12. Joanna NewsomYs
Oh, god. Where to start? It’s a masterpiece, an absolute masterpiece. Is it her best? Well, that’s all relative because all of her stuff is just ridiculous. For me, it’s just the most outlandishly, ridiculously unfathomable work of art. On every level. You have these unbelievably long, beautifully orchestrated, totally original songs based around the harp and her voice. It has all of these movements and the most incredible songwriting. I don’t really get into lyrics all that much but when it’s her she paints a picture as well as any established artist, any poet. That line, "As if the sky was breathing on a mirror", that whole line – just wow. I saw her play in Brooklyn in 2008 and I didn’t have a ticket, and the day crept on, so I searched Craigslist and someone who was sick wanted to sell their seat at cost. So I went and she played the entire record with an orchestra, and I was just blown away. She’s special and not many humans on this planet can make art like this. You just cannot believe that a person can pull this kind of thing off. She’s superhuman.
