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| Official album art, courtesy of Bandcamp |
I have to start off by saying that there was a time in my life during which I lived and breathed Sufjan Stevens. His music was very close to my heart, and to this day, I cannot listen to those same albums without reliving that part of my life.
With that said, Sufjan Stevens has more or less been gone since 2005, with the release of Illinois, and its subsequent tour. It should be duly noted in this argument there was an official Illinois Outtakes album, titled Avalanche, released, as well as the Christmas pack and the BQE; however, none of those were full-fledged project like we are all used to, and they do not provide the Sufjan fix that true fans need.
Sufjan has been more or less underground, and has kept everyone in the dark until the release of an EP this summer, and the announcement of The Age of Adz. As you can imagine, I was incessantly elated about this news, and spent days listening to the preview track he released for free through his Bandcamp page. However, a vibe kept me from actively searching for this album--which has been fully available as a stream from NPR for two weeks now. And this was all for a good reason. After receiving the album today, I listened to it all the way through, and I have to say, I am less than impressed.
The album features a few gems--a few good songs that don't allow me to fully lose my faith in this artist. But for the most part, this album is sonically offensive, and I am sad to see the name Sufjan Stevens printed on it.
The music in this album feels constrained and narrow, sounding more like a Saturday morning experiment rather than a return to music of one of the brightest and brilliant modern composers and musicians.
Sufjan Stevens openly became disillusioned with the act of making music, giving several interviews in which he talked about his retirement from music and his general dissatisfaction with sharing his art. These interviews were devastating to fans, myself especially, so you could see how the announcement of this album was a big thing for me. I will be giving this album a second chance--because I have to, I owe it to myself and to an artist that I love--but I sincerely hope that this album is a bad feeling that Sufjan had to simply work through and get out of this system (much like the BQE), and that he will be getting back to his roots, and back to being the man we all fell in love with. With the impossible 50 States project, Sufjan was a dreamer, and I personally miss that about him.
Yeah, it's not my style either.
ReplyDeleteSome say you have to listen to it 100 times, and I believe in growers, but there needs to be at least one track that ropes you into the album. Adz doesn't have that.
Doesn't mean you have to write him off completely.
Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteI definitely cannot writing off Sufjan completely, possibly ever; I completely agree with you on that.
I would even go as far as to say that "I Walked" does rope you into the album, if it is the first track you hear, but rest disappoints. It did feel a little better the second time around, I guess. But I feel like if you listen to anything 100 times, you will learn to like it.
I would just hate to see Sufjan become one of those artists for which you buy an album for one or two songs. Michigan, Seven Swans, and Illinois are complete timeless works of art and orchestral masterpieces, which Adz is just there. I feel like it will be one of those albums that just sits on my shelf.
I'm sure there are those who truly think it's as "amazing" as they're tweeting, but my intuitive sense is that there are a lot of people who really trying to like it.
ReplyDeleteTo me, a track like Chicago would rate the description "amazing." It's captivating from the first listen and like nothing I'd heard before. And something I'll be listening to when I'm 100.
Nothing on Adz reaches that or comes close, which is not a crime. It's a mystical thing to be able to produce something like that even once in your career. What's disappointing about Adz is that Suf talks like he intentionally downplayed his gifts, dumbing down the lyrics and burying the melody.
My favorite track of his new releases is From the Mouth of Gabriel. There are interesting musical elements, more extroverted vocals, and lyrics with depth. At times it soars and you almost can't help but sing along.