The Milk-Eyed Mender (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Joanna Newsom (harp, harpsichord, Wurlitzer organ).

Photographer: Alisa Anderson.

Unknown Contributor Role: Emily Prince.

Joanna Newsom plays the harp, looks like an elf princess, and sings in a squeaky child-like voice, all of which contribute to her unique charm. Like her pal and frequent collaborator Devendra Banhart, she's also a shining light of the early 2000s neo-folk movement, which bonds quirky wordplay and fuzzy eccentricity with a deep reverence for authentic rural folk.

Whether accompanying herself on harp, harpsichord, or piano, Newsom plunges into the archaic depths of American roots music and cherry-picks the most heartbreaking passages, weaving everything together with lyrics of shockingly formal eloquence that present dense poetic imagery in the vein of BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME-era Dylan. Songs like "Sprout and the Bean," "Peach, Plum, Pear," and "Sadie" weave enough elaborate visions for a dozen ballads, adding something more than the expected folksy tweeness. Throughout THE MILK-EYED MENDER, Newsom's lulling harp and odd vocalizing combine to create something utterly original, yet deeply familiar, standing firm at the crossroads between outsider art and genuine brilliance. minimize