09 May 2007

Two previously unreleased Sufjan Stevens songs


I just got The Seven Swans LP re-issue (Sounds Familyre) in the mail yesterday! Don't worry, I won't inundate with "OMG vinyl is superior to CD" because that's elitist BS BUT I did enjoy the two new/previously unreleased songs that come on a bonus 7": "I Went Dancing With My Sister" and "What A Waste of What Your Kids Won't Have."

Unfortunately, since they're on vinyl and I lack the capability to convert them into a more share-able format, I can only offer descriptions of what they sound like:

"Dancing," the A-side, is in fact a song you just might want to dance to. Upbeat and almost slightly snarky with fond remembrance. It's quite a bit lighter than most of the fare found on Seven Swans.

"Waste," the B-side, is a more somber toned piece, gorgeously set in 5/8 time, featuring double-tracked vocals of Suf and Megan Smith with simple banjo backing. It's quite reminiscent of Michigan's "For the Widows in Paradise, for The Fatherless in Ypsilanti" and Illinois' "Casimir Pulaski Day."

Maybe these'll surface in digital format soon! If I find them I'll post them. I'm also working on getting the lyrics down to share.

In the meantime, the LP is a solidly constructed piece of quality vinyl; each disc is hand-numbered. If you have a player and are at all curious I'd recommend it (and, I don't think it's redundant to have the album in two formats).

PS, Today's posts dedicated to those working on finals/papers and needing procrastination material. ;)

EDIT: An anonymous philanthropist says you can hear those two songs (and a slew of other golden B-sides/rarities) streaming here over at allgoodnaysayers.net!!

8 comments:

Ana S. said...

*dies of jealousy*

I have the old version of the vinyl, and I'd totally buy this one just for the new songs, except that my vinyl player stopped working completely :( It's killing me that I can't hear them!

Still, thanks for the description!

Anonymous said...

listen to sound clips here

June said...

Wow, thank you Anonymous!!

Jeremy Edwards said...

That's some mailman you've got there. I think you owe him a hug (if only for never swiping your so-obviously-shaped treasures).

June said...

Jeremy: I think you're right there. He does deserve a hug for not swiping my musical treasures (no matter how I convince the sender to label my vinyl purchases "BOWLING BALL--DO NOT BEND."

Anonymous said...

Hey when did you place your order for the vinyl and how long did it take for it to arrive? Because I ordered the CD version of Seven Swans off Sounds Familyre on April 29th and I haven't received the CD yet. This is the first time I purchase something off Sounds Familyre and I have no idea how long it takes packages to arrive. It seems to me like its taking way too long. Could you possible give me some insight?

June said...

Anonymous: The vinyl orders at Sounds Familyre are purchased through insound.com. I think I purchased it several weeks ago, the day it came out, and it just arrived Tuesday. It comes from Brooklyn.

I've also bought "Ships" CD through SF. It took maybe 2 weeks. It came from Clarksborough, NJ. (both of these were shipped to Olympia, WA).

SF is a home-based operation, so it might be several weeks, but I don't think there's any harm in calling and asking what's up with your order. Good luck, and enjoy! :)

Anonymous said...

thanks