Divers
by Joanna Newsom
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Joanna Newsom bestography
Divers is ranked 4th best out of 7 albums by Joanna Newsom on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by Joanna Newsom is Ys which is ranked number 176 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 8,213.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
Listen to Divers on YouTube
Divers track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 84 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Divers rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 4 hours ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Exist-en-ciel | Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | 20/100 | 16 |
| 2026 |  LedZep | Top 51 Music Albums of 2015 | 15/51 | 4 |
| 2026 | Steppenwolf666 | Top 100 Music Albums of 2015 | 54/100 | 2 |
| 2026 |  covecove | Top 100 Music Albums of 2015 | 3/100 | 5 |
| 2026 | cicadelic | NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2015 | 33/50 | - |
| 2026 | mianfei | Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | 31/100 | 65 |
| 2026 |  imimesis | Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | 9/100 | 18 |
| 2026 |  goeie-oko | Top 19 Music Albums of 2015 | 3/19 | 4 |
| 2026 | cicadelic | The Age Best Albums 2015 | 13/20 | - |
| 2026 | mjp11 | Top 22 Music Albums of 2015 | 5/22 | 4 |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 400 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 2,153 | |||
Divers collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 94 members
Divers ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this album. | Show all 354 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 7 hours ago | matterhornrider | 5,166 | 81/100 |
| ! | 09/19/2026 10:29 | ASOARE | 2,531 | 77/100 |
| ! | 03/10/2026 12:30 | Exist-en-ciel | 15,687 | 70/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.3/100, a mean average of 79.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.0.
Divers favourites
Showing latest 10 members who have added this album as a favourite | Show all 47 members
Divers forum mentions
BestEverAlbums 09/01/2026 16:00 in Monthly overall chart movements BestEverAlbums 08/01/2026 16:00 in Monthly overall chart movements BestEverAlbums 07/31/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5390): By eclabDivers comments
Top Comments First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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poppmusic TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/21/2016 00:06 | #157199 | TOP COMMENT
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It's got a lot going for it. The lyrics are a legitimate attempt at a "theory of everything", with some considerable success, and capturing some of the most nuanced and poetic turns-of-phrase since all of those literary masters (Nabokov, Shakespeare, Wolfe, what have you).
The music is now substantially different from "Ys" (admittedly the only other album I have listened to thus far), with much more of a progressive atmosphere here that's especially reminiscent of Jethro Tull (Thick as a Brick, Songs from the Wood), abandoning the "freak folk" soundscapes. It's evocative and wistful, and serves a purpose beyond just being a soundtrack to a story. Her style of storytelling, too, has refined its nuances, resembling a Japanese Noh drama more than a Chinese opera, as on "Ys".
I ultimately only give it an "A-" however. The second half is far less rich musically than the first, and the pure scope of it all can leave a sour taste on the tongue, even as it is extraordinarily impressive at moments. Sometimes the orchestra sounds a bit fake.
Fishmans 10/23/2015 14:49 | #151916 | TOP COMMENT
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Its been a nice year hasn't it? I really didn't see her ever topping Ys and Have One on Me, but well... here we are.
goeie-oko 10/26/2015 20:44 | #152050 | TOP COMMENT
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2015 is officially the best fucking year ever.
sethzzzzz 10/31/2015 16:36 | #152332 | TOP COMMENT
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Like an even more eccentric Kate Bush singing Joni Mitchell. Amazing stuff, she has an incredible voice coupled with beautiful arrangements. Really mellow and easy to listen to, yet when you dig deeper there a lot more going on. Really, really love this record!
The Gollux 11/04/2015 15:30 | #152462 | TOP COMMENT
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I won't go as far as saying this is a disappointment but I will say it's a step back for me. It somehow lacks the magic of "Ys" and the personal touches of "Have One On Me." Maybe it's the orchestral arrangements that accompany it, while beautifully done, take something away from the songwriting. That being said, this album done by any other contemporary artist would be a masterpiece. I should note that this is after only two listens. "Have One One Me" was a bit of a grower for me and now stands as my favorite.
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