Joanna Sternberg - "I've Got Me"

For the diehard raw Indie Folk fans, ONLY

Joanna Sternberg¹ is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and visual artist from NYC. I added this album to the list after stumbling across an article somewhere which mentioned that Phoebe Bridgers thought that Sternberg’s 2019 debut album was “a perfect record”.

That’s incredibly high praise from an incredibly talented musician, and one of the darlings of the indie scene.

And then, in preparing for this review, I found that Pitchfork gave this album an 8.6. Pitchfork tends to be incredibly snobby and selective, and the peak of their bell curve is probably at least a full point below mine. So, again, that’s high praise. An 8.6 score makes this one of their top-rated albums of the year.

I’ve Got Me is an Indie Folk offering which is so RAW that, honestly, we need to invent a new term to extend the scale. It’s under-produced, if anything.

Most of the tracks include only one or two instruments in accompaniment, usually piano or guitar, sometimes with percussion. It’s incredibly bare-bones and minimalist. And this extends to the melodies, as well. They’re so basic that most tracks legitimately sound like they are straight out of the 1800s. Or possibly like they were pulled from a book of psalms.

Then there’s the issue of the melody of “The Love I Give”, particularly in the verses. The first phrase is identical to something I’ve heard before, excepting the final note, which is dropped by a third or so. Problem is: I can’t remember the song I know it from; some Country or Gospel song from years past that I just can’t put my finger on at the moment. Most of the tracks just feel like they’ve been pulled from old country yesteryear; this one was straight-up lifted.

That aside, allow me to address the positives here: Sternberg is clearly talented. There are moments of brilliance to be found in the composition and the lyricism. “People Are Toys to You” is a folky rocker, and one of the best tracks on the album, which is a genuinely fun listen. It also includes some really strong lyrics. As does “Stockholm Syndrome”, and in both, Sternberg is absolutely tearing down an old romance.

And then, of course, there’s the strong supporting artwork — there’s a whole series of pieces they created, including the cover art, to accompany the album. These visual pieces have just as much unique character and personality as Sternberg’s unique vocals.

And their vocals are very unique. You won’t be confusing their voice with anybody else’s. And, as much as Pitchfork’s reviewer described them as “pillowy”, it doesn’t change the fact that most people will find their voice…odd, at best. Grating, at worst. And Sternberg’s tendency to screech and squeal into the higher notes doesn’t help with that; nor do the occasional blatantly flat notes.

See, when I called the album under-produced earlier, I really meant it.² Some critics, I think, find it charming. In an industry ripe with overproduced, glossy divas on autotune, Sternberg is a violently contrarian shock to the senses.

But, see, I’m of the opinion that doing something different just for the sake of being different doesn’t actually make something good. And this album is full of missteps. We can talk about Sternberg’s talent and the merits of their minimalist, raw approach all day long, but we can’t also ignore the obvious technical issues and possible plagiarism.

And we definitely can’t give them credit for those things when we would shame any other artist into oblivion for the same.

An 8.6, on my scale, would be firmly in the Blue. I don’t think I’ve Got Me is anywhere near that, and Pitchfork is again proving that they’re only interested in snobbery.

I wouldn’t recommend this album to anybody except those who are very into classic-sounding Folk or minimalist Indie. Otherwise, steer clear.

Rating: Orange

1. They/Them

2. The album has a producer, but I’m not convinced that Matt Sweeney actually did anything.