I was challenged to defend my theory that Sufjan is a modern-day Mussorgsky

...and why, by contrast, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor is today's Mozart. Challenge accepted!

You’re probably most familiar with Mussorgsky’s most popular piece, “Night on Bald Mountain." However, I was always drawn to his later work, “Pictures at an Exhibition” from 1874. It’s a very musically literal piece, as are most of his works, but this is about as literal as you can get: The composer walks around an art exhibition and “describes” via a series of suites the paintings he sees, and his impressions of them.

Some are light and playful (chickens or children playing), some refer to classic Russian folk tales (the Hut on Fowl’s Legs) and the magnum opus capping the piece is “The Great Gate of Kiev.” It is a grand, sprawling overture that demonstrates the opulent grandeur of the Russian aristocracy (and the gates that keep them safe).

Between the suites in a repeating motif of the Modest literally walking from one painting to the next. In this he uses an unusual gait—5/4 time signature—because at the time he was using a cane. The strange switching between time signatures not only within but between pieces reminds me so much of Sufjan’s work over the span of his career, but his own magnum opus, “Impossible Soul.”

Sufjan’s work, too, is very literal and ranges from playful (Super Sexy Woman) to folklore (John Wayne Gacy, Jr.) to the sprawling epics containing themes of life, sex, death, and the apocalypse found on the “All Delighted People” EP (Djohariah, his sister) and “The Age of Adz.” Even on the oft-overlooked electronic “Enjoy Your Rabbit,” you find interest, variety, playfulness and signature literal themes. In “Year of the Ox,” The heavy plodding beats mimic the steady plowing of a yoke of oxen.

Reznor, like Mozart, on the other hand, has had a much more expansive musical career, with better-known pieces that show emotion, but often lack distinct subject clarity. (Well, After the ‘89 debut album “Pretty Hate Machine.” Forgive an artist an album or two before finding his voice).

Perhaps this is the synesthesia talking, but I always found an unusually strong and pleasant “circular” sound pattern to both Reznor and Mozart’s work. Perhaps it is the unsurpassed classical pattern of repetition that scientists now tell us is what makes music beautiful to the ear; both are masters at it in their own time and genre.

Take “La Mer” from 1999’s “The Fragile” and My favorite classical piece of all time, “Eine Kleine Nachtmuzik” (First Movement, Allegro, the one you know) from 1787. I don’t know if you play any instruments or read sheet music, but the pattern of introduction, the lead theme, the repetition, the bridge, repetition and coda before the finale actually follow a pattern that closely mimics the 1:1.61 pattern described by DaVinci as the “golden ratio” that describes the beauty of all things in nature from seashells to the human face to the curve of a raindrop.

I myself am more open-minded and subscribe to the Mandelbrot Fractal theory of pattern in mathematics (and what is music without math?). These patters more closely fit the individual patterns-within-patterns that repeat in both “loose” and “tight” loops through both pieces. Let me explain:

Both pieces are singlular “movements” from a larger body of work. Both have elements that not mimic, but actually incorporate overall themes of pattern in tempo, instrumentation, and mood. (Not the same mood, mind you.)

While “La Mer” starts off slowly as a soft, one-bar piano doubling, then later when the bass comes in and you realise you’re at HALF-bar for that tempo, and that bassline is repeating the two-bar melody that is repeated throughout the two-disc piece. It waxes and wanes, with soft spoken French to give an intentionally covert sense of purpose—but not intentionally dark emotion.

Nachtmuzik, on the other hand, follows the same repeating patterns and even use of eighth notes in the half-bar, with a complimentary bassline that carries the listener to follow through the other four movements. Its mood, however, with supposedly boisterous, cheerful opening (supposedly describing a party on a ship at night on the Rhine) is actually anything but—the time signature is actually fewer BPM than La Mer, and if they weren’t both scored in major chords, you’d have a much different feeling about both pieces. Literal intention, however, is much more purposely obscured. They both rely on a simple 4/4 time signature, a straightforward repeating melody and much more complex harmonies.

Unlike Sufjan and Mussorgsky, whose pieces fluctuated over time and with each piece, Mozart and Reznor grew but overall remained amazingly consistent in their productions throughout their musical careers. Earliest works aside, it’s difficult to tell at what point in the musician’s career a piece was written—The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo catches most of the same solid sonic hooks as found in The Downward Spiral, when Reznor caught his foothold, roughly 15 years ago.

Mussorgsky - Great Gate of Kiev.m4p

Top 5 songs this time of year

For maximum effect, play these songs over this video :)

I love holiday music, I really do. Primo examples of my favorites and why they deserve a place by your hearth this Yule.

1. Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Carol of the Bells.mp3
A powerful, joyous song in a minor chord. Too short for me... love it so much I always have to listen twice!

2. Vince Guaraldi Trio - Greensleeves.mp3
Just a beautiful, classic carol I love. The 1960's jazz musician Vince Guaraldi helped bring the genre into the mainstream by soundtracking the classic Peanuts flick "A Charlie Brown Christmas." In this track, they simply and beautifully muse on the theme with just piano, upright bass, and soft drums. Perfect mood music for more serene moments during the holidaze.

3. Boston Pops - Sleigh Ride.mp3
This song is all about the percussion. Like 19th Century Russian composer Modest Mussorgky's pieces such as "Night on Bald Mountain" and "Pictures at an Exhibition", The song is an example of literal story-telling, using the sounds to paint a picture. (modern example: Sufjan Stevens does this in The BQE.) The woodblock is the horse's feet, the bells jingling in time to the brisk pace in a flurry of snow. Listen for the whipcraks, and the trumpet's neigh at the end.

4. Barenaked Ladies - Auld Lang Syne.mp3

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought t' mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp !
and surely I’ll be mine !
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS

It's basically Scottish for "Let's drink for old time's sake." Can't argue with that logic.

5. Kling, Glöckchen, Klingelingeling.mp3
This tender carol, according to Wikipedia, is "a German Christmas carol from the 19th century. The lyrics were written by Karl Enslin (1814–1875) to a traditional German folk tune." Translated as " Ring, Little Bell, Ring-a-ling-a-ling,"it uses German onomatopœia to tell the story of an angel that lights the way for children as they go door to door around the village. At each door, they ring bells and are invited in where they are given small toys and warm sweets. (Sounds fun!)
Some decades later, they popularized the Christmas tree, keeping the kids at home for the Christmas eve visit from the local pastor, and carols like this all but vanished. This was one of my favorites to sing as a kid, and I still love it now.

(FYI... Sufjan's "Songs For Christmas, Vol. VI: Gloria!" was just leaked! You can get the whole thing here. Here's hoping Vol. VII will eventually leak so all our collections can be completed.)

Top 5 genre-bending, pre-Adz songs you probably wouldn't guess were by Sufjan

"I'm not sayin'... I'm just sayin'... I'm not sayin'. Know what I'm sayin?"

In the Words of the Governor.mp3
I would call this Punk if Sufjan weren't trying so hard to rap.

Movement IV: Traffic Shock.mp3
Maybe it's because I've watched the BQE a lot this year, but the music playfully illustrates the movement of traffic along the BQE at night, from different POV's. A fun blend of the synthetic and the organic, the old and the new, the human and the machine weaves classical orchestra through electronica.

Siamese Twins.mp3
I have no explanation for this brief, distorted spoken word piece.

Satan's Saxophones.mp3
This is on the same album (his first, A Sun Came!) as the previous track. Sounds like "4:22" has competition in the avant-garde category. (Subcategory: "Can I really listen through all the way without skipping or adjusting the volume?")

Holy Holy Holy.mp3
Holy unpeggable soundscape, Batman! The guy releases a fucking HYMN, and no one bats an eye for content because it's simply a gorgeous sound. Is there anything he CAN'T do?

Could it get much better?

I have the same reaction to your music

The Age of Adz is not a "middle finger" to fans, but it IS a dividing listeners into two groups: those who wish for "the old Sufan" of his Illinois or Michigan days--and those who are taking this schizophrenic future and running with it.

For the nostalgic, the acoustic love intro "Futile Devices" may not be enough balance to sit through the distortions, synthesizers and cacophony of "Age of Adz." But for those who embrace it, the daunting 25-minute journey of "Impossible Soul" (being performed live in its entirety on the current tour) is incredibly rewarding and heartfelt at its core.



Themes of love, sex, death, and the apocalypse feature prominently on a tightly woven narrative of songs more orchestral than Illinois and more personal than Seven Swans. The familiarity of what those two albums offered may seem cold comfort compared to the thrilling novelty of Sufjan wailing "I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND!" 16 times on "I Want To Be Well."

The expectations we leave behind will allow us to more fully explore this fantastic, futuristic post-genre soundscape Sufjan is creating. He's taking us forward with all the bells and whistles--plus some synthesizers and dancing.

Sufjan Stevens - I Want To Be Well.mp3

Oh, and I refreshed the download links to 2008's Songs for Christmas: Vol VIII for your holiday pleasure. Enjoy!

It's that time again

Hope you got your tickets to Sufjan's North American tour this fall already! Tix are still available at most venues. (Seattle kids, I'll see you there!)

I'm not even going to wait for the tour to actually start or see him before the blogosphere is being flooded by show reviews and critiques, so instead I present:

-----Generic Sufjan Stevens Concert Form Letter-----

Well folks, I just got back from seeing Sufjan at [concert location] for the [# of times] time. It was amazing.

He told lots of wonderful stories; they were all so heartfelt and funny. He is really a nice person. I was sitting in the [nosebleed row #] so I couldn't really hear what he was saying, but hey, he's Sufjan, so I clapped and laughed and yelled like a wild [gender] whenever he would deliver the [punch line/deep thought ending].

He played [list every song even though we all know he plays the exact same thing every show] and they were wonderful, but I was kind of disappointed when he didn't play [obscure Sufjan song that I played over and over for 31 hours straight after my [boy/girl] friend dumped me].

He was talking to the audience as if they were all close friends of hiss, and even though I was in [nosebleed row #] and Sufjan was about the size of an ant, I felt like he was staring right at me. He said something like "I'm a really good banjo player" and everyone started laughing but I don't know what he was talking about.

Then, he turned and faced the audience, and everyone suddenly became very quiet, because we all knew we were about to experience the vaguely sexual/religious poetic insight known as For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti. Sufjan sang the words with [pain/ecstasy/hurt/strength/pity] and I heard people all around me weeping openly.

Just as the audience was at the height of awkwardness and dead-silence-uncomfortableness, some [guy/girl] in the balcony stood up and yelled WE LOVE YOU SUFJAN!!/GO MICHIGAN!!/PLAY CHICAGO!!]

Sufjan continued the rest of the show, wonderful as ever, and finally came back for [one/two] encores, which were [we all know, they're the same every time but I’ll tell you anyway].

My friends and I rushed backstage; knocking over several smaller fans as we made our way to the exit that Sufjan would leave via. There was already a crowd of unattractive girls there, waiting around for his arrival. Then Sufjan's bodyguard walked out. He told us that Sufjan wouldn't be able to sign any autographs because [he's tired/he's in a bad mood/he's sick].

We all stood around anyway, and when Sufjan came out we all tried to rush him. The bodyguard pushed us all back, and we were all shouting, "We love you Sufjan!" He looked at us, made a gesture with his shoulders that said, "I'm sorry, they are making me leave, I can't help it!"

Feeling really desperate, I jumped through the line clutching my [poem/song/drawing/love letter/obsessive-fan-stalking-threatening note-written-with-letter-clippings-from-magazines-describing exactly-what-I want-to-do-to-Sufjan] and threw it at his. He caught it, swore he would look at it as soon as he could, and I nearly exploded with happiness.

As his tour bus pulled away, I stood the with 50 other girls who shared one thing: We didn't need men to make us happy, we didn't have to be attractive to feel confident, and we knew listening to Sufjan's music 24 hours a day would eventually help us overcome our individual traumas.

-----End of Generic Sufjan Stevens Concert Form Letter-----

“It’s going to be incredible. It’s going to probably blow people’s minds."

...That's what she said.

onethirtybpm.com just released yesterday this jewel that I have been waiting to hear for months: New Sufjan Stevens album!!

While they sort of dismiss his work on Songs for Christmas and The BQE (a big mistake, because it is even more well-done and epic compared to 2005's Illinoise) it sounds extremely promising. Many of the new songs were debuted during last fall's tour around the Northeast/Great Lakes region, so it's tremendously exciting to hear how they'll sound from a studio and months of Stevens' tinkering.

Here's a bit of info fresh from that tour if you want a peek into what to expect. Plus oodles of downloads!

While some are still bitching and moaning about the sabbaticals between albums and the whole "he has 48 states to go!", know that the state album project was intended as a joke, as publicity. the new album, as yet unnamed, has no state affiliation. (Unlike Songs for Christmas, which a few people know is actually supposed to be Vermont!)

Plus, think of it this way: his three greatest, most solid albums are Seven Swans, Illinoise, and The BQE. Those three all took about two years of studio work. Instead of badgering him for more songs, know that with a long timeline we get even BETTER songs. So hold onto your hat(s), and in the meantime, check out the interview with Bryce Dessner of The National, and the video of Sufjan sneakily performing live with them on Letterman a few weeks ago.



Random songs!
Sufjan Stevens - Too Much Love.mp3 NEW!
Sufjan Stevens - Year of Our Lord.mp3
Sufjan Stevens - Majesty Snowbird.mp3 LIVE DANCEY VERSION!
Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz.mp3 NEW!
Sufjan Stevens - Super Sexy Woman.mp3 LIVE!
Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People.mp3 NEW!
Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Souls.mp3 NEW!
Sufjan Stevens - Toilet Paper Dolls .mp3 STORY!

Sufjan & Co. documentary released soon??

Finally! Crooked River, the 2006 Swiss documentary by Kaleo LaBelle about his childhood friends, brothers Sufjan and Marzuki Stevens, is coming available stateside!

In the trailer, you can see glimpses into the daily life of music making, running, crafts, Pac-Man, and a long road trip from NY to Boston over to the Great Lakes and home to upper Michigan, to reunite with their estranged father. This long-awaited and deeply personal film is slowly coming out of obscurity.

Fervent searches haven't led to exactly when/where/how it will be available, but a public demand for this film will move the process faster and give it a wider release here.

Sufjan Stevens - Alanson, Crooked River.m4a

UPDATE UPDATE

A member over at SufjanFans.com emailed the director of the film and received this in reply:

Thank you for writing and for your interest in the documentary film CROOKED RIVER by Kaleo La Belle, featuring brothers Sufjan and Marzuki Stevens. A DVD version of the film will be available for purchase in the Spring of 2010. Please check back on the CROOKED RIVER website for updates. Because of your interest in the film, you have been added to the CROOKED RIVER email list. An email will be sent out when the DVD is available.

Keep an eye out for Kaleo's newest feature documentary, BEYOND THIS PLACE, with musical score composed and performed by Sufjan Stevens and Ray Raposa (Castanets). A trailer for the film can be seen at http://www.beyondthisplace.ch.

HOORAY!!!!!!!! :D

Top albums & songs of 2009 (June edition)

Here's a rundown on my year in music:

Best/favorite albums:

Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
Philippians 3:20-21.mp3


A.C. Newman - Get Guilty
Falling Over.mp3


Andrew Bird - Noble Beast/Useless Creatures (Deluxe Edition)
You Woke Me Up!.mp3


Flaming Lips - Embryonic
The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine.mp3


Various Artists - Weezer: The 8-bit Album
OxygenStar - In the Garage.mp3


Islands - Vapours
Disarming the Car Bomb.mp3


Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
Teeth.mp3


Morrissey - Years of Refusal
Morrissey - I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris.mp3


Sufjan Stevens - The BQE
.mp3


The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars EP
.mp3

Perhaps no surprises here, but it's been such a busy year for me that I've barely had time for my ears to catch much more than this.

Contestants for the Annual "Sincey" Award:
Jeremih - Birthday Sex.m4a
Lily Allen - 22.mp3
Soulja Boy - Gucci Bandanna.mp3
Shakira - Loba.mp3
Spanish versions are ALWAYS better than the English versions.

"Party in the U.S.A." will instead be represented in the category of "best mash-ups of 2009":
Hathbanger - Party and Bullshit (In the USA) (Notorious B.I.G. vs. Miley Cyrus).mp3
Tor - I Like The Tallest Man (Grad Puba vs. Sufjan Stevens).mp3

Excited for upcoming:
Peter Peter Hughes' "Fangio, Juan Fangio" album
Sufjan's new album to be out "early next year." (Nope, not a state album!)
Whatever Jens Lekman can do with two turntables and a microphone

Lest anyone accuse me of going without a Sufjan post for a while

I can't believe we got scooped on this one! But the trailer for the upcoming movie "Babies" features the song "The Perpetual Self, Or "What Would Saul Alinsky Do?"" by Sufjan Stevens, off his album The Avalanche. Kind of surprising and refreshing to have a pick from that album! (Oh, and even though I'm not a big fan of babies, this movie looks really cute and interesting!)



And of course, here is the song for your downloading pleasure:
Sufjan Stevens - The Perpetual Self, Or "What Would Saul Alinsky Do?".mp3

No, Thank you!

This cat macro is lovingly dedicated to fellow blogger Jess and her poor terrified cat, Mudpie

Happy Thanksgiving to all our U.S. readers! Here's a grab-bag of songs from some very thankful musicians:

Dido - Thank You.mp3

The Flaming Lips - Thank You Jack White.mp3

Alanis Moressette - Thank U.mp3

the Mountain Goats - Thanks For The Dress.mp3

Neil Diamond - Thank the Lord for the Night Time.mp3

ZZ Top - I Thank You.mp3

And finally, a very thankful Sufjan takes time to appreciate the audience and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden in this clip from a live show in 2006:
Sufjan Stevens - "Thank You!".mp3

Hippest 5 year old ever

Most adorable Sufjan cover ever. It's almost enough to make me want to have kids. Almost.

Story of My Life: The Musical!

A meme circulating around Facebook about one's Top 25 Most Influential albums needs new life here, if you'll allow the indulgence. These're in chronological order. This might help explain my musical weirdness, or it might just confuse you:

The Early Years (1981 - 1993)

1. Tickle Tune Typhoon - Circle Around ...Kinder-pop!

2. Firesign Theatre - Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me The Pliers / I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus ...This was not by choice; it was my dad's pick
Side A of "Don't Crush That Dwarf".mp3

3. The Beatles - Revolver ...Mom's pick
And Your Bird Can Sing.mp3

4. Steely Dan - A Decade of Steely Dan ...From both parents
Reelin' in the Years.mp3

5. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream ...I have listened to this album far, far more than any other.
Geek U.S.A..mp3

The Teen Years (1993 - 1999)

6. U2 - Achtung Baby ...Can YOU pick out the (supposed) 11 oral sex references throughout the album?
Even Better Than the Real Thing.m4a

7. Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill ...Quintessential angsty mid-90's femme-rock

8. Radiohead - OK Computer ...Revolution #1: Changed the way I listened to music
Let Down.mp3

9. Tori Amos - Boys for Pele ...So, so important
Father Lucifer.mp3

10. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
Kinda I Want To.mp3

The College/Bellingham Years (1999 - 2003)

11. Jeff Buckley - Grace ...Revolution #2, and my top "desert island" album pick
So Real.mp3

12. They Might Be Giants - Flood
Istanbul (Not Constantinople).mp3

13. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs ...I still worship Stephin Merritt as the lyrical god he is
Epitaph for My Heart.mp3

14. Velvet Goldmine OST ...Ah yes, the important Bowie/glam phase
Placebo - 20th Century Boy (T. Rex cover).mp3

15. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
Words and Guitar.mp3

The Post-College Years (2003 - 2008)

16. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans / Illinois ...Revolution #3. Sufjan is my hero.
To Be Alone With You.mp3

17. Elliott Smith - XO
XO (Waltz #2).mp3

18. Andrew Bird - Weather Systems
Weather Systems.mp3

19. the Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree / Ghana ...Revolution #4 -- an epiphany! John Darnielle and Peter Hughes as friends and influences
Going To Kirby Sigston.mp3

20. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
My Body is a Cage.m4a

These Days (2008 - Present)

21. Jens Lekman -When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog
You Are The Light (By Which I Travel Into This And That).m4a

22. Cut/Copy - In Ghost Colours
So Haunted.m4a

23. Islands - Arm's Way ...My pick for best album of last year. Epic! Move over, NMH
J'aime Vous Voire Quitter.m4a

24. the Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed ...A whole new perspective
Mole.mp3

25. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals ...Ridic catchy. I think this album'll last the years.
Set It Off.mp3

gettin' you all caught up on the Sufjan stuff put out in 09 so you'll stop whining about that next state album

After getting a chance to talk to Mr. Stevens and Cryptacize after the Cleveland, OH show on Sept. 24, He dropped that a new, as-yet-untitled album with a dubious lack of state affiliation will be out "next year." In case you haven't gotten it yet, here are some excellent-quality recordings from the Ithaca show the previous day, which showcases much of Stevens' new sound:
Sufjan Stevens - Too Much Love.mp3 (The jumpy 7/8 time one)
Sufjan Stevens - Majesty Snowbird.mp3 (new version)
Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz.mp3 (Pronounced as "Odds")
Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People.mp3 (new song borrowed heavily from old song)
Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Souls.mp3 (Sufjan's "favorite" of the new batch right now)

Did you know The BQE is out on an album now? Your choice of the CD/DVD set, or the ol' vinyl, which comes with a bonus song that has lyrics. Not convinced? Call him the Mussorgsky of the 21st Century, and the BQE is the "Pictures at an Exhibition" of our generation. Here's what you're missing:
Sufjan Stevens - Introductory Fanfare for the Hooper Heroes.mp3
Sufjan Stevens - Movement III: Linear Tableau With Intersecting Surprise.mp3
Sufjan Stevens - Movement IV: Traffic Shock.mp3

Buy The BQE.

Osso, a string quartet spun from Sufjan's hugely orchestral Winged Eagle and Butterfly Kite Brigade days, has rearranged and released Stevens' 2002 Electronica album "Enjoy Your Rabbit" as a new album titled "Run Rabbit Run." (Owning your own label can have huge perks far as what you do with your music, what is released and when. Hooray for complete artist control!)
Some of the tracks off the original recording I liked least and now favorites in Osso's version, and vice versa. Give it a try:
Osso - Year of the Dog.mp3
Osso - Year of the Dragon.mp3

Buy Run Rabbit Run.

Finally, we come to Tor, who has put together a well-done EP of Sufjan-based mashups & remixes called "Illinoize". Check it:
Tor - Dumb ATLiens Sound (f. Outkast).mp3
Tor - The Dress Makes Me Feel That Way (f. Gift of Gab).mp3
Tor - Star of Wonder / None Shall Pass (f. Aesop Rock).mp3

Download the entire Illinoize FOR FREE!

Sufjan Stevens @ Castaways, Ithaca, NY 9/23/09

I am on the road, following Sufjan's current tour!



(You can se me mouthing along in the front, haha)

I make it a habit to perpetually arrive unconscionably early to shows. Usually this has me sitting outside a venue in less-than-ideal weather for several hours, but Castaways is a local watering hole as well as an intimate show space. I grabbed myself a drink and sat with a book during set-up.

By the time Cryptacize had finished their soundcheck and Sufjan was fingering the chords to "To Be Alone With You" the bar had cleared. An empty bar + soundcheck = private concert, far as I was concerned. Everyone on the tour thought I worked at the bar; everyone in the bar thought I was part of the tour. They left me alone. I sat quietly. I enjoyed it.

And last night I got to meet him (again, for the first time, as I've met him before but he did not remember, which I didn't mention)!!! I was just chillin in the bar reading when, after soundcheck, he just comes over and SITS ACROSS FROM ME AT THE TABLE. And we chatted. And I was shy. and he was shy. and it was adorable and the moral of the story is I need to bring a clean change of panties for tonight's show. (TMI?)

Today I'm carpooling to Cleveland with a girl I met online who has never seen him before. She is a lesbian "but would go straight for Sufjan, only Sufjan." Which is strangely echoed by the guy behind me in Ithaca who was "Straight, but would go gay ONLY for Sufjan."

Some highlights:

+ A full half of songs played last night were brand new.
+ One was based off an old song by the same name, "All Delighted People." and also the Simon & Garfunkle song "The Sounds of Silence."
+ The following define the new sound:

electronica
prog-rock
shredding electric guitar
lyrically intimate love songs (!!!!!!)
glam rock
a danceable, beat-heavy "Majesty Snowbird"
7/8 (or possibly alternating 4/4, 3/4) time signatures
definite Stereolab and Mouse on Mars influences
not too much distortion/noise, perhaps surprisingly

So, I actually got a chance to sit down with Sufjan after soundcheck. Like a bad questionnaire, "If you could ask Sufjan only one question, what would it be?", the music-critic-heroine in me jumped out with: "I think it's interesting that you're moving toward a much more electronic sound..."
"Yeah, I've been working with it for a long time though."
"Well, it just seems an odd juxtaposition that your orchestral pieces are being re-arranged in a more electronic form, while at the same time your only electronica album is being re-released [ Run Rabbit Run ] after being re-arranged by a string quartet, more 'organic' instruments, if you will, moving it in the opposite direction..."
He sat there for a moment, smiling but caught off guard until "Yeah.... Yeah! Huh! I guess I didn't even think about that!"

Booyah. The moral of the story is that it's a happy coincidence only.
No word on a confirmed album release date, title or state affiliation. Guesses?

Maybe we'll even get to hear new songs!

HOLY SMOKES BATMAN! Sufjan Stevens is emerging from his batcave/hyperbaric chamber/center of isolation to *gasp* TOUR. Here's the official list (check out all the teeny tiny venues!!!)

09-21 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *
09-22 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *
09-23 Ithaca, NY - Castaways *
09-24 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
09-25 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom *
09-26 Champaign, IL - The High Dive *
09-27 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar *
09-28 Madison, WI - The Majestic *
09-29 Bloomington, IN - Buskirk Chumley *
10-01 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Place *
10-02 Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret *
10-03 Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall *
10-04 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
10-05 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
10-06 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
10-07 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *

*with Cryptacize

Let's celebrate with these rarities shall we:

Majesty Snowbird - Sufjan Stevens (live)
Free Man in Paris - Sufjan Stevens
Jupiter Bad June - Sufjan Stevens

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone @ The First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA 7/2/09

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone aka a lone Owen Ashworth put on a mesmerizing show at the itty-bitty chapel at Philadelphia's First Unitarian Church. The venue only holds 50 people, no joke. And so we sat, packed in the pews and watched Owen tap away at his keyboards as he made lo-fi musical magic. For those of you unaware, his latest album Vs. Children contains some of the best songs ever written about children having children, emotional and literate lyrics ensue.


Oh and by the way, CFTPA played two back-to-back shows at the chapel. We attended the early one. But guess who attended the late show? None other then SUFJAN STEVENS! (A little bird called Twitter told us so). And to think we missed sitting inches away from that dreamboat by a mere few hours. What have we done to anger the indie rock gods so much??

White Jetta - Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

Doesn't he look yummy in this pic?

Happy Birthday Sufjan! Now how bout giving us a present, like you know get cracking on that next album. 48 states await.

Happy Birthday - Sufjan Stevens

Illinois gone graphic!

Wow, just wow. This person Jax de Leon took Sufjan Stevens' Illinois and visually graphed every single musical aspect of it. Everything from lyrical content to note frequency to instrumentation. According to Jax, "This project is an experiment in taking an audio recording of music that is beautiful and personally meaningful to many listeners, deconstructing it from different vantage points, rearranging it, and building it up again into visual interpretations"

It's a worthy endeavor indeed. If we could do math and graphic design we probably would have attempted it ourselves. But since we can't we'll marvel at Jax's work. Check it out here.

Come On Feel the Illinoise! - Sufjan Stevens

So You Want To Meet Sufjan or Andrew (without coming off as a groupie)

Here at Volume Knob, there are few things we love more than music, but one is notes from you, dear readers. We received the following comment to last fall's post about the Andrew Bird show in Ithaca, NY from reader Madkaye:

I am constantly following your blog but this is my first comment. I do have a question, seeing as you have both successfully met two specific artists that I practically worship. Could you post a blog or just a reply perhaps on how you think its best to approach the whole conflict of:

"HOLY CRAP I want to meet this god and am willing to give up my first child in order to do so"

and

"Well...I don't want to be the annoying generic fan...I mean they're just a person, right? RIGHT?"

You know what I'm saying? You guys always seem to find the artist in a position where you can talk to them and get a photo and everything. How in the hell did you manage both sufjan and andrew? I've heard they are both extremely shy with fans.

It is certainly the conundrum! To be perfectly honest, I wish I had a good answer myself, besides simply "happenstance and patience." I can only offer insights and advice from my own experiences. The truth is, I'm no fancy pants smooth operator, nor are we lowly bloggers presented with press passes or any opportunities more than anyone else. All we really do is have some time to kill, and wait patiently.

For both the Andrew and Sufjan show, as with most shows, it's a matter of kindly and quietly just waiting around after the show. Feel out the situation for gush-ability. Sometimes, verbal diarrhea is inevitable. Don't be embarrassed, just say whatever feels true and right, even if you worry it's cliché.

We are all the annoying, generic fan; the idea is to be conscientious of this and mitigate that with realizing that some artists are very shy or might not be in the mood for gushing, while others are more casual and relaxed and feel more comfortable mingling with fans in these situations.

Remember, they're at work! They just finished a performance and are more likely than not, rather tired. Don't Bogart their time, but handshakes and autograph requests are always appropriate. For those of us more, ahem, persistent--especially with notoriously shy artists who are scarcely seen post-show or don't tour as often--being slightly more assertive and asking for photos is an acceptable hazard of fan territory.

Finally, note there's no reward without risk, and you can never go wrong with just chilling at a venue post-show and letting the exit traffic wane.

NEW old Sufjan!

Oh how Sufjan keeps us pining for new material. He better get cracking on those other 48 states, dude! But in the meantime, we'll take whatever scraps he throws our way. In today's case: a demo from back in the day. A short sweet song that's an ode to um, Sofia Coppola. Check out the story behind it here

Listen to it too:

Sofia's Song - Sufjan Stevens