Sufjan Stevens: Awesome name, awesome music

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Sufjan Stevens: Awesome name, awesome music

May 5th 2006 03:17

If someone had asked me a year or two ago what folk music was, my answer would have been one of two possibilities:

a. Country Music
b. Those songs that beckon to anyone who has any background from another country other than that which they live in: Danny Boy, Sciuri Sciuri (that is in fact Sicilian), I could name a billion - well I couldn't but you get the picture.

In a way, Sufjan Stevens is both. But he achieves a mix of this in a way that reminds you of both, but at the same time makes you want to listen. I am in no way a fan of country music - I'd rather listen to the Azerbaijani Mens Choir than a song about how some backwater redneck found his wife doing it with his brothers' dog. Sufjan Stevens is neither - he is simply a boy with a dream and a guitar... or banjo.

Cmon, how cool is he?

I'm sure many wouldn't give Sufjan a second chance, but he indeed does have a talent that isn't seen in any mainstream band, or even many indie ones. He has slowly been gaining popularity since 1999, with his debut album under the Asthmatic Kitty Records name, with "A Sun Came." My first encounter with him came through my listening of his 2004 album, Seven Swans, an album laden with acoustic guitar, piano, a soft sweet voice and... a banjo. Yes, a banjo.

But cast your minds aside from the stereotype of a one-toothed redneck strumming a banjo - Sufjan has managed to make magic out of the mysterious instrument, creating music that simply can't be achieved on a guitar. Tracks like "All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands" may sound like hippie rubbish but I swear it isn't rubbish. Other favourites of the album include "The Dress Looks Nice on You," "To Be Alone With You," and "The Transfiguration," a song which relies on Sufjan's conservation Christian beliefs to create a simple ballad to round off the album.

He has a wierd obsession with scouts

I'm the first to admit that not all of Sufjan Stevens' songs are classics. In fact, some of them are downright horrible, but that never stopped Crowded House did it? Those few good songs on an album makes for the not-so-good more than doubly so. He proved this again when I listened to the previous album, 2003's Michigan. I've never been to Michigan, but he seems to wrap it up in a little bundle thats easily edible musically. The second track, "All Good Naysayers, Speakup! Or Forever Hold Your Peace" instantly screams 1930s America for some reason, as contrasted with the next track, "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fathers in Ypsilanti," which again reprises banjo-laden pop melodies. Again, the album isn't 100% good, but if you're willing to give it a chance, and root out those songs, you will be more than rewarded.

Sufjan's latest voyage into the musical stream, 2005's "Illinois," is another adventure for the listener, beginning with the offbeat piano riff of "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland," and moving onto the title track, "Chicago,"

it is obvious that Sufjan is quickly evolving in his musical style, moving away from the simplicity of banjo riffs, and into complex, choir-filled and piano-based songs that I am quickly coming to appreciate and like. Sufjan is nothing short of insane, from the layering of the music, to the titles and contents of the song lyrics and he is definitely a dreamer of sorts - "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" is a perfect example of his ability to think of a new world and drag the listener as he goes. I know his character just by listening to his music - he is that seemingly not-right genius that spends the majority of his time thinking out of the box in such a way that many hate it at first look.

However, give music this complex a chance, and like a flower it is sure to unfold to reveal its secrets to you. Listen - and i mean listen to the music - and you will not be disappointed.

Links

Official Site - Pretty sure it's under construction at the moment so check out the record label's site instead.

Asthmatic Kitty Records

MySpace Profile - Check out "For the Widows in Paradise," "Chicago," and "All Good Naysayers."

His New Song

Last.Fm Profile

Sufjan Stevens: Awesome name, awesome music

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