With her narrow features, unworldly voice and almost supernatural command of the harp, Joanna Newsom has in the past been compared to an elf. But although the San Francisco singer's previous albums were suitably epic, her latest LP makes them look like mere flights of fancy. Clocking in at more than two hours and sprawling across a trilogy of discs, Have One on Me truly is her Lord of the Rings.
Musical supertankers such as this often gain a reputation for being unwieldy. Take the Beatles' White Album, for example, which feels like a scrapbook of disparate ideas in varying states of completion and with feet in different continents at the same time. But despite its immense length (most songs nudge the eight-minute mark) Have One on Me sounds incredibly well-honed. With its succinct orchestral arrangement and Newsom's fascinating lyrical and melodic constructions, it's incredibly difficult to find any wasted moments.
But just as the quality never dips, it also feels like there's surprisingly little variation between the 18 songs. Indeed, it's possible to think of the album as a single piece of music, albeit an incredibly ambitious one. Having played the record in its entirety four times, I still can't tell most of the songs apart. But it's vastness and impenetrability also holds the answer to some of its majesty.
In an age when musical careers can be built on an artist's prowess with a laptop, Newsom, with her thoroughly authentic blend of jazz, folk, world and classical elements, offers a hugely refreshing alternative to the prevailing approach. And that's before you even talk about the voice.
On her debut, 2004's The Milk-Eyed Mender, she sounded more Wicked Witch of the West than Dorothy, despite being just 22 at the time. Then on 2006's magnificent Ys, she transformed her tones into something that belonged in the court of King Henry VIII.
Here, Newsom has pulled off another transformation: she's learnt how to sing. The idiosyncratic squeaks and yelps that peppered previous vocal performances have been toned down and, in some places lost altogether, in favour of a silkier, more alluring touch.
Although Newsom seems to have made a conscious effort to become less odd (aside from choosing to release a triple album, that is) the singer hasn't exactly had her wings clipped. When taken in the context of its vast entirety, the album is no less rewarding than her previous works - although it certainly lacks the unabridged energy and sense of fun that made them such a delight.
But while the songstress has reined in some of her quirks, Joanna Newsom 3.0 is not a distillation of the old model. The album still boasts the swooping time changes and baffling song structures for which she has become known. The songs are also full of drama, passion and (as anyone who's witnessed Newsom's live show will testify) finger-numbingly intense harp playing.
While some might miss the impish excitement that exuded from her previous releases, there's more than enough wonderfulness here to explore for days. We all have to grow up some time; if only we could all do it so brilliantly.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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