An eccentric person who transcends genres proposes a new thrill.
There are two types of Sufjan Stevens albums. A heartfelt acoustic album and an unsettling psychedelic freakout. Fans tend to prefer the former, but it’s not always clear whether Stevens shares their enthusiasm.
Three years since his last “official” record, the dark and funky Ascension, the Michigan-born artist has released five volumes of ambient “mediative” music duets with Gothic folkie Angelo De Augustin and released a collection of piano pieces in collaboration with the Houston Ballet. Aside from collaborating with Justin Bieber and the Teletubbies, he’s covered all the bases.
But now, Stevens is finally returning to his boring homeland. javelin throw Touted as spiritual successor to 2015 carrie and lowell, a minimalist eulogy for his estranged mother. His latest work also tackles big themes, but here love, rather than death, is at the forefront of his thoughts.
It’s bland and typically melodramatic. Stevens’ understated voice truly holds its own on the song, which builds from a delicate acoustic beginning to a howling pop blizzard, a tone set by opener “Goodbye Evergreen.” Tentative piano gives way to copious amounts of feedback and backing vocals that swoop in like a depressed Valkyrie chorus.
The sweetness that characterizes the singer’s work also bubbles to the surface. “Everything That Rises” adapts Limar’s “The NeverEnding Story” into lyrics that liken her love to religious ecstasy (“Jesus raised me to a higher plane”). But with light there is also darkness. On the gently strummed title track, he wonders whether love is worth going through the inevitable emotional upheaval (“It’s a Terrible Idea to Hold on to”).
Stevens is very private, and the chronology of the relationships documented here is unknown. Are they mourning an old romance? A declaration to your current lover? Or is it just a heartbreaking flight of fantasy? Is he even discussing love in the romantic sense, or is he articulating a sense of platonic fraternity with the universe?
Impossible to say. Equally difficult to assess is the impact of Stevens’ recently diagnosed autoimmune disease, which is affecting his ability to walk (though he hopes to recover by the end of the year).
But while there are many mysteries surrounding this project, one fact remains indisputable. As a songwriter, Stevens is all in. Whichever version of the artist you prefer, be it a campfire winner or a genre-hopping weirdo. javelin throw It’s a scintillatingly wet thrill ride from start to finish.
Streaming: Goodbye Evergreen, Everything That Rising
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