Amidst Chaos, an Oasis

How very thrilled was I to have opened a package with this:

That is the cover art (a William Eggleston piece) of Joanna Newsom & the Ys Street Band EP. The EP is recorded one night when Joanna and her band sat down and played a short-live set. It's quite remarkable for how fast and candid they recorded the songs. Three songs: "Colleen," "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie," and "Cosmia." Any coincidence with the C's? "Colleen" is the most polished I've heard of Newsom, it follows the same songwriting structure of her previous songs, but the use of multiple string instruments (banjo, harp, guitar) makes for a very theatrical melody. My favorite, however, is her reinterpretation of "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie," her voice is softer, more resonant, and the vocal harmony and slower tempo refines it as an unforgettable ballad, reminiscent of the best Simon & Garfunkel songs.

Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie - Joanna Newsom & the Ys Street Band

Introducing PEEL

Peel is not so new, after all, they've been a band for about three years, but their recently released self-titled LP is their first and like any first LPs, it is full of unyielding energy like the pop of a cork coming out of the bottle. The first song from the record "Oxford" really grabbed my attention, it shouts "listen to me, I'm about to be huge." They started with the line: "If I had my way I'd demolish every building of rock polished to shine so bright like headlights in the daytime." If that is not an assertion, I don't know what is.

In that same attitude, their music continues to be. Soundwise, they are every bit poppy, full of the sunny elements commonly found in your average Elephant 6 band. With that said, what makes Peel truly appealing is their ability to take a pop song and make it all sorts of disorganized. Only when the sweet chorus comes, do the cymbals crash to distort everything; guitar parts, horns, and synths whooze in and out, deconstructing the very bare bone they are suppose to support. It sounds exactly like five people who all have great instincts in songwriting working together, but also, throwing cautions to the wind and having a good time. Overall, a very exciting debut and a classic already.

Peel - Oxford