"Leaving the City" is the second single from Joanna Newsom's forthcoming LP, Divers, which follows up 2010's magnificent Have One on Me. Words don't do Mrs. Newsom's music justice, so I'll keep it short: this song and the previously released first single, "Sapokanikan," are portents of absurdly good things. Divers will be the best album of 2015. This is based solely upon extrapolation from these two tracks, but after listening you will believe this as fervently as I do. This is presupposing that Radiohead's 9th LP won't come out in 2015, but if that isn't the case we have a title fight of epic proportions on our hands.
It has been five years since Joanna Newsom released her monumental triple album, Have One On Me, and we now have a taste of what is to come next. "Sapokanikan" is the first single from her upcoming double LP, Divers, and it is delightful. The sonic landscape is characteristically similar to Have One On Me, with Joanna playing piano in lieu of harp and Neal Morgan still blowing minds behind the drum kit, but the aesthetic is more well rounded thanks to the addition of a horn section and celeste (glockenspiel sounding miniature piano). The track is extremely dense and the lyrics deal with, among other things, the history of power exchanges in New York City. She references the transfer of power from Native American ruler King Tamanend to the Dutch settlers, on to their descendants, all the way to the 18th/19th century Tammany Hall political machine. She frames this theme from the first lyric: "The cause is Ozymandian/ The map of Sapokanikan," referencing Percy Shelley's iconic poem about the impermanence of sovereignty and power.
Check out the Paul Thomas Anderson directed video for "Sapokanikan" below
I knew very little about Jenny Owen Youngs until I heard this song a few weeks ago. And that was when I woke up. Let's have a listen. (And yes, the ending is brilliant.)
That piece of goodness is off Youngs' latest album, An Unwavering Band of Light, which is a must-listen for those of you who enjoy songwriting that's intelligent and undeniably honest. It's mostly filled with upbeat songs that you'll want on your next summer road trip, wherever that may be.
Or, maybe you're in Saint Louis and you want to hear them tonight at Off Broadway, where Youngs will be performing solo, opening for Tim Barry ($12, 8 PM). We recently asked her to take part in our 10 to Spin series, and true to form, she delivered with one of the best playlists we've seen.
MAGICAL REALISM These are ten songs that I find to be otherworldly and transportative, in their lyrics, instrumentation, performance, or some combination thereof. -- Jenny Owen Youngs
01. Sigur Ros: Svefn-g-englar
I first heard this song in a dark room lit only by white Christmas tree lights and thought, "Holy smokes, I am totally transcending"... or something. Upon later listens I realized that no matter where you are, this song seems to have a dark room with white Christmas tree lights just built INTO it. Meditative and beautiful.
02. Gregory & the Hawk: For the Best
Recently someone said to me that when it comes to music, a groove is good and a rut is bad, and any groove runs the risk of turning into a rut if you stay in it too long. This song is my exception to that rule. Sometimes I listen to it twenty times in a row.
03. Tom Waits: Down, Down, Down Tom Waits takes you to Hell (as usual)!!!!
04. Kate Bush: Hounds Of Love
For me, Kate Bush and Tom Waits occupy two sides of the same coin. Tom wants you in the gutter and Kate wants you in the clouds. I love the simple phrase "two steps on the water," and the idea of love hunting you (in dog form) so that it might rip you to shreds. YES.
05. Fanfarlo: I'm A Pilot
Listening to this song always makes me think of the pilot in The Little Prince. (I'm sure that has nothing to do with Fanfarlo's intent, but that's fine with me.) I love when the writer of a song leaves enough room to fit the listener inside, along with any free-association ideas they might be trailing.
06. Joanna Newsom: Peach, Plum, Pear
Follow her through the woods, down the valley path, to... Rivendell?
07. Deerhunter: Desire Lines
YES YES YES.
08. Chris Garneau: Fireflies
A spooky, jumpy song with a really perfect combination of disparate timbres. Comes paired with a gorgeous video that will delight no one as much as Legend of Zelda fans.
09. Built To Spill: Cortez the Killer (Neil Young & Crazy Horse)
That rare cover that equals (or perhaps exceeds) the original, which is its own kind of magic. Also its own kind of magic: Doug Martsch's guitar tone.
10. Young Buffalo: Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl
All the king's reverb. Another of my favorite covers, of one of my favorite songs, by one of my favorite bands.
Singer-songwriter Lauren Pritchard is a hard one to label, and that's a good thing. She's been compared to Adele, Norah Jones, and Carole King, but I'm not sure if any of those fit. I wish I could offer up a better comparison (in my mind, at least), but maybe Lauren Pritchard is sort of on her own soulful cloud. And that's really the best complement I could ever give her.
If you're not familiar with Pritchard's music, her wonderful debut album, Wasted in Jackson, included the song "Stuck," which has been turned into a pretty cool video. Take a moment, see if you like it.
Pritchard, who will be performing at The Firebird on April 10th, recently took the time to take part in our 10 to Spin series. She's got killer taste, as we expected.
The "Repeat" Playlist.
These are songs that I could stick on repeat and never take off. For one reason or another, I've grown to love these songs. Some of them make me really sad, so I don't turn them on that much; but each of them has an instant effect on my heart and mind and I like drifting off with them. I think it's healthy to listen to the same songs over and over. It's sort of like looking into those pictures of what you think is a blur and then you see the object that it makes after staring for a long time. I listen to a song over and over and I feel like I find the meaning. Though the person living next door or upstairs probably wants to strangle me for not changing the song, I don't mind. We can't help what we love, can we? I hope you make a repeat playlist of your own, too. --Lauren Pritchard
Jesus is Just Alright by The Doobie Brothers
This song always reminds me why I started playing music in the first place.
Down By The River by Neil Young
This song made me understand about letting love go away and how we all need to buck up sometimes.
Right On by The Roots feat. Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom's voice is gorgeous.
F**k You by Cee Lo Green
We all wish we'd written this song, and I sing it at the top of my lungs.
Brand New Key by Melanie
The innuendos in the lyrics make me giggle. I love this song.
I Can Change by LCD Soundsystem
Choon. Choon. Choon.
Jungle by Professor Green feat. Maverick Sabre
I love how Green speaks about life, so honest, and I love the tone of Maverick's voice. Gimme more.
Pop Life by Prince [listen]
He sums up our expectations for ourselves in this world, and he's not far off, in my opinion.
Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
The best anthem song of 2010. Like no other.
This Old Heart of Mine by The Isley Brothers
I dedicated this song to someone once. I still sorta feel that way.
A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to Irish born singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow and his impeccable single, "If I Had a Boat." McMorrow's debut record, Early in the Morning, will be released here in the U.S. tomorrow on Vagrant Records. We were able to catch up with James as he prepares for a UK tour this February. He kindly offered us a quick peek into what songs are currently on his playlist and why he is digging said tunes.
This is James Vincent McMorrow's 10 to Spin:
James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream
This record is going to be something I listen to for a long, long time. His voice is stunning, and I always admire a musician who embraces the space in a song rather than trying to fill it up with sounds just for the sake of it.
Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home
This new album sounds like a real departure. I can hear the Brian Deck production all over it. Sounds like an amazing record he did last year for his band, Califone. Sam Beam is the best lyricist around, in my humble opinion.
Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place
The way she arranges her harmonies is staggering. My love of stacked harmony is well documented, but the things she does with her voice absolutely baffle me.
Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers
She performed this song before me at a TV show taping in France earlier in the year; it just grabbed me from the first bar. She writes the best pop songs.
Kanye West - All of the Lights
The heaviness of the production on this song is brilliant. The drums are almost uncomfortably harsh. He's just got such a relentless vision for his work, so uncompromising.
Menomena - Dirty Cartoons
Mines was my favourite record from last year, and this was my favourite song off that record. I listen to it every time I'm on my way back home from being away, and it hits me like a freight train every single time.
Joanna Newsom - Jackrabbits
She is up there with Sam Beam as a lyricist; the stories and pictures she paints are so vivid and perfectly coloured.
The Low Anthem - Ghost Woman Blues
Their first record was a real grower for me. Once I got it, I really got it. This song is so ornate and delicate that it should be in a museum!
The Walkmen - Blue as Your Blood
Best guitar sound I've heard in the longest time; it's like a modern day sun recording. Saw them in Dublin late last year...truly a sight to behold.
Bruce Springsteen - Someday (We'll Be Together)
The fact that he wrote this and then decided it wasn't good enough at the time is baffling, but then that's why he's Bruce Springsteen and none of us are! You could spend a lifetime trying to write a song as good as this and not get even close to it.
