cobl04
45:33
Nahhh start with Illinoise mate. It's brilliant. You can dive back to Michigan later, it's a bit more boring than Illinoise.
Why does no one else call it Illinoise?
Why does no one else call it Illinoise?
New Sufjan Stevens EP available now
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LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
I've had people tell me that Michigan felt redundant after hearing the more popular Illinois because they share so many ideas. And that's silly because, well, Michigan was first and Illinois simply developed those ideas.
Michigan first. You don't always have to start with the very best album out the gate, just don't start with the worst one purely because it's the newest.
Michigan first. You don't always have to start with the very best album out the gate, just don't start with the worst one purely because it's the newest.
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cobl04
45:33
Correct ranking:
1. The Age of Adz
2. Illinoise
3. Carrie & Lowell
4. Michigan
5. Seven Swans
They're all tremendous, however.
1. The Age of Adz
2. Illinoise
3. Carrie & Lowell
4. Michigan
5. Seven Swans
They're all tremendous, however.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
1. C&L
2. Michigan
3. Illinois
4. Seven Swans
5. Adz
2. Michigan
3. Illinois
4. Seven Swans
5. Adz
iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
No love for Enjoy Your Rabbit.
cobl04
45:33
Haven't heard that, A Sun Came, The BQE or his Christmas albums.
I'm also really fucking annoyed at myself for leaving out All Delighted People.
1. The Age of Adz
2. Illinoise
3. Carrie & Lowell
4. All Delighted People
5. Michigan
6. Seven Swans
I'm also really fucking annoyed at myself for leaving out All Delighted People.
1. The Age of Adz
2. Illinoise
3. Carrie & Lowell
4. All Delighted People
5. Michigan
6. Seven Swans
iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
The first Christmas album is really something. Haunting in exactly the way I remember family Christmases. "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!" is a great original composition as well.
iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
Cobbs I love you but WTF is that ranking. All Delighted People above Michigan?
1. C&L
2. Michigan
3. Seven Swans
4. Illinois
5. Age of Adz
6. All Delighted People
7. Enjoy Your Rabbit
8. A Sun Came
cobl04
45:33
Yes. Michigan is great but All Delighted People is my shit. Higher highs.
cobl04
45:33
That's one long-ass album. [emoji28]
iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
There's a moment in a song on Age of Adz where all the orchestration strips away suddenly, leaving just Sufjan and a guitar to end the song. Incredibly beautiful. Can't remember the name of the song just now.
cobl04
45:33
The moment you are talking about is on the title track, at the end of eight minutes, "I'm sorry if I / seem self-effacing / consumed by selfish thoughts / it's only that I / still love you deeply / it's all the love I got"
It's the most beautiful moment in his entire catalogue, but it's not really sudden, he strips away one layer at a time until it's just him.
And for all the smack people talk about the instrumentation, the album is bookended by acoustic guitar - Futile Devices and the fifth part of Impossible Soul.
UiU, that is sacrilege to me, haha. Impossible Soul is my fav Sufjan song and Djohoriah I love a lot, too. But yeah, Heirloom is the highlight of the album, and one of his best songs, period.
Eventually my campaign for this album will win people over.
cobl04
45:33
So not only do we have Planetarium coming out in June.
Not only do we have Carrie & Lowell live album to listen to.
Not only is a full, high-quality clip available right now.
Not only is there a 12" of Blue Bucket of Gold b/w Hotline Bling.
But in October Carrie & Lowell is getting The Avalanche treatment.
I love this man and I'm so happy. So lucky.
https://vimeo.com/215185438
Not only do we have Carrie & Lowell live album to listen to.
Not only is a full, high-quality clip available right now.
Not only is there a 12" of Blue Bucket of Gold b/w Hotline Bling.
But in October Carrie & Lowell is getting The Avalanche treatment.
I love this man and I'm so happy. So lucky.
https://vimeo.com/215185438
iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
I am all over that Blue Bucket of Gold vinyl.
cobl04
45:33
What a stupid fucking review. Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell Live Album Review | Pitchfork
david
ONE love, blood, life
I'm liking the Planetarium project..
iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
Sufjan Rushmore:
1. All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands
Arguably his most haunting track, especially in the chanting
2. Casimir Pulaski Day
If the lyrics don't get to you, you probably don't have a soul
3. Blue Bucket of Gold
A prayer to the abyss, especially in that outro
4. For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti
Wonderfully evocative in its simplicity, with another brilliant use of harmonies
1. All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands
Arguably his most haunting track, especially in the chanting
2. Casimir Pulaski Day
If the lyrics don't get to you, you probably don't have a soul
3. Blue Bucket of Gold
A prayer to the abyss, especially in that outro
4. For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti
Wonderfully evocative in its simplicity, with another brilliant use of harmonies
cobl04
45:33
Mine's pretty easy.
Impossible Soul - anyone who doesn't like this not only doesn't have a soul but also doesn't have a brain or a heart, it's utter perfection and 26 minutes of pure bliss
Vito's Ordination Day - great use of synth and features the most wonderful refrain outro
Sister - incredible four-minute build up and then some of Sufjan's most touching and lovely singing and lyricism to close it out
The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts - hugely underrated, a great upbeat number and once again lovely lyricism
Impossible Soul - anyone who doesn't like this not only doesn't have a soul but also doesn't have a brain or a heart, it's utter perfection and 26 minutes of pure bliss
Vito's Ordination Day - great use of synth and features the most wonderful refrain outro
Sister - incredible four-minute build up and then some of Sufjan's most touching and lovely singing and lyricism to close it out
The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts - hugely underrated, a great upbeat number and once again lovely lyricism
iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
Ya know Cobbler, the best song on Age of Adz - and there are numerous contenders - is I Walked.
cobl04
45:33
Please explain why you think so. I like that song but I'm very confused as to how someone could consider it the best.
God tier
Impossible Soul
Age of Adz
Futile Devices
Vesuvius
I Want to Be Well
Very good
Too Much
Good
Now That I'm Older
Get Real Get Right
I Walked
Bad Communication
All for Myself
God tier
Impossible Soul
Age of Adz
Futile Devices
Vesuvius
I Want to Be Well
Very good
Too Much
Good
Now That I'm Older
Get Real Get Right
I Walked
Bad Communication
All for Myself
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
The synth line throughout is a marvel. I really like I Walked, even though it's kind of overstuffed with unnecessary details like almost everything else around it.
Most of your God Tier section is why I don't like the album, but Impossible Soul is by far and away the best thing on it. And it's even better live (like basically everything else from Age of Adz).
Most of your God Tier section is why I don't like the album, but Impossible Soul is by far and away the best thing on it. And it's even better live (like basically everything else from Age of Adz).
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cobl04
45:33
Fuck, really? You don't like those songs?
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Well, Impossible Soul is amazing. And Futile Devices is good, though I don't hold it to standard of his incredible acoustic pieces from Michigan and Seven Swans, which is what he's trying to capture to use as a misdirection for what's ahead. The melody just isn't quite on that level for me, but it is good.
I Want to Be Well, Age of Adz and Vesuvius all feel like they're slipping around on ice while they're playing, unsteadily going from one tentative idea to the next for 5-8 minutes until they end. Age of Adz in particular tries to go everywhere without actually getting anywhere. Vesuvius is supposed to be a slow burn that builds to something, you know, explosive, but it's so cluttered with unnecessary studio shit that it throws the dynamics off completely. Try to listen to it on laptop speakers sometime; it's almost incomprehensible and headache-inducing.
What I love about the live versions of the Age of Adz songs is that they hone in on what works and strip away a lot of what doesn't. I Want to Be Well sticks to a tight, danceable groove. Vesuvius focuses on the contrast between the slow build and the powerful vocals in the chorus. They're powerful and actually work really well. Sufjan is a production genius, but someone should have told him to dial it back a touch in the studio. The lyrics are up to his usual standard of quality throughout, but I can't focus on them with all the bullshit in the way, which I guess is the point (something something technological overstimulation). But it never has worked for me in this instance.
I Want to Be Well, Age of Adz and Vesuvius all feel like they're slipping around on ice while they're playing, unsteadily going from one tentative idea to the next for 5-8 minutes until they end. Age of Adz in particular tries to go everywhere without actually getting anywhere. Vesuvius is supposed to be a slow burn that builds to something, you know, explosive, but it's so cluttered with unnecessary studio shit that it throws the dynamics off completely. Try to listen to it on laptop speakers sometime; it's almost incomprehensible and headache-inducing.
What I love about the live versions of the Age of Adz songs is that they hone in on what works and strip away a lot of what doesn't. I Want to Be Well sticks to a tight, danceable groove. Vesuvius focuses on the contrast between the slow build and the powerful vocals in the chorus. They're powerful and actually work really well. Sufjan is a production genius, but someone should have told him to dial it back a touch in the studio. The lyrics are up to his usual standard of quality throughout, but I can't focus on them with all the bullshit in the way, which I guess is the point (something something technological overstimulation). But it never has worked for me in this instance.
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iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
This, plus the vocals. Love the falsetto.
iron yuppie
ONE love, blood, life
Can't get behind this. The message is at the forefront and easily discernible despite the kitchen-sink approach.
cobl04
45:33
I mean we’re never going to agree on any of this, but I like these discussions anyway. I vehemently disagree with you of course. Futile Devices is not only the equal of the acoustic pieces from Michigan & Seven Swans, it’s better. It starts with the guitar line, which is beguiling and lulls you into the song. Without any of the instrumentation that clouds the rest of Adz his lyrics and vocals really make an impression. His hushed vocals accurately portray the song’s inherent intimacy. The piano and other guitar plucking that comes all intertwine really well and the last few lines are sung so well, the last 30 seconds are incredible melodically, if you ask me.
I hear what you’re saying about those tracks, but I think that’s a superficial reading of them. I Want to Be Well is the most scattershot and chaotic of the three, but, just like Impossible Soul and the album as a whole, you’ve really got to take it as a piece that’s bigger than the sum of its parts. I Want to Be Well is about the illness that struck him down for months, and the ‘slipping around on ice’ feel comes from the place of being anxious about trying to break through a mystery illness; two-and-a-half minutes in it gets really quiet, Sufjan singing in a heartbreaking, exhausted tone, and then comes the “I’M NOT FUCKIN AROUND!” parts, which are incredibly cathartic. And it’s that catharsis that makes Adz so special for me. If you break the album down part by part it’s certainly not as strong as his other albums, but taken as a whole, I honestly think it’s a masterpiece, because it’s about the journey, the catharsis. “I’M NOT FUCKIN AROUND!” has the incredible impact it does because of the four minutes that precede it; not in spite of them. It’s the same for Impossible Soul - to get to the best part (“it’s not so impossible!!!”) you have to sit through five minutes of slipshod electro warbling. Taken in isolation, that stuff is a pain, but as a whole, it’s what makes the catharsis so absolutely, incredibly amazing.
What you call bullshit, I see as essential to the listening experience, a rare insight into the artistic mind. One man’s trash another man’s treasure.
(Also, just on Age of Adz and Vesuvius in particular. Adz is so powerful to me. I can totally see how people would be put off, but again, all the instrumentation, from the electro orchestral Disney-type shit, to the mechanical lift noises, the soaring female backing vocals, just help build the song into something epic. But at the same time, there’s an incredible song underneath all of that, one that has an amazing melody, and, most importantly, some of most visceral lyrics he’s ever written. It’s a song about mental illness and trying to convince yourself you don’t want to kill yourself. “I’ve lost the will to fight…” And then you get to the final two minutes and slowly each piece of instrumentation is stripped away, and as the layers are peeled back it becomes progressively more beautiful until you’re just left with his voice and guitar. It is utterly, utterly, life-affirming. On Vesuvius, I’m quite surprised you don’t like that one, as aside from Futile Devices and the fifth and final part of Impossible Soul, it’s the most traditional Sufjan song on the record. It gets a bit weird and wacky in the middle, but the piano is lovely, the crescendo rules, the outro is beautiful, and I disagree, I think it builds exceptionally well. It wouldn’t be thrilling without all studio addons.)
Another note, I’ve not listened to the live versions either, outside of the ones I heard on the C&L tour (Futile, Vesuvius, Wanna Be Well, the first two of which were utterly tremendous, Want to Be Well left a lot to be desired because it lacked the chaotic instrumentation and the release of NOT FUCKIN AROUND.
I hear what you’re saying about those tracks, but I think that’s a superficial reading of them. I Want to Be Well is the most scattershot and chaotic of the three, but, just like Impossible Soul and the album as a whole, you’ve really got to take it as a piece that’s bigger than the sum of its parts. I Want to Be Well is about the illness that struck him down for months, and the ‘slipping around on ice’ feel comes from the place of being anxious about trying to break through a mystery illness; two-and-a-half minutes in it gets really quiet, Sufjan singing in a heartbreaking, exhausted tone, and then comes the “I’M NOT FUCKIN AROUND!” parts, which are incredibly cathartic. And it’s that catharsis that makes Adz so special for me. If you break the album down part by part it’s certainly not as strong as his other albums, but taken as a whole, I honestly think it’s a masterpiece, because it’s about the journey, the catharsis. “I’M NOT FUCKIN AROUND!” has the incredible impact it does because of the four minutes that precede it; not in spite of them. It’s the same for Impossible Soul - to get to the best part (“it’s not so impossible!!!”) you have to sit through five minutes of slipshod electro warbling. Taken in isolation, that stuff is a pain, but as a whole, it’s what makes the catharsis so absolutely, incredibly amazing.
What you call bullshit, I see as essential to the listening experience, a rare insight into the artistic mind. One man’s trash another man’s treasure.
(Also, just on Age of Adz and Vesuvius in particular. Adz is so powerful to me. I can totally see how people would be put off, but again, all the instrumentation, from the electro orchestral Disney-type shit, to the mechanical lift noises, the soaring female backing vocals, just help build the song into something epic. But at the same time, there’s an incredible song underneath all of that, one that has an amazing melody, and, most importantly, some of most visceral lyrics he’s ever written. It’s a song about mental illness and trying to convince yourself you don’t want to kill yourself. “I’ve lost the will to fight…” And then you get to the final two minutes and slowly each piece of instrumentation is stripped away, and as the layers are peeled back it becomes progressively more beautiful until you’re just left with his voice and guitar. It is utterly, utterly, life-affirming. On Vesuvius, I’m quite surprised you don’t like that one, as aside from Futile Devices and the fifth and final part of Impossible Soul, it’s the most traditional Sufjan song on the record. It gets a bit weird and wacky in the middle, but the piano is lovely, the crescendo rules, the outro is beautiful, and I disagree, I think it builds exceptionally well. It wouldn’t be thrilling without all studio addons.)
Another note, I’ve not listened to the live versions either, outside of the ones I heard on the C&L tour (Futile, Vesuvius, Wanna Be Well, the first two of which were utterly tremendous, Want to Be Well left a lot to be desired because it lacked the chaotic instrumentation and the release of NOT FUCKIN AROUND.
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