LPx2, Drag City, 2015
“But stand brave, life-liver, bleeding out your days in the river of time.
Stand brave: time moves both ways, in the nullifying, defeating, negating, repeating joy of life.
The moment of your greatest joy sustains: not axe nor hammer, tumor, tremor, can take it away, and it remains.
And it pains me to say, I was wrong. Love is not a symptom of time. Time is just a symptom of love”
From the medieval cover art of her 2006 masterpiece Ys, to the antiquated language of her lyrical epics, Joanna’s music and aesthetic has always been rooted in the past. However, her new album finds her wrestling from the powerful clutches of time. Sci-fi allegories, personal stories and even a traditional folk song deal with fear of death, ghosts of the past, and the battle to live in the present. Even the album’s instrumental makeup transcends space and time. In addition to her usual harp and piano, Joanna plays over a dozen types of keyboards and synthesizers that fit naturally and organically in the colorful orchestral arrangements.
Style: Baroque Pop, Chamber Folk, Progressive Songwriter
Moods: Surreal, Spring, Ethereal, Elegant, Poetic, Storytelling, Existential, Colorful, Complex, Imaginative, Intricate, Sunny, Warm
Themes: Time, Love, Philosophical, History, Fantasy, Myth
Musical Qualities: Lush, Lyrical, Orchestral, Polished, Progressive, Melodic, Dense
Instrumentation: Vocals, Piano, Harp, Banjo, Mandolin, Slide Guitar, Synthesizers, Mellotron, Drums, Singing Saw, Organ, Accordion, Electric Guitar, Rhodes, Clavichord, Harpsichord, Trombone, Bouzouki, Baglama, Electric Bass, Celesta, Recorder, Clarinet, Cello, English Horn, Viola, Violin, Bass Clarinet, Upright Bass,
