Customer Reviews

Sprout & The Bean

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

One of the more charming songs on Joanna Newsom's debut "Milk Eyed Mender" is a charming little harp-folk ballad, "Sprout and the Bean." This single features that song, and tacks on another little freak-folk melody that isn't quite as good, but still quite solid.

"I slept all day/awoke with distaste/and I railed/and I raved," Newsom sings in her fairy-on-acid voice, over a bed of harp strings that ripple or twang, and grow more urgent and fast-paced as the song progresses. "That the difference between/the sprout and the bean/is a golden ring/it is a twisted string..." It's all full of kings, boats, fairy tale atmospheres, and men in white coats -- time in an asylum, perhaps?

It's followed by the stranger "What We Have Known." It's a more lo-fi song, but the harp is less flamboyant and Newsom sounds like she's circling around the listener, crooning slyly in their ear. It's not as intriguing as the elusive "Sprout and the Bean," but it is fairly interesting.

Either you love Newsom, or you hate her -- her bizarro music, tripped-out childlike vocals and spare harp are all very unique. The "Sprout and the Bean" single is probably a good place to become acquainted with her style, and figure out whether you like what she turns out.

Her music is almost entirely harp, played like a quirky folk guitar, and the melodies that spill out of it are raw and unadorned. But her voice is what really makes it stand out -- she sounds like a tripping pixie, always with a note of wonder in her voice. Again, either you'll love her cracked, trippling voice for its bizarre charm, or you'll hate it because it's not typical.

The same applies to her obscure lyrics -- it's hard to tell exactly what these poetry-like lyrics are about, but Newsom brings across a sense of urgency and tragedy. ("We can't remember what was spoke/so we stare in wonder at the smoke/what it begets is born alone/we know not now what we have known...")

"Sprout and the Bean" is a good place to get acquainted with Joanna Newsom's trickling freak-folk, her harp, and her weird voice. Definitely worth hearing.

If you love Joanna's unique sound and lyrics like those heard on her last full-length "The Milk-Eyed Mender" then you'd probably appreciate this two track disc which contains a more heartfelt and less 'studio' version of 'Sprout and the Bean' as well as an unreleased track 'What We Have Known' which I think is a great track and likely ranked amongst her best works.

Her music is very rare and extraordinary, but it is not for everyone. Some people can't handle her voice and therefore dislike her. But if you listen real close, she will make you happy.

as we wait impatiently for joanna's next full-length, we have this little EP to help tide us over. this EP features the superb "sprout and bean" video, which i was eager to get having gotten hooked on joanna through the much poorer-quality video from her label's site. this EP also includes one new 6-minute track w/ joanna, as w/ most of her debut album, on solo harp. the track isn't quite an immediate must-have, and it's nice and gentle (rather like "en gallop" if you know the album), but if you're like me it'll give you the same chills as all her songs do. in short, as w/ EPs in general if you're a big fan you'll love this o/w try the album first.

the best part of this is the high quality video of sprout and bean. brilliant video to match a brilliant song. great to see footage of joanna too. i get the chills over and over when i watch this video. simply precious.

...if you have ecclectic taste in music.

music is art - and as such the beauty is in the "EAR" of the beholder.

my ears (and my girlfriends) found it totally unique... from simplicity, to her voice, to her references to albert camus!!!

so if you are looking for something different - give this little lady a try - she deserves it.
kick back, relax with a bottle of wine, and dream on....................

This was a great single...I loved finally being able to see the music video for sprout and the bean....everywhere I could find it, it was low quality....but its perfect on the CD

The supposed brilliance of this song and this "singer" (and I use that term loosely) totally escapes me. I don't mean to be unkind--really I don't--but this woman's voice sounds like Lisa Simpson's voice if she took up singing. The affected enunciation and "widdowl baybee" phrasing gets old V E R Y quickly.

No question. Ms. Newsom is a talented harpist. Perhaps her next recording will be instrumental?

Joanna Newsom sounds like a 4 year old Fran Drescher. Yes, her voice is really that awful and she goes out of her way to make it worse with extra contortions and warbling. The starbucks-groupies and folk-posers here will say its her best trait, but I am sure after you listen to the sample tracks you'll agree that it's crap. Noone was asking her to sound like Britney Spears or Mariah Carey, but even a frog with strep throat can do better than this. If you are dumb enough to buy this CD watch closely as she twists her her mouth and neck in painful-looking ways to force those awful sounds. That's right folks, she's just a sham using this voice technique as a cheap gimmick. The proof is in the music video, she is FAKING IT.

For playing one instrument, the medoly is SPARSE, often emptying out completely into acapella, which considering her voice, are awful moments in the song.

Her lyrics aren't "clever" or "witty" or "charming." They are a horrible mix of "post-punk" blunt messages intermixed with random 8 syllable words to make inscrutable rhymes. She probably wrote something close to a real song, then used the thesaurus to change everything into out of place million dollar phrases and words. At this point the not-so-cute dichotomy of the intellectually snobby, yet bluntly simple lyrics do nothing to aid the horrible voice and sparse, jarring instrumentals.


I'm sorry to say but there is truly nothing redeeming about this music, not practically or theoretically. Save your time and money, and you if are "already" a fan, attempt to regain your sanity.