Joanna Newsom
| [Title] | Sprout and the Bean |
| [Composer] | Joanna Newsom |
| [Perfomer] | Joanna Newsom |
| [Music Link] | Click here |
| [OMS Rating] | 199 |
Joanna Newsom (click here for Wikipedia article on Joanna Newsom) is an emerging star in the category of “indie rock” - although many listeners do not consider her part of that or any other category. The music link above gives a good idea of what her music is like. Some people consider her music “quirky”, some people like it, some don’t. Here’s what OMS has to say about it:
The above performance is rated at 199. This puts it in the same ratings neighborhood as “Blue Danube Waltz”, “White Christmas”, “Sex Machine”.
It is definitely above “Rockin Robin”, “Amazing Grace”, “Stars and Stripes Forever”
It is definitely below “All Blues (Miles Davis)”, “Stardust”
Joanna’s sound is an “acquired taste”. But it is a rich, stimulating sound - it’s not a gimmick. It’s got plenty of stimulative hooks, so we think that this is an “easily acquired taste”. (With music, quirky/odd can be an enhancement, not a defect.)
In quite a few respects, the music is very conventional/non-stimulating (e.g. harmonic, dynamics, rhythm, pulse, …). This may be part of the reason some people perceive her music as “child-like”. The conventional/non-stimulating elements are not necessarily a defect (Beethoven would combine non-conventional with conventional; so did Scriabin; etc etc)
Potential pitfalls for Joanna’s kind of music:
[a] Allowing conventional materials in her music thru inattention rather than thru purpose.
[b] Failing to evolve over time. I would hope that 10 years from now, her OMS charts look quite different.