Fresh Ears (Sufjan Stevens)

I read an article on the A.V. Club's website last week that was basically an introduction to Morrissey. I thought that the concept was clever: give the reader an idea on how to get into an artist you've never really gotten into before. So I decided to kind of steal it. Okay, I decided to make it my own, kind of. Anyway, I'm going to call it "Fresh Ears," for lack of a better name. It's intended to give my readers a very simple introduction into some of my favorite artists, so they can enjoy them as well. There are lots of artists that I've wanted to get into but simply couldn't, as their collections are just too daunting. Like Morrissey. But I digress. This is my first edition, on Sufjan Stevens.

In 2005, Sufjan Stevens released an album called Illinois (or Illinoise or Come on Feel the Illinoise - it's been called all three), a 22-song epic of an album that mashed together several genres and tossed the boy-faced musical wonder into semi-stardom. The album, which was the second in Sufjan's now-famous 50-state project (an album for every state) graced the top of several "best-of" lists and made Sufjan (pronounced SOOF-yan) the go-to name-dropping guy for guaranteed press and indie cred (see Welcome Wagon.) The album also inspired the successes of many an artist who similarly tried their hand at a sort of indie symphonic sound (see The Decemberists, Beirut, or, of course, Welcome Wagon.)

Despite all of the hoopla surrounding "Illinois" and his ensuing B-side releases, there is much, much more to be heard of Sufjan Stevens. In fact, Illinois was his fifth official release, and remains his latest full-length of all-new material. The rest of his catalog is both masterful and confusing, gorgeous and schizophrenic.

So how do you officially "access" Sufjan Stevens? How do you become his next biggest fan? Follow these steps and you'll be obsessed in no time. (But be warned! By following these steps you'll also fall over every tantalizing whisper or hint of Sufjan's next album and obsess over which state he might/should do next.)

Just a Taste: Stream "To Be Alone with You." From Seven Swans, it's one of Sufjan's more recognizable tracks (thanks to "The O.C."), and is a fairly good account of what you'll find throughout the rest of his catalog (though it leans much more on the ballad side.)

To Be Alone With You - Sufjan ...

For Beginners: Buy Sufjan's third full-length, Michigan. It was a tough call between this and Seven Swans, but because of the latter's fairly deep and intimate spiritual leanings, I'm going to suggest you start on Michigan. Released in 2003, this was Sufjan's first step in the right direction, introducing his pallet of instruments that range from the acoustic guitar to the banjo to the glockenspiel to the oboe. For the most part, Michigan is a tame offering of Sufjan's sublime melodies and lovely orchestrations, offering very little of the bombast and energy permeating Illinois. This a very accessible collection of chill songs, boasting (in my opinion) Sufjan's best song - "For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti" - as well as other standouts like "Vito's Ordination Song," "The Upper Peninsula," and "Oh God, Where are You Now?" While Sufjan's work before Michigan (which we'll get to later) was fairly insignificant on the lyrics front, his work here bounces back and forth between nonsensical and strikingly poignant (from "Vito's Ordination Song": "I always knew you / in your mothers arms / I have called your name / I have an idea / placed in your mind / to be a better man / I've made a crown for you / put it in your room / and when the bride groom comes / there will be noise / there will be glad / and a perfect bed.")

A Little Further: Stream "Jacksonville," from Illinois. I would have suggested you stream "Chicago" (definitely his most popular track - and one of his best - thanks to "Little Miss Sunshine"), but alas, I couldn't allow you to stream it here on this site. So instead, I recommend you listen to "Jacksonville," which is really pretty similar to "Chicago," if not just a touch more subdued. It introduces you to the full, symphonic, multi-instrumental and multi-faceted sound he managed to record on Illinois. It also gives you an idea of the direction Sufjan went following Seven Swans, and an idea of where he's heading in the future.

Jacksonville - Sufjan Stevens

Going Deeper: Buy Seven Swans, Sufjan's fourth full-length

that was released in 2004. Seven Swans is a bit of an anomaly in Sufjan's catalog. Coming on the heels of Michigan, it was a sharp change of pace that dropped the multi-instrumental sounds he had perfected on that album (and returned to on Illinois) in favor of minimal banjo and acoustic guitar. These 12 songs are also passionately beautiful, loving, and intimate, 12 spiritual songs that Sufjan uses to blatantly express his faith in God, a faith that he always hints at on other albums but never quite commits to as much as he does here. It's been considered Sufjan's "Christian" album, but it's so much more than that; Seven Swans is a legitimate album of worship. The poignant moments Sufjan danced around in Michigan take center stage. Combined with Michigan, you now have a good sense of Sufjan the vocalist and lyricist; now, it's time for you to get a sense of Sufjan the songwriter and composer.

For the Record: Stream "Dumb I Sound." It was featured on Sufjan's very first album, A Sun Came, and was recorded way back when Sufjan was just a college kid with a goofy name. Doesn't say much about his catalog aside from showing the vast talent that the guy can boast of in a song, but it's incredibly fascinating to hear old Sufjan and think about where he went with what he had.

Dumb I Sound - Sufjan Stevens

The Essential: Buy Illinois. Easily one of the greatest albums released this decade, Illinois is a mammoth of an album that is exciting, energetic, fun, purposeful and staggering. It wanders between road trip-worthy anthems and reflective ballads. It toys with a plethora of instruments and comes out the other side a symphony to be reckoned with. Sure, some lyrics stray back to the nonsensical that we heard on Michigan, but when you're writing a full-length album about a specific state, how in the heck do you expect to make sense the whole time? Thing is, even when Sufjan's words aren't exactly the most thought-provoking, somehow he still manages to paint vivid imagery across the entirety of the album. Just listen to "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!"; the lyrics (ex. "Thinking outrageously I write in cursive / I hide in my bed with the lights on the floor / Wearing three layers of coats and leg warmers / I see my own breath on the face of the door") aren't the most sensible, and yet somehow the song induces this feeling, this understanding of what he's trying to say. It's like that throughout much of the album, from "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." (about the killer clown) to "Chicago" to "Casimir Pulaski Day" to "The Seer's Tower." In my opinion, Illinois is what the term 'Americana' really, truly describes: an ode to the ideas, the lifestyles, the joys of the American people.

Finally, you should know that I held Sufjan's most popular and best album for third for a reason: it's not, in my opinion, his most accessible. Some of the grandiosity takes some getting used to, and hopefully Michigan and Seven Swans weened you to what you find here appropriately.

A Look Forward: Stream "You are the Blood." Released a few weeks ago on the Dark was the Night AIDS benefit compilation, this is a ten-minute Sufjan track that potentially offers a look at where the artist is heading. Mind you, Sufjan hasn't released a full-length of new material since Illinois in 2005, so nobody really knows what he has up his sleeve for the years to come.(Edit: Thanks to Jeff for letting me know that "You are the Blood" is actually a cover of a Castanets song.)

You Are The Blood - Sufjan Ste...

For the Committed: If you've made it this far on your path towards Sufjan fan-hood, I suggest you buy The Avalanche. It's a collection of b-sides from the Illinois recordings that were compiled and released on the coattails of Sufjan's post-Illinois popularity in 2006. Funny thing is, Sufjan's b-sides are ten times better than most artists' regularly released material. If Illinois had never existed, and instead The Avalanche had been the only thing to come out of those sessions, I think the latter would still carry some significant weight. The only reason it's considered as inferior to Illinois is that it basically sounds exactly like Illinois (duh, came from the same sessions) and, of course, Illinois came first. What I'm trying to say is that if you like Illinois, you'll like this. But it's kind of like Illinois-lite (though just now I wonder what the experience would be like if The Avalanche were purchased before Illinois... if it would sound better... no, you know what? Illinois really is a lot better. Start with that.)

Just Casual: Okay, you've made it this far. You're a die-hard Sufjan fan now, owning his last three records and his b-sides collection. So where do you go from here? He has two albums that he released before Michigan, but let's wait on those, at least for the time being. What you want to do now (well, maybe not now; perhaps wait for October or November) is buy his Christmas collection. "Christmas collection!?" you say. "What the f*%&!?" Well, here's the scoop: For five years, from 2001-2005 (I think), Sufjan made Christmas EPs for friends and fami ly only. In the wake of his popularity, the EPs found their way to the internet, and in late 2006, fresh off his b-sides release, Sufjan released a box-set of the 5 discs, called Songs for Christmas. I know, I know, seems kinda kitsch and lame; Christmas releases are usually for yuppies like Michael McDonald and Kenny G. Don't count Sufjan out, though; his collection is, well, awesome (at least, as far as Christmas music goes.) There are a ton of originals, and classics like "O Holy Night," "Amazing Grace," and "Come Thou Fount" are truly beautiful. So if you're into Sufjan and you dig Christmas music, this box-set is a must.

For the Die-hard: Buy A Sun Came. Sufjan's very first album, recorded when he was in college and released back in 2000 on his start-up (and current) label Asthmatic Kitty. Obviously, at this point, Sufjan had yet to find his footing. The album is shaky, and much different and raw from his polished later material. Still, there are some gems on this album, and much to like if you really dig Sufjan's style. Specifically, tracks like "We Are What You Say" (sort of a midieval jamboree) and "Dumb I Sound" (previewed earlier) prove that even early in his career, Sufjan was flashing signs of brilliance as a songwriter. But you'll also find bizarre, lo-fi, fuzz-guitar tracks like "Super Sexy Woman," "Jason," and "Kill." Some strange stuff, but again, you'll dig it if you're a die-hard.

For the Obsessed: You've got the rest of Sufjan's collection. You think Illinois is God's gift to indie music, that Seven Swans is a songwriting masterpiece, and that A Sun Came is the greatest songwriter's debut since Jeff Buckley's Grace. Everything Sufjan touches is gold to you, and you just can't get enough. What to do? Well, I guess I can recommend Enjoy Your Rabbit, Sufjan's second full-length album. Why the hesitance, you ask? Well, let's just say that I, fan of all things Sufjan, don't even have Enjoy Your Rabbit. Last.fm tells me that I listen to Sufjan twice as much as I listen to anything else, and still, I haven't bothered to pick this album up. The reason? This isn't exactly classic Sufjan. Basically, it's an experimental electronic album that Sufjan composed after college based on the Chinese zodiac signs. In my opinion, it should hardly count toward his catalog. Not that it's bad (it isn't), it's just, well, weird. And nothing like his other stuff. So this is purely for Sufjan maniacs.

Well there you have it, my friends. The "Complete Guide to Becoming a Sufjan Nut." Hopefully this helps, especially for those of you who haven't had a clue where to start. Trust me, follow this plan and you won't regret it; Sufjan Stevens is one of the greatest modern songwriters, whose current and future material should prove to be legendary. Enjoy!

For further reference:

Sufjan's label

Sufjan's website

Sufjan fan site