed that a lot of people had the same Joanna Newsom song on their mixes, the fourth song off her triple disc of an album, Have One On Me. If you ever get a chance to see the photos she took for each LP of the vinyl edition, WOW. The first disc is probably my least favorite of all the discs only because of how slow moving the songs are. But “Good Intentions Paving Company” is beyond remarkable, in my opinion. Her voice cracks as she sings but with the piano’s rolling melody and the percussion’s timely touches, the sheer chug of the song is what really gets me moving. The words are especially stirring, “Like I’m in a fist fight with a fog, baby” and to end everything, “When I only want for you to pull over and hold me, ‘til I can’t remember my own name.” I almost feel tired trying to describe it because I would hope that people would click on the video and just listen to the 7-minute song. Not because I’m lazy or it’s not worth it but there’s not really anything adequate enough to say about Ms. Newsom that DOESN’T over-hype it but for whatever it is, she’s a tremendous artist and this song showcases all of her strengths: creative songwriting, her singular voice and her impeccable musicianship. – Bryan

March 9: Amazing Release Date & Two Cool Videos

2010 has already gotten off to a tremendous start in terms of music. For many, including yours truly, it has already surpassed all of what 2009 had to offer. I’m working on a list that covers the best releases for the first quarter and that should be up around the beginning of April. But now, March 9 features a slew of albums that are all very deserving of listens.

The cream of the crop (and the crop is immense) is Gonjasufi’s A Sufi and a Killer. An electronic feel with hip-hop beats and roots, the singer’s voice is an unbelievably enigmatic presence. The beats are fuzzy and cracked out with Sumach Ecks’ mesmerizing vocals; think of Flying Lotus’ work (he also produces some of the stuff here) with otherworldly vocals and this is it. The full album (personal favorite so far is “She Gone”) is streaming for free here.

Here is a small list of what comes out tomorrow:
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
Liars – Sisterworld
The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night
Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat the Devil’s Tattoo
Broken Bells (Shins frontman James Mercer and Danger Mouse) – Broken Bells
Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks

Here is the excellent video (in HD!) to the superb opening song off the new Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach. It’s gripping, moving and sets the album up perfectly.



I’ve been meaning to bring up Joanna Newsom for quite some time now. She’s a beautiful harpist that combines classical music with the experimental side of pop, along with exceptionally written stories. Her first two albums were easily two of the finest releases of the entire last decade and her new one, Have One on Me, is a triple album featuring eighteen songs of sublime music.

I’d encourage you to check it out and to take it all in sections, starting with one disc/record and then slowly moving on to the other ones. Her voice is as gorgeous as ever but the arrangements are tighter with everything retaining a far more focused sound. She’s always shied away from exposure and the limelight but she actually took the stage for Jimmy Fallon’s show, here is that performance. – Bryan