Ys

Beautiful.

God help me…I liked it. Like, a lot. Ren fair bullshit usually annoys the piss out of me and, honestly, it does with this album as well. But if I ignore the unforgivably stupid lyrics, it’s an outstanding album. I don't think I can quite give it a 4 because I think it's listenability is HEAVILY dependent on mood, but it's a strong 3.5.

I'll give it one star for the cover art and one star for the bloke on YouTube who said this saved him from committing suicide. It already had a star to begin with but that isn't much.

Absolutely love this album, although I admit it did take me quite a few listens to come around to it. Her voice is definitely an acquired taste, but her harp playing is fantastic and the lyrics are so detailed and meaningful. I think I first heard it around 2014/2015, then got really into it when her new album Divers came out, which I also love. If I could make every boomer who thinks all modern music is terrible listen to this 3 times, I would. Honestly much better than at least 50% of the folk rock in this book so far.

This is my third-favorite album by her, but it’s the one most beloved by critics and the fanbase. I think she’s the best lyricist working today.

Emily: a chorus? Weird.

M&B: Monkey’s speech reminds me of Donald Trump. His love for his followers is just and earnest. They just need to unlearn their allegiance to this life of service and follow him. And as long as they keep their fancy clothes on for a little while longer and dance appropriately, the reward of the bountiful hills will be theirs.

S&D: The idea of a lost baby (miscarriage? abortion?) waiting for you in the afterlife is heartbreaking.

The “I wasn’t born of a thistle” part, so good. “Enough of this terror, we deserve to know light.”

Only Skin: I know it’s not the point of the song, I know it’s not a love song (or at least not an unambiguous love song like we’re used to in pop music), but “I’m starving and freezing in my measly old bed / I’ll crawl cross the salt flats to stroke your sweet head” is a lovely phrase. Actually the whole part with Bill Callahan is amazing.

Cosmia: the one I’ve spent the least time with, this just means it’ll be my favorite five years from now.

An album that rewards repeat listens. Instrumentation and lyrics on point. Some people don’t like her voice but they are wrong.

What is this? Almost an hour long and just 5 tracks. Every song feels like some long winded medieval storytelling accompanied by bardcore instruments. Am I too dumb to get the appeal? I really don't wanna listen to it again.

This is a polarizing album! Count me on the "love it" side of the equation. Yes, Newsom has a bizarre voice, but it fits the material really well. Strong four.

Björk and Fiona Apple mashup. I don't care much for the harp..

Took me a few days to realise this was on Amazon music, then I quickly realised this wasn’t for me.

Her voice is somewhere between ok and cheese grater to my ears. The way she says "darling" and plenty of other words really gets on my nerves. The harp music is ok though. 2/5

The children of rich people need something to do with their lives also, you know.

I was touched. \"Little tufts of finch-down\"
A lot to unpack here, as they say. Glad to hear this highly unusual bit of poetry and harp come down the pipeline. Has an ancient feel, and I could listen to a good harpist all day, not being facetious. The words, though, overwhelm with power. Really well done. A surprise. Who knew?

An album that should be right up my alley, but one I can't get behind no matter how many times I give it a try. This one just doesn't work for me. 1.5/5

The freakiest thing I've encountered on this list so far. Familiar with it from around the time it was released, but haven't listened to it since. Still got a soft spot for it, for some reason. RIP Steve Albini.

Though I am grateful that I had to listen to this album, I don't believe that I will be listening to it too many more times in the future.

While I was listening to it, my daughter asked me if I was listening to Chinese Opera, which I thought was actually not too far off when you think about it.

Did not get a chance to read the lyrics, though I understand that this is part of the magic of this album.
Again, grateful it showed up on the list.... oh, and the first album that was not available to listen to on Spotify for me!

5 temas y 55 minutos. Esto promete. No está en Spotify. Producido por Albini. Es una acústica, folk, con arpa, que suena bien musicalmente y la voz de la cantante a ratos un poco Björk también encaja a la perfección. Interesante. La última canción sin ser la más larga me ha parecido insufrible.

Olipa kiinnostava levy! hieno instrumentaatio ja sanat, joihin tekee mieli palata. 4/5

Opening the first track and playing the first 5 seconds... *extreme wince face*... Oh man, this is going to be an experience.

Her singing voice is really bad. Like, really bad. And not just her voice, but the performance of it. It's like she's role-playing a crone from Macbeth at times, and other times as some kind of woodland nymph, caught up in a state of perpetual wonder at the natural world. The music around her is all dis-jointed and awkward. She occasionally juts in with this extreme shrill tone, and it would always make me jolt back in an alarmed manner.

I might actually quite dig some of the music if it wasn't accompanied by such an awful performance. But let's be honest, most of it sounds like cringey, medieval minstrel music, with artsy-fartsy poetic lyrics that are WAY too earnest.

I don't just dislike this, it makes me really annoyed. Awful.

OK, this is actually incredible.

4.5/5.0: Excellent

I was like yeah its pretty interesting and by the end I was inside a fairytale of sounds

Nervig quietschende Frauenstimme mit langen Balladen artigen Songs begleitet durch Harfe, Akkordeon und einem kleinen Streichorchester. Es wirkt wie von einer Bardin vorgetragen. Mich überzeugte das Gesamtwerk nicht.