Joanna Newsom has had to deal with being called "elven" for her entire career. Those who use that term to describe her are presumably referring to her unmistakable reedy, child-like voice, her soft, golden beauty, and the fact that she plays a harp. In this context, though it's an understandable adjective, it misses the most important aspects of Newsom as a person and artist. If she is "elven", it should be in the context of a Tolkien or Dungeons & Dragons elf - powerful, highly intelligent, magical, sharp of wit, feminine but yet a bad-ass figher that breaks all the norms of what one might expect from the stereotype. An elf in this context can throw down with anybody, be it warrior or wizard. If we are talking about this kind of "elven", then yes, Newsom is without question "elven".

Newsom's music and lyrics are full of virtuosity, density, and complexity. A classically trained musician who felt the calling to go her own way, she is a true anomally. Her harp and piano playing leave no doubt about her musical education, even in the original songwriting context in which she utilizes them. What doesn't fit with the stereotype of the classical virtuoso is her unique and challenging voice. Like Björk or Rush's Geddy Lee before her, her voice is polarizing. Many have said that her singing is so annoying that they can't bear to listen to her. Others have lauded her for her dedication to an absolutely unique voice that she has stuck with despite so much criticism. Though unusual, it is incredible in its timbre and quality, as is Newsom's ability to use it to acrobatic ends. Her voice soars, dips, dives, bends through challenging melodic lines. Newsom has said that while in music school, she composed her own instrumental pieces constantly, but knew that her voice was not typical, and certainly not anywhere near what would be acceptable as a good classical singing voice or pop singer/songwriter voice. She says that it was her decision to just go with it that opened the door for her creativity, and she's never looked back. It was a good decision - in the last decade, she has released consistently incredible, completely unique albums that have received critical acclaim and have earned her a rabid fan base.

That's not to say that everyone likes Newsom's music - quite the contrary. There's the obvious point of contention - her voice, but also, her music and words are not what one would call approachable. Chock full of lyrical intellectualism, literary references, metaphor, and symbolism, she's a bit of a James Joyce figure in the indie music world. Her melodies and harmonies are heavily influenced by her classical background, and yet, there's a devil-may-care attitude of fun there, too. Interestingly, and unexpectedly, when you hear Newsom in an interview or see her in pictures, she's anything but what you might expect. Model-pretty, married to hilarious, mainstream-beloved, and off-color comedian Andy Samberg, and completely down-to-earth in her conversation, she's just plain cool. When you hear her in that context, you can make sense of the kookiness and playfulness that underly her virtuoso art.

Her 2015 album Divers is as thematically dense as anything she's ever done, full of symbolism and literary/philosophical references. Analysis of her lyrics on the record can be akin to analyzing the literature of Joyce, Gertrude Stein, and T.S. Eliot, or the poetry of William Carlos Williams. "Time, As a Symptom", the last track on Divers, is a perfect example. The song deals with circles - the idea that everything returns and repeats. It works on multiple levels - clearly existensial, meditative, but also "meta" and thematic - it directly references the first song of Divers, bringing the macro down to the micro, suggesting that the album, like the universe, or life/death, has no straight line to an ending. When you think you are finished, you are back to track one.

"Time, As a Symptom" seemed like a fitting "end" to a mix that begins with the astral travelling, ever-reaching Kamasi Washington. Go ahead and hit "repeat" and keep the circle going!