Comments on: Indie thrush Joanna Newsom’s faerie dust doesn’t work on everyone

By: Marilou Henner

Marilou Henner — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 18:33:19 +0000

-wank, wank, wank, wank-

By: Marilou Henner

Marilou Henner — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 18:32:36 +0000

She was born to sing like William Shatner was born to act well.

By: Geekoid

Geekoid — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:28:13 +0000

Well… I heard about this artist on a comedian’s website. He was asked the question “What sort of music makes *You* go wobbly”… I know now he was being facetious!

I had a listen to her new album. A few words to describe her music are:

Overly forced vibrato, very often
Excessively
Kate Bush copier (and a very poor one)
Horribly squeaky sometimes, especially with headphones.

I gave her a chance, but that music is gone. The songs themselves are pretty awesome, but her voice just destroys most of them.

By: Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:34:15 +0000

If you’re a “huge fan,” then spell her name correctly.

By: Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:32:25 +0000

How would you feel if you were born to sing and had that voice?

By: vkrtbynso qzwikuy

vkrtbynso qzwikuy — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:15:33 +0000

ljfdk uytfnkegw krwxlngqs mnoeb mwvdlr byihsuzr suhwm

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 12:11:40 +0000

oohh oohh…each to their own.
but for the love of everything good and holy, using a weird amalgam of child and old-woman accent to breathe out cryptic [or crazy] phrases whilst strumming a harp and looking pretty does not [universally] equate to skill.
maybe her difference is the only thing people are raving over, to make themselves sound more cultured…
eternal mystery.

By: furry_tom (Tim)

furry_tom (Tim) — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:50:09 +0000

RE: banana as potassium-rich fruit or banana as a metaphor for the military-industrial complex.
I was so disappointed when no one called me on this back then. I had this defense worked out where I’d compare Gwen’s head cheerleader shtick to the current climate of jingoism and tie in the lines “Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out” with Don DeLillo’s End Zone.

By: janine

janine — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 03:19:08 +0000

joanna newsom is a JOKE. just ask louisville, ky where she showed up late, played in a bar and complained about smoke noise and lights, and walked off stage mid-set. COMPLETELY TACTLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Kari

Kari — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:21:25 +0000

“Because despite being twee indie boys, they still feel the testosterone-driven need to care for and protect something, preferably female and smaller than them, and Newsom sounds like a perfect candidate”
Well, you don’t get much more sexist and misguided than that, now do you? Lord. If someone posted about “sh*t-kicking feminazis with too much testosterone wanting to beat up on some pansy” to describe why women like Sufjan Stevens, that wouldn’t fly, now would it? No need to strip someone of their masculinity for liking music. That throws all your cred right out the window for me pretty much immediately.
But there are more reasons this argument isn’t credible.
I am a woman, and not twee nor indie nor hipster. In fact, I’m pretty “normal”, whatever that is. In fact, I almost immediately dismissed this album because I feared of joining the ranks of the normal hipster crowd drooling over music that’s not actually very good.
This album is not one of those things. Newsom is taking cues from people like Bjork, etc. and making something that is decidedly her own. She’s no wilting flower, in fact, she’s writing fierce and powerful music that implies anything BUT delicacy. Conversely, there’s a strength in this album that is right up there with Tori Amos and the like. She’s going to be a formidable presence in music for years to come.
Now, whether you like that or not is entirely up to you. However, saying you listened to a “teensy bit” does not qualify you to review an album, or impose some ridiculous misconception that Newsom has made bad music simply because it offended your delicate sensibilities and you don’t like her voice. I don’t like Tom Waits’ voice but I’d never say he’s a bad songwriter. I don’t think anyone, Newsom fan or foe, should listen to what you have to say, because you didn’t listen to the album. You listen to the whole thing and then review it, maybe what you have to say will matter.