Joanna Newsom - Ys

Joanna Newsom followed up her little masterpiece of a debut with a great big second album. Made up of five epic suites, and boasting string arrangements from a certain Mr. Van Dyke Parks, this is no ordinary record; it’s both musically spellbinding and lyrically sublime, as Parks’ flowing orchestration meshes wonderfully with Newsom’s harp. ‘Only Skin’ contains a stunningly beautiful passage about a seemingly dead bird that suddenly takes flight, while the tender image of Joanna’s sister Emily teaching her about meteorites in the sky is unforgettable. (Shane Murphy)