Emily [MP3]
Cosmia [MP3]
Between 1848 and 1874 Richard Wagner made his attempt to create an ultimate work of art by creating his Ring Cycle. Four operas, totaling in 15 hours. Through stories loosely based on Germanic paganism, he create an encompassing work of art, a most powerful (and Wagnerian) work of art, which holds over its plot an entire cultural world. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe created Faust, on its two parts, between 1772 and 1832 (with only his death putting an end to the creative process). Faust also envelopes in it, upon the plot, a whole world of cultural ideas and references. Faust is over 12000 lines long, covering around 700 pages. It seems as if both men tried to summarize an entire cultural world in their works, and not just tell a story or deliver a message. Both pieces are lengthliy and full of cultural references, which it mights take the reader a life time to wholly uncover.
Joanna Newsom in her new album - YS - seems to wish to create her ultimate work of art. She takes her time, and the songs develop to enchanting tales of up to almost 17 minutes. The record contains only five tracks, but each track is a huge piece, containing both her elfish storytelling and a full fledged instrumental creation, both entwined one into the other, but both stand as brilliant on their own, and together from a true masterpiece. Joanna wished to do a lot, like great people before, and, like them, succeeded in creating a wholesome work of art, which, in a similar way to some progressive rock albums, manages to catch the listener and attract him into her world, her whole cultural world. This record is not just an idea, it’s not just a single message, it’s a whole cultural universe.
Links:
Joanna Newsom @ Dragcity
Milkymoon (fan site)