Sufjan Stevens - TheAvalanche

Fri 1st Sep, 2006 in Music Reviews

Sufjan Stevens, with the release of  Come On Feel The Illinoise (aka Illinois)  in 2005, was heralded as the next unconventional low-fi Brian Wilson. The arrangements and textures and songs that were captured on that release made your ears stand up and take notice With 22 pieces, ranging from :19 seconds to over 6 minutes, Sufjan lived up to the praise that was heaped on him.  The majestic and up-lifiting  ‘Chicago’, was a tip of the hat to artists like Laurie Anderson and Steve Reich. These influences were even more evident in the title track. Go back and have a snoop at the now Mrs. Lou Reed’s ‘Oh Superman’ to see what I mean.  Voice, electronics, keyboards, cello, french horn, banjo and more were all combined to produce a magical song cycle. The boy has shown some promise!

Sufjan has not been quiet. Recent forays out into the world have found him sharing a stage with ex-Talking Head, David Byrne; an appearance on the tribute album to John Fahey and an upcoming world tour in September. He will be joined on this tour by Alternative/Experimental band My Brightest Diamond. This road trip kicks off in September in the USA and based on the fact that 11 of the first 16 shows are already sold out, in places as Middle America as Indiana and as cosmopolitan as New York, Sufjan is showing a meteoric rise.

The young man does not lack drive. His plans to release a CD for each state in the USA, 50 in total, in case you didn’t know, is inspiring. It may just be the hype, or a good piece of press, but people are waiting for it eagerly. So meanwhile, we are given Avalanche, a selection of out-takes and extras from the Illinois release. The song titles are enough to give you a smile with titles like ‘The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake’ and ‘The Vivian Girls Are Visited In The Night By Saint Dargarius And His Squadron Of Benevolent Butterflies’. Mouthfuls to say but wonderful to immerse yourself in.With 3 versions of the aforementioned “Chicago” included here, one in acoustic form, another an easy listening version and the third  known as the multiple personality disorder version, you get some very beautiful treatments of a wonderful piece of music.

Sufjan may not have any fresh material on the table for us right now, but his left-overs are every bit as good as the other treats he previously prepared. So slip on your headphones, lie back and let Mr. Stevens take you through the avalanche.