Released: 2004
Essentials: 2004

The Milk-Eyed Mender is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom, released on March 23 2004 on the Drag City label. Joanna Newsom wrote all the songs on the album except for "Three Little Babes", a traditional Appalachian song. According to the liner notes, Joanna plays "a Lyon & Healy style 15 harp, a wurlitzer electric piano, a harpsichord, and piano." A bandmate in San Francisco band The Pleased, Noah Georgeson, produced and recorded the album, as well as contributing guitar to two tracks and backing vocals to one. Cover art embroidery is by Emily Prince and photographs are by Alissa Anderson. Newsom thanks former touring partners Will Oldham, Devendra Banhart, and Vetiver, along with many others. In 2009, Pitchfork named The Milk-Eyed Mender the 47th greatest album of the decade. The website also named "Peach, Plum, Pear" the 197th Greatest Song of the 2000s and "Sprout & The Bean" the 229th. Read more on Last.fm.