I used to have a thing for women with strange voices. The only reason I ever started listening to the Cranberries was because I’d never heard anything like “Zombie” and figured it’d all be weird, loud, crazy-wailing stuff. Bjork, PJ Harvey and Tori Amos were really fun to listen to in high school because none of my friends could make heads or tails of them.

Lately, my tolerance for weird-ass singing has dropped considerably. Enter Joanna Newsom, who some people think has the voice of a muppet. That’s definitely what I thought when I heard “Inflammatory Writ” for the first time. “The Sprout And The Bean” is a better introduction; it’s just her and a harp, and depending on your tastes, you’ll either fall in love with the whole package or wish she would just play the harp. Either way, it’s a beautiful song oddly unlike anything I’ve heard this year, and despite my better judgement I think I’m even starting to like her unique vocal stylings. After all, it’s not that different from, say, Victoria Williams.

But I still can’t stand “Inflammatory Writ.” Some things don’t change overnight.