- Ys (album)
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Ys Studio album by Joanna Newsom Released November 6, 2006 (UK)
November 14, 2006 (U.S.)Recorded December 2005, L.A.
May–June 2006, L.A. (orchestra)Genre Folk, Indie folk Length 55:38 Label Drag City Producer Joanna Newsom, Van Dyke Parks Joanna Newsom chronology The Milk-Eyed Mender
(2004)Ys
(2006)Have One on Me
(2010)Ys (pronounced /ˈiːs/ eess) is the second album by Joanna Newsom. It was released by Drag City on November 14, 2006 to widespread critical acclaim. The album was named after the city of Ys, which according to myth was built on the coast of Brittany and later swallowed by the ocean. In recent years, the album has been featured on several music publications' lists of the greatest albums of the 2000s as well as all-time.
Contents
Production
The album features full orchestra arrangements by Van Dyke Parks on four of the five tracks. Parks also contributes accordion. Newsom's harp and vocals were recorded by Steve Albini and the orchestra was recorded by Tim Boyle. Newsom and Parks produced the album and it was mixed by Jim O'Rourke. The recording process was completely analog, on two 24-track tape recorders. The music was mixed to tape and mastered at Abbey Road Studios.[1]
Bass guitar is contributed by Lee Sklar, and electric guitar by jazz guitarist Grant Geissman. Don Heffington played percussion and Matt Cartsonis played mandolin and banjo. Bill Callahan provides backing vocals on the song "Only Skin", while on "Emily" these are sung by Joanna's sister Emily Newsom, after whom the song is named.
The album, particularly the length of the songs and orchestral arrangements, was inspired by the 1971 Roy Harper album Stormcock.[2] In September 2007, Harper supported Joanna Newsom at her Royal Albert Hall performance, playing Stormcock in its entirety. Newsom was also impressed by Van Dyke Parks' 1968 album Song Cycle, and asked him to collaborate on Ys after listening to that record.[3]
On her fall 2007 tour, Newsom performed the album in its entirety, backed by a 29-piece orchestra.[4]
Reception
Professional ratings Aggregate scores Source Rating Metacritic (85%)[5] Review scores Source Rating Allmusic [6] Drowned In Sound (10/10)[7] The Guardian [8] NME (8/10)[9] The Observer [10] Pitchfork Media (9.4/10)[11] PopMatters (10/10)[12] Robert Christgau (C+)[13] Rolling Stone Uncut [14] The album leaked onto the Internet over two months in advance of its release when it was left unprotected on servers belonging to music criticism website Pitchfork Media.[15]
Ys is Newsom's first album to chart on the U.S. music charts and it has sold more than 250,000 copies.[16][17] The album entered the Irish Album Chart at #50, and was also nominated for a 2007 Shortlist Music Prize.[18] The track "Emily" was ranked #9 in Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Tracks 2006.
Since its release on November 14, 2006, Ys has received widespread critical acclaim, including a #1 ranking in Tiny Mix Tapes' Top 25 Albums of 2006,[19] and CHARTbeat's Top 100 Albums of 2006 [20] a #3 ranking on Pitchfork Media's Top 50 Albums of 2006,[21] and a #7 ranking Time magazine's 10 Best Albums of 2006. It currently has a score of 85 out of 100, the 15th highest scoring album of 2006 on Metacritic. By the end of 2006 Ys appeared in more than 50 year-end lists, placing inside the top 10 in 35 of them.[22] Despite a negative review by the US Rolling Stone,[23] the German version of the magazine named the album the second greatest of the year.[24] According to Acclaimedmusic.net Ys is the third best album of 2006,[25] and so far is the 27th greatest record released this decade[26] and the 271st greatest of all-time.[26] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
In 2009, the album started to appear in many "best of the decade" lists. Pitchfork Media named Ys the 83rd greatest album of the 2000s. Calling Newsom "unlike anyone else" aside calling the album "the most artistically ambitious indie rock enterprise of the decade"[27] Ys is one of two Joanna Newsom albums placed inside the top 100, the other being The Milk-Eyed Mender .[28] UK magazine Uncut placed the album inside their "150 greatest album of the decade" list, at number 21. Gigwise named Ys the 32nd greatest album of the 2000s commenting that "the record rightly received blanket acclaim upon its initial release and is already sounding better with age. Whether she'll ever top this new-folk masterpiece remains to be seen."[29] The Times placed the album at number 26 in their top 100 albums of the decade list,[30] while The Guardian named it one of the '1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die'.[31] British magazine Clash placed Ys at number 13 in their '50 Greatest Albums Of Our Lifetime' list.[32] German magazine Musikexpress named Ys the 92nd greatest album of the last four decades (1969–2009).[33] Two Spanish magazines, Playground and Rock de Lux, have respectively named Ys their 83rd and 15th greatest album of the 2000s.[34][35] About placed Ys at number one inside their greatest album of the decade list.[36] In 2010, Tiny Mix Tapes named the album the 18th greatest of the 2000s and Cokemachineglow.com the 81st.[37][38] Rhapsody named it the 46th best album of the 00s.[39]
Track listing
All songs written by Joanna Newsom.
- "Emily" – 12:07
- "Monkey & Bear" – 9:29
- "Sawdust & Diamonds" – 9:54
- "Only Skin" – 16:53
- "Cosmia" – 7:15
Personnel
Performance
- Bill Callahan – vocal harmonies
- Matt Cartsonis – banjo, mandolin
- Grant Geissman – electric guitar
- Don Heffington – percussion
- Emily Newsom – vocal harmonies
- Joanna Newsom – harp, leader, vocals, pedal harp
- Van Dyke Parks – accordion
- Lee Sklar – electric bass
Orchestra
- Sharon Jackson – violin
- Peter Kent – violin, concertmaster
- Gina Kronstadt – violin
- Miriam Mayer – viola
- John D Mitchell – bassoon
- Peter Nevin – clarinet
- Robert O'Donnell, Jr. – trumpet
- Bart Samolis – bass
- Terrence Schonig – marimba, cymbalom
- Edmund Stein – violin
- David Stenske – viola
- David R. Stone – bass
- Cameron Patrick – violin
- Vladimir Polimatidi – violin
- Julie Rogers – violin
- Marda Todd – viola
- Jessica Van Velzen – viola
- John Wittenberg – violin
- Shari Zippert – violin
Production
- Steve Albini – engineer
- Tim Boyle – engineer
- TJ Doherty – mixing assistant
- Richard Good – design
- Joanna Newsom – producer
- Jim O'Rourke – mixing, mixing engineer
- Van Dyke Parks – producer, conductor, orchestral arrangements
- John Rosenberg – conductor
- William T. Stromberg – copy
- Benjamin A. Vierling – paintings
- Nick Webb – mastering
Charts
Album
Chart (2006) Peak
positionThe Billboard 200 (U.S.) 134 U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers 1 U.S. Billboard Independent Albums 5 U.S. Billboard Top Digital Albums 10 U.S. Billboard Tastemakers 8 U.S. Billboard Comprehensive Albums 165 UK Albums Chart 41[40] Irish Album Chart 50 Norwegian Album Chart 29 French Album Chart 168 Accolades and awards
- #1 – Blow Up's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #1 – Drowned in Sound's Top Ten Albums of 2006[42]
- #1 – emusic's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #1 – Lost At Sea's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #1 – Plattentests's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #1 – Rock de Lux's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #1 – Sound Generator's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #1 – Tiny Mix Tapes's Favorite Albums of 2006[43]
- #1 – About.com's Top 100 Albums of the 2000s[36]
- #2 – B92 Net Radio's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #2 – No Ripcord's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #2 – Rockerilla's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #2 – Rolling Stone Germany's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #3 – Dagsavisen's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #3 – Daily California's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #3 – Mucchio Selvaggio's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #3 – Ondarock's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #3 – Pitchfork Media's Top 50 Albums of 2006[44]
- #3 – Screenagers's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #3 – The Wire's Records of 2006[45]
- #4 – Dagbladet's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #4 – Dusted Magazine's Favorite Albums of 2006[46]
- #4 – HARP's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #4 – Heaven's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #4 – Les Choses's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #4 – Spex's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #4 – Stereogum's 2006 Gummy Awards[47]
- #4 – Uncut's Definitive Albums of 2006[48]
- #5 – Idolator's 2006 Jackin' Pop Critics Poll[49]
- #5 – Prefix Magazine's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #6 – Spin's 40 Best Albums of 2006[50]
- #6 – The Village Voice's 2006 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll[51]
- #7 – Baltimore City Paper's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #7 – BOOMKAT's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #7 – Musikexpress's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #7 – The Observer's Best Albums of 2006[52]
- #7 – Time's 10 Best Albums of 2006[53]
- #8 – The Austin Chronicle's 2006 in Albums[54]
- #8 – MusicOMH's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #8 – PopMatters's Best Albums of 2006[55]
- #8 – Treble's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #9 – Delusions of Adequacy's Top 10 Albums of 2006[56]
- #9 – Monitor's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #10 – Stylus Magazine's Top 50 Albums of 2006[57]
- #12 – Cokemachineglow's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #13 – Clash Magazine's 50 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime[32]
- #13 – Gaffa's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #14 – Eye Weekly's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #14 – Super 45's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #15 – Playlouder's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #15 – Rock de Lux's Top 100 Albums[35]
- #16 – Hissing's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #17 – Popnews's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #17 – Refinery29's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #18 – Tiny Mix Tapes's Favorite 100 Albums of 2000–2009[37]
- #20 – Mojo's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #21 – Rate Your Music's Top Albums of 2006[58]
- #21 – Uncut's 150 Greatest Albums of the Decade[59]
- #23 – Mondo Sonoro's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #24 – Sonic's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #24 – OOR's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #25 – Les Inrockuptibles's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- #26 – The Times's 100 Best Albums of the Noughties[30]
- #32 – Gigwise's 50 Greatest Albums of the 2000s[29]
- #83 – Pitchfork Media's Top 200 Albums of the 2000s[27]
- #83 – Playground's Top 200 Albums[34]
- #92 – Musikexpress's The 100 Best Albums 1969–2009[33]
- No Order – Allmusic's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- No Order – BBC's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- No Order – Hervé Bourhis's 555 Records[41]
- No Order – Glide's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- No Order – Sentire Ascoltare's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- Nominee – Shortlist Prize's Top Albums of 2006[41]
- Special Mention – The Guardian's 1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die[31]
References
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- ^ Matthew Solarski (2007-10-22). "Joanna Newsom with Orchestra". http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/46550-photos-joanna-newsom-with-orchestra-milwaukee-wi-102107. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
- ^ "Ys reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/newsomjoanna/ys. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
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External links
- Pitchfork Media news report
- Official press release (PDF)
- Unedited transcript of interview with The Wire
- Interview with Pitchfork Media
- Website of Benjamin Vierling, painter of Ys cover
Joanna Newsom Albums EPs Singles "Sprout and the Bean" · "What We Have Known"Related articles Categories:- 2006 albums
- Joanna Newsom albums
- New Weird America albums
- Drag City albums
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