Coldbrain.

I’m looking forward to getting the new Joanna Newsom album, Have One On Me.

(I’ll get it the next time I go shopping. Without particularly realising, I’ve gone almost download-only over the past few years. This is strange, considering how much attention I’ve paid to the physical vs. digital battle over the same period. I’d just not paid the same attention to my own buying habits. Huh.)

In any case, I’m after the physical copy for the artwork and booklet. Newsom’s lyrics err on the side of densely witty, high-brow confessional, and I think I’ll prefer to have her hold my hand as I traverse through the upwards-of-two-hour running time.

Newsom’s voice on the new album seems a million miles from the Ralph Wiggum-inspired efforts of The Milk-Eyed Mender and Ys. I don’t mean that in the insulting way it probably appears - there’s a real charm to it, and it suits the music, particularly the spare harp arrangements of the former. But from what I’ve heard of the new record, she’s actually singing. This is neither better nor worse (although I’m sure it’s better for her voice in the long run), it’s just different. And different is better in its own way.

Huh? Let me try and explain.

How artists develop has always interested me. Newsom’s journey mirrors that of Elliott Smith, to a certain extent; I completely fell for the home-spun voice and guitar of Smith’s early albums, and watched (and listened) with much interest as he developed, incorporating strings and brass and giving it the full-on studio treatment.

Smith always stated that, with his increased budget and artistic freedom, he was able to ‘paint’ his songs in the way that he had always heard them in his head. I’ve not heard Newsom’s thoughts on this matter, specifically. But I’d wager that they are similar.

There’s an insistent struggle between an artist’s early output and the art they produce after the first flush of success. Those first albums (or paintings, or stories, or software products, or whatever) are often fan favourites, as that is what grab and introduce us to them in the first instance. But we can then watch them develop their style.

Artists who struggle on, trying to replicate that first great album, will more often than not fall by the wayside.

Artists shouldn’t be afraid to develop their style or try new ideas. Whilst most artists should focus on the ‘thing’ they do, a greater appreciation of what you can do within that ‘thing’ is important.

Newsom’s new album requires the listener’s attention. She has explored new areas within her chosen field. It’s slicker without selling out. That’s what takes you from singing to your family to selling thousands of records around the world.