Sufjan Stevens
Posted by: TomK on 10 June 2006
Anybody been listening to his stuff? A colleague loaned me Illinoise and it's worth a listen. Hard to describe but there's a lot of delicate, tuneful jazzy folk in there. Sometimes I see colours in my head when listening to music that affects me and I get waves of bright vivid multilayered technicolour when I listen to this. It's uplifting stuff (even though there's a song about John Wayne Gacy).
Sounds a bit daft I know but some of you may know what I mean.
Have a listen.
Posted on: 10 June 2006 by Diccus62
Tom
Its a crackin album, and for me very much a grower.
His website says this about Illinoise.
quote:
Like the self-proclaimed "Spiderman" who climbed Chicago's Sears Tower with no harness, Sufjan Stevens scales dusty prairies, steel factories, and two hundred years of history in the second installment of his 50 State Project, "ILLINOIS", a 22-track anthematic tone poem to The Prairie State.
An engrossing musical road trip, "Illinois" takes you through ghost towns, grain mills, hospital rooms, and the City of Broad Shoulders, with guest appearances by a poet, a president, a serial murderer, UFOs, Superman, the goat that cursed the Cubs, and Decatur's famous Chickenmobile. Sufjan weaves variegated musical styles (jazz, funk, pop, folk, and Rodgers and Hammerstein-like flourishes) and the textures of 25 instruments into a tapestry of persons and places famous, infamous, iconic and anonymous. Invoking the muse of poet Carl Sandburg, "Illinois" ushers in trumpets on parade, string quartets, female choruses and ambient piano scales arranged around Stevens' emerging falsetto.
Diccus
Posted on: 10 June 2006 by Bruce Woodhouse
I agree, absolutely fascinating album, and pretty unique. Very hard to tell people what it is like but well worth the effort. Voted best album of 2005 by Pitchforkmedia.com who I tend to look at for Americana reviews.
'Greetings From Michigan' is very similar to 'Illinoise', and almost as good. It was the first of what I believe is eventually intended to be a series of albums from every single US state.
I have also listened to 'Seven Swans' which is worth a miss IMHO. Not as interesting, and quite different.
Posted on: 11 June 2006 by Malky
Come on! Feel the Illinoise was one of the very best albums of last year. Left-field Americana through the lens of Steve Reich and Brian Wilson. John Wayne Gacy Jr. works so well, for me, because of the beautiful, delicate melody surrounding the lyrical tale of the most macabre and horrible deeds;
"And in my best behaviour
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floorboards
For the secrets I have hid"
Posted on: 11 June 2006 by TomK
Malky,
I don't know Steve Reich but I'm an enormous Brian Wilson fan. I'm slightly uncomfortable with the Gacy song because it refers to such recent horrific events, although not in any way in a sensational manner. In fact it's a beautiful song. I still feel uncomfortable with The Smiths' "Suffer Little Children" because that's even closer to home, and even though it's done in an extremely sympathetic manner it gives me the creeps as I still have vivid memories of that trial.
Posted on: 12 June 2006 by Malky
I know what you mean, although I'm all for challenging art as long as, as you say, it doesn't sensationalise tragic events.
Have you heard Randy Newman's 'In Germany Before The War' or Kate Bush's 'Infant Kiss'? I always get a chill when I listen to those songs.
Posted on: 16 July 2006 by Bruce Woodhouse
A quick 'heads-up' on the new album 'Avalanche'. It is comprised of outtakes from the Illinoise album and is actually very decent. Some fine tracks and different versions of a few that made the main album. It is too long (almost inevitably) but is generally better than the idea sounds.
Bruce
Posted on: 16 July 2006 by northpole
quote:
I have also listened to 'Seven Swans' which is worth a miss IMHO
I'll second that! Bought 7 Swans on the back of a great review and despite a few efforts on my part I just could not connect with this album.
Peter
Posted on: 16 July 2006 by Diccus62
and is doing 2 dates in England. the London gig I understand is Sold Out.
2ND NOVEMBER - MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY - MANCHESTER
3RD NOVEMBER - BARBICAN CENTRE - LONDON
diccus
