If Devendra Banhart is the freak-folk movement’s reigning king, Joanna Newsom is its queen. The San Francisco singer-songwriter mixes a number of styles — rustic Appalachian folk, lo-fi indie-rock, and shape-shifting modernism — on her new album, Ys, which comes out Tuesday. It’s a challenging but rewarding listen, made all the more knotty by Newsom’s battered, squeaky voice. She also plays a mean harp, plucking away at its strings like a stoned-out-of-her-gourd madwoman.
Fri., Nov. 10, 9 p.m.

This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2006.