User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 373 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 309 out of 373
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Mixed: 16 out of 373
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Negative: 48 out of 373
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- Most helpful
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MinMinNov 16, 2006Poor. Over-hyped and unlistenable by virtue of her voice.
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HGDec 7, 2006If Joanna Newsom went mute tomorrow the world would be a better place. Her voice is painful to listen to: it is better suited for singing in the shower. I like folk music. I like harps. Joanna Newsom's voice distracts me past any point of reason and deters me from even trying to listen to any talent she has for playing the harp or writing lyrics.
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AamieDec 8, 2006Like others have said, her voice is like nails on a chalkboard... How can anyone listen to this? Seriously? Do any of you rating it 10 really like it or do you just want to appear to be 'arty' or something?
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DanitaMJan 14, 2007
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ColbyS.Jul 2, 2007High aspirations here? Yes. Musical talent? To some degree. But for the love of God, listening to this woman ramble on like a Vietnamese child tripping out on LSD is too grating to listen to for an average song length of four minutes, let alone twenty-five. The reviewers just liked this because it was different and may have made them sound cultured for a few days. That's my only guess.
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EusebioP.Sep 7, 2009
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JPubliusNov 14, 2006The harp's nice. Newsom's voice sounds like the midget from Poltergeist Lyrics make as much sense as a Yes album. This will be on every critics top 10 list, and nobody will listen to it for more than five minutes.
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ChrisJan 12, 2007Remember the creepy kid from The Grudge? Yeah, she sounds like him.
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SteveJan 15, 2007This is 50 minutes of noise without a single memorable melody, with the added bonus of a voice I
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JamsieJMar 28, 2007I listened to this cd in the shop. I tried to like it but the vocals reminded me of a feline squirming after someone had stood on its tail by accident. Would have been nice if the songs weren't so drawn-out and the vocals weren't so preposterous/off-putting.
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AaronSNov 15, 2006I don't know whay everyone else is hearing, but this is the single worst release in 2006. Newsom's vocals are beyond bad and the album itself is very overproduced. Awful.
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JoSMay 29, 2007
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DavidM.Feb 25, 2008I'll never understand why these sprawling idiosyncratic croonings constitute a great work--and that's coming from a fan of Tori Amos and Kate Bush!!
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michaelsDec 18, 2006
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JacobB.Mar 10, 2010I'm speechless. Just terrible. I heard someone compare her to Dylan and laughed in their face.
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JonoSNov 27, 2006Sometimes she just sings without really singing a melody. Other times, she has a melody but it's a totally unremarkable one. The arrangements would be nice if it weren't for the fact that the vocals are supposed to integrate into them. Not only do the arrangements lack coherence, but so do the different moments of the songs.
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sturnbNov 28, 2006I don't get this. First Sulfjan Stevens, The Decembrists now this...Maybe there is some intellectual payoff at the end of this pretentious self fellating journey but who cares? What happened to having pop songs? This ain't Tolstoy so why pretend it is?
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doesitmatterJan 19, 2007Annoying.
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tpMar 8, 2007i am disappointed i had to give a rating of at least 0, i would have given it -1. her voice irritates me to NO END. i wonder why she is even allowed to record an album??!!??!!?????
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pix1011Aug 31, 2007I just can't get through this album... I've managed to listen to half of each of the tracks, but just don't get it! It's rough stuff!!! Maybe I should start listening to the Top 40 charts or something 'cos I just don't get some of the stuff getting all this hype these days!?
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MattD.Nov 13, 2006Less grating than The Milk-Eyed Mender, but it's without personality. Sounds like a bad soundtrack to a fantasy movie. If you want something different, try Nellie McKay or Loreena McKennitt.
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nightchapelkNov 15, 2006awful. 50+ minutes long and she is singing for 48 of those minutes. I would love to hear the version sans vocals.
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KenHNov 24, 2006This is by far the most overrated album of the year. Just awful
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TedB.Nov 27, 2006Newsom should have stuck to voice work in commercials and cartoons rather than thinking she could sing.
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happysadNov 28, 2006Another neo-folk (or whatever you call it) record pretty much completely devoided of any soul or passion...or memorable tunes for that matter, having a gimmicky voice is just not enough I'm afraid. String arrangements are nice though...
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JennaJamesonDec 1, 2006
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andrewDec 15, 2006
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jaybDec 3, 2006Snooze fest. Too much hype on nothing. You can guarantee it'll get four to five stars from most meatheads...
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grubDec 6, 2006one of the worst sounding, most indigestible CDs I've heard. yet the songs are amazing. what happened?
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KyleVJan 25, 2007i think i can sing better : and thats saying some thing
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Awards & Rankings
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It’s to her great credit that Newsom (literally) plucks artistic triumph from the jaws of cloying whimsy.
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It may well be the most off-putting album released this year. After playing it, there seems every chance it is the also the most astonishing.
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Newsom has managed to lessen the twee factor of her last record... in the process crafting an album as bewitching as it is odd.