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10.0
81028
10.0 |
The FT
In her hands physics becomes a kind of magical realism, a Newsomian universe in which the diver of the title track takes “one breath above for every hour below the sea
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10.0
81029
10.0 |
The Skinny
Dense lyricism is keenly matched with rich, luxuriant instrumentation and Divers perhaps reaches a zenith in Newsom’s arrangement skills
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10.0
81094
10.0 |
Drowned In Sound
These are startlingly beautiful, fiercely inventive songs, couched in the metaphysical, touching on the universal, born from a deeply personal place
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10.0
81167
10.0 |
The Irish Times
Confirming Newsom’s position as an extraordinary artist, with what is a most considered and exceptional record
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10.0
81216
10.0 |
Evening Standard
Another labyrinthine listen that’s rich with musical textures
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9.5
81034
9.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
With her latest masterpiece, Joanna Newsom mostly jettisons the sprawling and the slow-building in favour of punchier, more immediate compositions
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9.1
81318
9.1 |
Paste Magazine
If her music hasn’t clicked for you yet, listen to this record until it does
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9.0
81093
9.0 |
Clash
It's a truly incredible album, a special album and a rare album
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9.0
81933
9.0 |
God Is In The TV
If you’re into music that’s profound and resonant with multiple meanings, and willing to work to get beneath the surface, this album is for you
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9.0
81493
9.0 |
The 405
This is an album that is constantly unfolding over its themes, so the only option remaining is that of acceptance of her ingenuity
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9.0
81508
9.0 |
No Ripcord
Like all Newsom’s albums, it is full of beautiful music and lyrics that initially appear enigmatic but are in fact simply dense
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9.0
81179
9.0 |
Spectrum Culture
These flights of technological fancy and heightened lyrical focus are more than matched by the compositional prowess on display
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9.0
81030
9.0 |
Uncut
Her most comfortable, charming album. Print edition only
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9.0
81109
9.0 |
Exclaim
The sound of an artist operating at the peak of her powers, employing all her greatest strengths at once to create an assured, moving work
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9.0
81053
9.0 |
Loud And Quiet
For all its bewitching scholarly accomplishment, this is a wonderfully natural-feeling album, whose heart has even more to offer than its thrillingly skilful head
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9.0
81157
9.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
Divers steps outside of itself. Its lyrics are obscure, and its melodies are more variable and complicated than those of the “overstuffed gorge” some saw in 2010’s Have One On Me
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9.0
81164
9.0 |
musicOMH
Joanna Newsom’s most consistently outstanding record to date
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8.5
81114
8.5 |
Under The Radar
Divers demonstrates that Newsom's music lies somewhere outside of contemporary genre conventions
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8.5
81026
8.5 |
Pitchfork
Most artists on their fourth album settle into atrophy, or at least comfort, Newsom delivers such complex, nuanced music, filled with arcane constructions, that she is only her own yardstick
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8.3
81175
8.3 |
A.V. Club
The sheer array of sounds on this record is amazing—not just in the variety of instruments employed, but also in the ways they are utilized
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8.3
81276
8.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
What makes her continually achieve greatness is the trust she puts back in her listeners, that they will appreciate her words and the labor she pours into her compositions, that they will give her music the patience it deserves
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8.3
81592
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
It’s telling that Divers doesn’t stretch Newsom’s music any further than the last two albums have. It’s just more organized, is all! Praise be!
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8.0
81333
8.0 |
State
For an album that probes the peaks and valleys of the spirit, its’ quality remains consistently sky-high
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8.0
81416
8.0 |
The Independent
A dazzling imagination takes wing on a richly diverse comeback
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8.0
81279
8.0 |
Spin
By streamlining her sound, she is able to hit with some of the most direct and powerful songs of her career
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8.0
81283
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
Throughout, Newsom's vocals—seemingly limitless, but always under control—glide through swirls of piano, harp, and strings that burst forth and fade at random
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8.0
81219
8.0 |
DIY
She takes a bold, explorative leap into the centre of her own mind
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8.0
81254
8.0 |
The Observer
The result is a lean, compact summary of the joys of Newsom, still an acquired taste to some, but to others, one of the undisputed greats working in our lifetime
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8.0
81186
8.0 |
PopMatters
Her most focused and refined album yet
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-
8.0
81195
8.0 |
All Music
Dazzling, profound and affecting, Divers' explorations of time only grow richer the more time listeners spend with them
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-
8.0
81027
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
Form and content are wrestling one another, ostentatiously
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8.0
81052
8.0 |
NME
One constant is Newsom’s inclination towards the warped country of ‘Hejira’-era Joni Mitchell and the wild Greenwich Village folk of Karen Dalton
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8.0
81031
8.0 |
Q
She switches mood and pace deftly. Print edition only
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8.0
81032
8.0 |
Mojo
An album of erudite pop and deepening moods. Print edition only
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8.0
81148
8.0 |
NOW
Newsom's working with a darker palette of colours here, and in all respects - her ideas, musicianship and vocals - is evidently a master
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-
7.0
81087
7.0 |
The Music
She nails the holistic sense of an album more than ever before
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-
6.8
81719
6.8 |
Earbuddy
If only Newsom would just pull back on her ambitions and remember that she’s supposed to be making this music for other people to enjoy
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