I don't care for Sufjan Stevens

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LemonMelon

LemonMelon

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*is attacked by wild animals*

I don't know...the only record I've heard by Sufjan Stevens is Illinoise, and I thought it was horrible. One of the worst wastes of 75 minutes anyone could have concocted. :huh: His voice sucks, the songwriting is nothing special, and the whole thing just came off as gimmicky to me.

Is Michigan better? I'm willing to give the guy another chance, but I'm tired of wasting my time on Illinoise...it's just a really bad/overrated record. :|

Oh, and by the way, about his "new" album of b-sides; how conceited can you get? Why would you release an album's worth of songs spawned from the recording sessions of a terrible album? :eyebrow:
 
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While I don't agree with what you say I defend to my death your right to say it.

petergriffin7gr.jpg
 
LemonMelon said:
I don't know...the only record I've heard by Sufjan Stevens is Illinoise, and I thought it was horrible. One of the worst wastes of 75 minutes anyone could have concocted. :huh: His voice sucks, the songwriting is nothing special, and the whole thing just came off as gimmicky to me.
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I agree. After he was praised to the heavens here last year, I checked out Illinois and was thoroughly let down. I don't think I even managed to listen to it all, I got so bored by what I perceived to be completely bland music that I just gave up and switched to something that would keep me awake.
 
I hated him at first too. I actually rated Illinois as the "most overrated album of 2005". Now I'm really enjoying his work and quite like Illinois. All things go, all things go.

No big deal if you don't like something, go listen to what you enjoy and have fun.
 
I love Sufjan. I think his work is incredible, and no I'm not just buying into the hype. I think he's a genius.

You know what I don't like though? Flesh wounds.
 
coemgen said:
You know what I don't like though? Flesh wounds.
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Oh I know what you mean! I so much prefer wounds where vital organs are hit. :wink:
 
I love Sufjan, but probably yes, Illinoise was overrated... The Avalanche is great but... is going to be overrated too
 
LemonMelon said:
*is attacked by wild animals*

I don't know...the only record I've heard by Sufjan Stevens is Illinoise, and I thought it was horrible. One of the worst wastes of 75 minutes anyone could have concocted. :huh: His voice sucks, the songwriting is nothing special, and the whole thing just came off as gimmicky to me.

Is Michigan better? I'm willing to give the guy another chance, but I'm tired of wasting my time on Illinoise...it's just a really bad/overrated record. :|

Oh, and by the way, about his "new" album of b-sides; how conceited can you get? Why would you release an album's worth of songs spawned from the recording sessions of a terrible album? :eyebrow:
Click to expand...

I can understand your sentiments. When I first bought Illinois I wasn't overly enamoured by it, but after letting it grow on me over the course of a few months, I've grown to love the album. All good things come to he who waits. I can definitely understand how the hype, etc, might have gotten to you, however, and I would also defend your right to not like his music. I also appreciate that you decided not to rubbish him entirely without giving something else a chance, so I'd say that you should try Seven Swans. It's probably not as good as Illinois or Michigan, but given that Michigan is quite similar in sound to Illinois, it might be better to go for this album, which is quieter and has simpler arrangements. And, if you don't like it, well, it's probably no loss to you or me, it's just a matter of taste.

Axver said:
I agree. After he was praised to the heavens here last year, I checked out Illinois and was thoroughly let down. I don't think I even managed to listen to it all, I got so bored by what I perceived to be completely bland music that I just gave up and switched to something that would keep me awake.
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Give it time! One listen and you give up? I must say that any album that strikes me immediately on first listen generally ends up at the bottom of the pile pretty quickly. The arrangements on Illinois are superb and far from bland, and reveal themselves in their full glory only by repeated listening, if you give them a chance. Still, if you don't like it, you don't like it I suppose.
 
Re: Re: I don't care for Sufjan Stevens

PookaMacP said:
Give it time! One listen and you give up? I must say that any album that strikes me immediately on first listen generally ends up at the bottom of the pile pretty quickly. The arrangements on Illinois are superb and far from bland, and reveal themselves in their full glory only by repeated listening, if you give them a chance. Still, if you don't like it, you don't like it I suppose.
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My favourite albums have tended to not be those that struck me initially, but an album has to at least be decent enough for me to want to hear it again, and Illinois most certainly failed that test. It was so bland to my ears that I felt like I was listening to the sonic equivalent of a blank sheet of paper. It's not that I thought the album was crap, it's that I found it totally boring and unremarkable; I didn't feel any character or emotion in Sufjan's voice, the songs felt dull and lifeless, the concept felt forced - it had entirely no quality to make me want to listen. And at the end of the day, his style isn't really a style I find particularly interesting in the first place - I'm a prog fan.
 
Likewise how I find prog dull, lifeless, soulless and too utterly technical. I have no idea how people enjoy it, but Axver does, and for him to get the same joy out of Dream Theater that I get out of a guy like Sufjan is cool.

Music's good! It's all subjective!
 
Re: Re: Re: I don't care for Sufjan Stevens

Axver said:


My favourite albums have tended to not be those that struck me initially, but an album has to at least be decent enough for me to want to hear it again, and Illinois most certainly failed that test. It was so bland to my ears that I felt like I was listening to the sonic equivalent of a blank sheet of paper. It's not that I thought the album was crap, it's that I found it totally boring and unremarkable; I didn't feel any character or emotion in Sufjan's voice, the songs felt dull and lifeless, the concept felt forced - it had entirely no quality to make me want to listen. And at the end of the day, his style isn't really a style I find particularly interesting in the first place - I'm a prog fan.
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Sounds like a good enough explanation to me - I didn't mean to sound preaching if that was how it was picked up. Certainly an album must have something to grab the listener on first go for it to have any lasting impression.

Originally posted by yertle-the-turtle
Likewise how I find prog dull, lifeless, soulless and too utterly technical. I have no idea how people enjoy it, but Axver does, and for him to get the same joy out of Dream Theater that I get out of a guy like Sufjan is cool.

Music's good! It's all subjective!
Click to expand...

I agree completely. Everyone's appreciation for music is subjective and acts like an intricate web in which we all weave our own paths and intersect at interesting junctions along the way.
 
u2popmofo said:
I hated him at first too. I actually rated Illinois as the "most overrated album of 2005". Now I'm really enjoying his work and quite like Illinois. All things go, all things go.

No big deal if you don't like something, go listen to what you enjoy and have fun.
Click to expand...

:up:

I wasn't nearly as wowed by him as everyone else and my first reaction was "this is what everyone's going wild over?!" but the more I listened the more the subtleties and uniqueness began to come through.
 
I'm glad it's finally that time of year so I can break out the Songs For Christmas set and listen to 'Sister Winter' over and over and over and over and over and over and over.
 
For the record, Michigan changed my mind about Sufjan; I'm still not a fan of Illinois two years down the road.
 
I really enjoy Songs For Christmas, mostly because the source material sits well with me. I know it won't for everyone, but for those that really dig Christmas carols, it's a refreshing listen.

And the original material is great, including Sister Winter. :wink:
 
Although, I must say, my favorite song on that set is Get Behind Me, Santa.

Disc 5 is, hands-down, the most interesting and enjoyable disc of the bunch.
 
LemonMelon said:
I don't know...the only record I've heard by Sufjan Stevens is Illinoise, and I thought it was horrible. One of the worst wastes of 75 minutes anyone could have concocted. :huh: His voice sucks, the songwriting is nothing special, and the whole thing just came off as gimmicky to me.

Is Michigan better? I'm willing to give the guy another chance, but I'm tired of wasting my time on Illinoise...it's just a really bad/overrated record. :|

Oh, and by the way, about his "new" album of b-sides; how conceited can you get? Why would you release an album's worth of songs spawned from the recording sessions of a terrible album? :eyebrow:
Click to expand...

i love this post/thread

sufjan is fucking boring

imo imo imo

i especially hate "chicago." that's right, I loathe that song. everything else I've heard is just dull, but Chicago gets on my nerves

and I agree his voice sucks. of course some voices take getting used to (ie Conor Oberst), but this guy just isn't interesting. that's his problem. at least with a "bad" voice like Oberst's there's something there that grabs you, whether you like it or not. nothing about Sufjan grabs me. its like he tried to sing in the most nonoffensive way possible.

i'm not really a Dream Theater fan but I'll take guys who can fuckin play their instruments over this hack
 
AtomicBono said:
i love this post/thread
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Are you sure, as it doesn't seem you actually read the thread or anything else LeMeL wrote after the first post looking at your response. :huh:

Regardless, I love how many default threads for certain artists here originally started as "hate" threads.
 
I'm very fond of his Illinois album, for a number of reasons. Most of all because the songs are beautiful. And also when I saw him in concert it was in support of that album and most of the set was songs from it. Oh, and also Illinois is like the best place in the world ever.

I want him to come out with a new album, though. Maybe another state-themed one. My vote is for California. Or Tennessee.
 
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