Have One on Me, Joanna Newsom's eagerly-anticipated third album, was released today, a mere 5 days after being leaked.Most people have heard of Joanna Newsom by now. Her debut The Milk-Eyed Mender was regarded as a quirky record which typecasted Newsom as an eccentric with a fondness for obtuse lyrics and a penchant for the harp, but abounded with straightforward, austere gems which quickly polarized opinions. Ys, on the other hand, was an ambitious, collosal suite of folk melodies and string arrangements. It was difficult to digest, yet almost universally admired, if not necessarily loved. Tellingly, whereas The Milk-Eyed Mender was regarded as an experimental or freak-folk record, everyone called Ys a folk album. Whether these reflected the public's burgeoning appreciation for Newsom's inimitable style, or a rapid normalization of what is considered "experimental" and the scene-shifts of pop and indie aesthetics, Newsom has become - at the very least - a fascinating and refreshing artist.
Enter Have One on Me. Described as a triple LP with a total length of around 2 hours, it surely conjured disturbing images of 20-page lyric sheets and 20-minute songs. Fortunately, by "triple LP" it means precisely that, a record divided into 3 parts, each fitting nicely onto a vinyl disc. 2 hour records are all but extinct in the iPod age, but it is a testament to this album's immaculate sequencing that one can sample it in pieces - indeed, I often used the skip button while returning to the album, albeit at different points each time - and still fully appreciate the experience. And experience is exactly what Have One on Me is - a beckoning, sweeping voyage which feels very different in mood and lyrical focus to Newsom's earlier work. If The Milk-Eyed Mender was akin to a feverish pop-dream; and Ys a quixotic fairytale, Have One on Me seems more rooted in the real world, inviting one to participate in the effervescent imagery.
Part of this may have to do with Newsom's singing, which has gained a newfound clarity and richness. The string arrangements are also somewhat reigned-in, lending Newsom's words and harp-playing greater weight. Even the music is strangely accessible - with a number of songs featuring amenable, "warm" blues chord progressions - providing the record with a certain simplicity and approachability, terms which have become dissociated with Newsom.
Of course, there are still dense, meandering songs with tangled, esoteric lyrics, but these seem to play an important role in highlighting the road-markers on the album, as well as spinning the yarn for the immense tapestry of love stories Newsom weaves. Yes, perhaps the most significant difference about Have One on Me is that it's unapologetically about love. Romance, sadness, family and friends, the ease of love, the difficulty of holding on - the subject's myriad themes are approached in an equally diverse fashion.
Despite this traditional singer-songwriter focus, the album is possibly deeper than her previous works; and yet establishes a connection almost immediately - like any meaningful relationship. It grows and develops each time one listens, changing as one returns to the seemingly-familiar sections. Compared to Ys, which was like trying to catch hold of a fantasy to delve headlong into, Have One on Me feels more intimate, seeking to be discovered and understood.

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