MARK CHOQUETTE
Assistant Perspectives Editor
Sufjan Stevens’ first name is ironically as hard to say as his music is to describe. Pronounced SOOF-yan, Stevens may be the most popular and talented musician you have never heard. His eclectic blend of indie, folk and experimental styles have gotten him loads of attention, with some considering him the “iPod Generation’s” answer to Bob Dylan, as far as creativity, uniqueness and individuality are concerned.
If you are stumped as to what to give that indie friend for Christmas, or you simply want some chill tunes to listen to while you are sipping hot cocoa beside the fireplace this winter, look out for Sufjan’s special 5-disc box set, “Songs for Christmas,” to be released Nov. 14.
Stevens’ first album, “A Sun Came,” was released in 2000 and he wrote it while he was a student at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Following graduation, Stevens moved to New York City where he enrolled in the New School for Social Research to focus on his writing. His second album “Enjoy Your Rabbit,” released a year later, is an electronic, Chinese zodiac-themed work. It was completed shortly after arriving in New York and was released in 2001.
Stevens then began what would eventually carry him to cult status among independent music fans all over the world. The “50 States Project” was an ambitious undertaking in which Stevens planned to compose an album for every state in the union. A goal that Stevens admitted was rather unattainable provided a major springboard for creativity and attention, in that such an idea had never really been conceived in modern music.
Stevens began the project with a tribute to his home state, Michigan, creating characters within the lyrics who tackle subjects dear to the state and the larger rust belt: natural beauty, poverty, job loss, depression, faith in God, love, sorrow and for the revitalization of Michigan.
He followed a similar formula for his 2005 breakthrough album, “Come on Feel the Illinois”, or more simply “Illinois”. He used long song titles (one of the longest being an instrumental epic “The Black Hawk War, Or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization And Still Feel Good About Yourself In The Morning, Or, We Apologize For The Inconvenience But You’re Going To Have To Leave Now, Or…”), short interludes, as well as a wide variety of tempos, rhythms and instruments. This time Stevens’ devoted his lyrical genius to the grandeur of Chicago, the UFO sightings in rural Highland and the events occurring on the local holiday, Casimir Pulaski Day.
Stevens plays more than 20 instruments, and if that is not enough, he writes, composes, performs and produces his own albums. So to tour he needs some friends to accompany the live one-man-band.
Stevens, along with more than a dozen accompanying musicians, left crowds in awe and amazement during his fall tour, which concluded earlier this month at Berkeley. The musicians added for his recent tour provided a quintet string section, a horn section composed of a few trumpets and a trombone, triangles and xylophones, and not lost in the mix is your more traditional guitar, bass and drums. Stevens himself specializes in the banjo and piano, occasionally writing an acoustic ditty or plugging in for epic decibel-benders like his ode to Superman and the tiny town of Metropolis, Ill., in “The Man of Metropolis Steals our Hearts.”
What makes Stevens especially interesting is this mix of instruments he incorporates to form a highly unique sound. The musically unorthodox tactics Stevens uses in his songwriting provide a truly fresh outlook on music and its future direction.
If you are tired of the predictable, formulaic sound of music these days and are looking for a fresh face with new outlooks and avenues of expression, Stevens is an artist worth checking out. His humble attitude and quiet confidence combined with his intelligent, enlightened perspective on life is welcome to a music scene where debauchery, controversial behavior and over-the-top antics are celebrated.
11-02-2006