¤ milky moon ¤ • View topic

by **ursulabear** on 21 Mar 2011, 23:02

Go Long is just so overwhelmingly beautiful. Gilded with the gold teeth of the women who loved you is just WOW.
Inflammatory Writ, Baby Birch, and Erin are three of my most favourite Joanna songs. Inflammatory Writ is so bright, so sparkling. But there is so much elegance and melancholy in Baby Birch. Erin is the sweetest, loveliest little gem. I think it gets overlooked at times.
It was really hard to choose between Sprout & the Bean, GIPC, and Ribbon Bows. GIPC makes me teary-eyed, bringing back happy memories. Ribbon Bows is one of my favourites from HOOM, because it is very MEM-ish. But Sprout and the Bean is so beautiful.
This Side of the Blue, Bess, and What We Have Known are all lovely, but Bess never really stood out to me.
But don't get me wrong. It was reallyreallyreallyreallyreally hard to choose.

by **Steve** on 21 Mar 2011, 23:44

Congratulations, ursulabear, on being the 100th poster to this thread!

I agree with your last observation, concerning You & Me, Bess. And also your praise for Erin, to which I would also add Flying A Kite. What We Have Known is a powerful and often-overlooked song, too...

by **doublewuzzy** on 22 Mar 2011, 04:24

by **doublewuzzy** on 22 Mar 2011, 04:25

Basically all the songs win. TOURNAMENT OVER.

by **beverley** on 22 Mar 2011, 07:01

by **polliwog** on 22 Mar 2011, 07:20

Definitely You & Me, Bess

by **u-som** on 22 Mar 2011, 18:24

Group 1: - Monkey & Bear
Group 2: - You And Me, Bess
Group 3: - Sawdust & Diamonds
Group 4: - Go Long
Group 5: - Flying A Kite
Group 6: - Sadie
Group 7: - On A Good Day
Group 8: - Erin
Group 9: - Sprout And The Bean
Group 10: - Only Skin
Group 11: - In California
Group 12: - Peach, Plum, Pear
Group 13: - Have One On Me
Group 14: - The Book Of Right-On / Cosmia
Group 15: - Easy
Group 16: - Emily

http://www.last.fm/user/soranemo · by **LawnsOfDawns** on 23 Mar 2011, 18:44

I think it is sort of interesting that the only Ys song to come under any real fire is Cosmia, and that's against a heavy hitter like Right-On.

Also, I feel like 'What We Have Known' needs to get a bit more rep in the 'you and me bess'--'this side of the blue' discussion. I chose 'this side of the blue' for really one main reason:

"And I do not know my own way to the sea
But the saltiest sea knows it's own way to me"

This is strange because usually I am apathetic about lyrics, but holy damn.

by **Steve** on 23 Mar 2011, 19:30

LawnsOfDawns - they're interesting points you make about Cosmia and What We Have Known.

I wonder, too, if these two songs suffer from their placement - Cosmia coming after the utterly absorbing Only Skin which runs through such a rainbow of styles and emotions that every receptor has already been tickled, and What We Have Known as a B-side or on one of the early EPs.

For reasons that may be linked to this, I find myself listening to and enjoying the Ys Street Band version of Cosmia more, now, than the Ys album version. The bowed saws and the little harp / banjo(?) / percussion rhythm that establishes itself a couple of minutes into the EP version are incredible. As regards the version on Ys, this is perhaps the one track where I can see (just about) what those critics of the orchestration were getting at when they say it was intrusive (though I would not go that far, of course - it's still excellent, but perhaps just a little 'detached' at one or two moments); but I feel the "and miss" climax is more savage and fulfilling on the album, and the segment from "beneath the porch-light" to "will you call me when you get there" is even more of an epiphany than on the simpler EP version.

Analysed at its most basic level, the EP version is 6 minutes longer, and where Joanna is concerned, more is more!

by **Ann** on 25 Mar 2011, 08:08

Group 1: - Monkey & Bear
Group 2: - You And Me, Bess
Group 3: - Sawdust & Diamonds
Group 4: - Go Long
Group 5: - Flying A Kite
Group 6: - Colleen
Group 7: - Kingfisher
Group 8: - Inflammatory Writ [I cannot believe I'm voting against Baby Birch!]
Group 9: - Sprout And The Bean
Group 10: - Only Skin
Group 11: - In California
Group 12: - Peach, Plum, Pear
Group 13: - Yarn And Glue
Group 14: - The Book Of Right-On
Group 15: - Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie
Group 16: - Emily

Agh, I never realized how hard it'd be to choose some of these. It feels so terrible not choosing I song I absolutely adore just because another is slightly more important to me. I feel like apologizing to the songs I didn't choose or something. Poor things.

by **Steve** on 25 Mar 2011, 09:56

Thank you, Ann, for your votes - the 17th to respond so far. I go along with your misgivings about having to make choices in some of the harder groups, and know exactly how you feel.

In the First Round, 23 people cast votes, so I hope that we are able to match this in the remaining 6½ days of voting in Round Two.

by **Headless_Caboose** on 27 Mar 2011, 19:36

Group 1: Monkey & Bear
Group 2: You and Me, Bess
Group 3: Sawdust & Diamonds
Group 4: Go Long
Group 5: No Provenance/Swansea
Group 6: Colleen
Group 7: Kingfisher
Group 8: Baby Birch
Group 9: Good Intentions Paving Co.
Group 10: Only Skin
Group 11: In California
Group 12: Peach, Plum, Pear
Group 13: Have One On Me
Group 14: Cosmia
Group 15: Easy
Group 16: Emily

Group 5 was especially difficult for me. No Provenance is one of my favourites from HOOM. I can listen to it over and over and I always find it magical and dream-like. I was disappointed that it was not better liked in the first round of voting. However, now it is up against Swansea, which is one of my MEM favourites. It's such a wild and mysterious song.

I wanted to mention earlier that in the initial round of voting a song was left out: the live collaboration of Robin Pecknold and Joanna covering "Picture" by Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock. I would have mentioned this earlier but I was not registered until now (this is my first post to this forum).

I have never heard the original (and probably would not be into it) but I think their cover version is really fun. It probably would not have made it past the first round anyway, but for the sake of being comprehensive I thought I'd mention it.

by **Steve** on 28 Mar 2011, 08:03

Good morning Headless_Caboose - welcome to the forum and thank you for letting this thread be your introduction to it.

Thank you, too, for pointing out the omission of 'Picture': I watched your link, and realised that I'd seen it before, so I've no excuses for missing it. I will find a way to include it in the next round, if only for completeness. Like you, I've not heard the original, but I did find the Joanna Newsom / Robin Pecknold version enjoyable. Watching the video, you have to feel sorry for the trombone guy - he looks so self-conscious. However, his role does, I suppose, offer a few compensations ;)

by **Jordan~** on 28 Mar 2011, 15:14

And congratulations on possibly being the first new user to get in following the now hopefully resolved bot problem.

by **Headless_Caboose** on 28 Mar 2011, 20:18

Hi Steve. Thanks for implementing this thread. It's very enjoyable so far.

I hadn't noticed the trombone player's awkwardness until now. However, I can't feel too bad for him. I'd do far more embarrassing things if it meant sharing the company of Ms. Newsom. :luv:

by **Steve** on 28 Mar 2011, 21:45

Thank you for your kind words, Headless_Caboose: it makes it worthwhile to know that people are enjoying it.

I just watched the Pictures video again after reading your comments, and found myself wondering ... who is the orange lady, and why does she disappear at the end?

by **polliwog** on 28 Mar 2011, 22:18

Group 1: - Monkey & Bear
Group 2: - You And Me, Bess
Group 3: - Occident
Group 4: - Does Not Suffice
Group 5: - Swansea
Group 6: - Colleen
Group 7: - On A Good Day
Group 8: - Inflammatory Writ
Group 9: - Sprout And The Bean
Group 10: - Only Skin
Group 11: - In California
Group 12: - Peach, Plum, Pear
Group 13: - Have One On Me
Group 14: - Cosmia
Group 15: - Easy
Group 16: - '81

Ask me again tomorrow and it might be different.

by **matt** on 30 Mar 2011, 16:56

Group 1: - Monkey & Bear
Group 2: - This Side Of The Blue
Group 3: - Sawdust & Diamonds
Group 4: - Go Long
Group 5: - Swansea
Group 6: - Sadie
Group 7: - On A Good Day
Group 8: - Baby Birch
Group 9: - Good Intentions Paving Co.
Group 10: - Only Skin
Group 11: - In California
Group 12: - = Peach, Plum, Pear
Group 13: - Have One On Me
Group 14: - Cosmia
Group 15: - Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie
Group 16: - Emily

by **Steve** on 30 Mar 2011, 18:15

Thank you, polliwog and matt for your votes. Don't forget, voting closes tomorrow, so if you are thinking of making your choices for this round, you only have just under 18 hours to do so.

Matt - I have taken your votes exactly as listed, and ignored the "=" sign that appears in Group 12. Please let me know straightaway if you intended that to be a tied vote, and if so, whether it was with 'En Gallop' or Rock Bottom Riser.

by **Steve** on 31 Mar 2011, 14:47

Ah well - my attempts to chivvy the stragglers along didn't work, but there is still 1 day (almost) left to post your Second Round votes. 12 noon (BST) on Friday 1st April, I said up there, and I'm sticking with that. Guess who got his dates mixed up?

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