A harpist’s voice and instrument hold court over 55 minutes of orchestral tape — no compromises, no chorus, no title track.
Ys is Joanna Newsom’s second studio album, released November 14, 2006, by Drag City. It features full orchestral arrangements by Van Dyke Parks on four of its five tracks. Harp and vocals were recorded by Steve Albini in December 2005 at Village Recording Studio; orchestration was recorded by Tim Boyle in May–June 2006 at Entourage Studios. The album was mixed by Jim O'Rourke to tape and mastered at Abbey Road Studios. Its five long-form songs explore grief, illness, and relationship turmoil, referencing the mythical Breton city of Ys. There is no title track.
Van Dyke Parks arranged orchestral parts for four of five tracks — and played accordion on them.
2:36
Analog in two phases
Harp and voice were tracked dry by Steve Albini on analog tape; orchestra was tracked separately by Tim Boyle; final mix went to tape and was mastered at Abbey Road.
3:53
A road trip changed the sound
Newsom and Parks co-produced — a collaboration sparked when Bill Callahan recommended Parks’ Song Cycle on a road trip.
5:40
Built for the concert hall
Released November 2006 by Drag City — then performed live in 2008 with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Film placements are the ones described in each film's own entry, so the list is partial rather than complete.
Worth your time?
Yes. Hear the whole thing.
4.5/ 5
What works
the harp’s plucked clarity cuts through the orchestral density
Newsom’s vocal delivery — precise, unvarnished, unblinking — holds the ear even at 16:53
the analog tape saturation gives warmth without softening edges
What does not
offers verse-chorus relief
foregrounds Newsom’s earlier polyrhythmic harp work
includes a track called 'Ys'
uses digital recording or editing
Hear it if
listeners who treat albums as rooms to inhabit, not playlists to skim
people drawn to orchestral ambition anchored by acoustic intimacy
Skip it if
those who rely on tempo, groove, or lyrical immediacy
The written brief1 min read
What the record is and where it came from
Joanna Newsom’s second studio album. Co-produced with Van Dyke Parks. Released November 14, 2006, by Drag City. Recorded in two phases: harp and vocals in December 2005 at Village Recording Studio; orchestration in May–June 2006 at Entourage Studios — both in Los Angeles.
How it sounds, and how it was made
It sounds like harp and voice recorded dry and close by Steve Albini on analog tape, then swaddled in Van Dyke Parks’ orchestral arrangements — strings, brass, woodwinds — captured separately by Tim Boyle on the same analog setup. Jim O’Rourke mixed it to tape at Abbey Road Studios. The orchestra appears on four of five tracks. Parks plays accordion. Lee Sklar’s bass, Grant Geissman’s electric guitar, Don Heffington’s percussion, and Matt Cartsonis’ mandolin and banjo are all present but buried beneath or woven into the orchestral fabric.
What lands
The harp’s plucked clarity cuts through the orchestral density. Newsom’s vocal delivery — precise, unvarnished, unblinking — holds the ear even at 16:53. The analog tape saturation gives warmth without softening edges.
What does not
It does not offer verse-chorus relief. It does not foreground Newsom’s earlier polyrhythmic harp work. It does not include a track called ‘Ys’. It does not use digital recording or editing.
The ideas inside it
Grief, illness, and relationship turmoil. The five tracks reference or are named after the mythical Breton city of Ys. There is no title track.
Who should hear it, and who should not
Listeners who treat albums as rooms to inhabit, not playlists to skim. People drawn to orchestral ambition anchored by acoustic intimacy. Not for those who rely on tempo, groove, or lyrical immediacy.
Is it worth your time
Yes — if you want to hear how a harpist’s voice and instrument can anchor an album built for scale, not brevity. No — if you need rhythm, repetition, or space between ideas.
