Joanna Newsom's new record, Ys, consists of five long songs. Half way through the third song, the exact center of the record, the music climaxes. The second half of the record falls just as the first built. It's a perfectly symmetrical song cycle. A stunning achievement. Textures from Vespertine come to mind, but the songs, the lyrics, the subjects, the swelling strings, feel more like a play, a stage production, an epic play. There are moments--usually background parts--where her voice crawls out of its childish, mid-register nook and sails above the music that send chills up my spine.

Check out the credits! Van Dyke Parks (yes, of Smile fame) arranged it. Albini recorded it. O'Rourke produced it. Bill Callahan sings on it. It was mastered at Abbey Road studios. All of these contributors are evident in the final product. What a dream team. I wish I could pipe other great records (Graceland or Blood On the Tracks) through this production team.

This is a special album where Newsom is established as a musical giant. A musical giant.