Sufjan Stevens
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
A very individual indie blend of pop and folk, often experimental, with touches of electronica and influences ranging from classical to jazz
Status:
Most recent release, Songs for Christmas (2006); most recent releases of new material, Illinois (2005) and The Avalanche (2006)
See also:
Sufjan Stevens site
Comparisons:
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
For some reason I'm not fond of male-singers/bands...there are only a few that I enjoy...and Sufjan is one of them! There's something about that voice and his incredibly unusual musical arrangements that just ooze of brilliance. (lasherboy@gmail.com)Sufjan Stevens is definitely in my musical pantheon. He's nuts, and he's utterly brilliant. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Recommended first album:
Illinois
Recordings:
- A Sun Came (2000)
- Enjoy Your Rabbit (2001)
- Michigan (2003)
- Seven Swans (2004)
- Illinois (2005)
- The Avalanche (2006)
- Songs for Christmas (2006)
A Sun Came
Release info:
2000—Asthmatic Kitty Records (PO Box 1282/Lander, WY 82520—AKR009
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Group members:
Sufjan Stevens—vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, sitar, flute, recorder, oboe, alto saxophone, piano, synthesizer, xylophone, bass guitar, percussion
Guest artists:
Jesse Koskey—drums (9, 10)
Marzuki Stevens—guitar (10); percussion (12)
Matt Morgan—guitar (5, 13)
Shannon Stephens—vocals (2)
Ghandeer Yaser—vocals (5, 17)
Katrina Kerns—vocals (21)
Megan Smith—vocals (21)
Produced by:
Sufjan Stevens
Comments:
Not his best album and not the one I would start with, but certainly worth listening to if you enjoy Sufjan's later work. There are some really good tracks, particularly in the beginning and middle (the latter half of the album gets a little too experimental for me). Of his recordings, this album is also the most obviously influenced by world music (particularly Celtic and Middle Eastern). (JoAnn Whetsell)
Enjoy Your Rabbit
Release info:
2001—Asthmatic Kitty Records (PO Box 1282/Lander, WY 82520—AKR003
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for fans of electronic music and/or Sufjan Stevens
Group members:
Sufjan Stevens
Guest artists:
Tom Eaton—trumpet
Liz Janes—voice
Mannar Wong—Chinese voice
Produced by:
Sufjan Stevens
Comments:
I'm not enough of a fan of electronic music to really enjoy this instrumental disc of 12 "Programmatic Songs for the Animals of the Chinese Zodiac" (plus 2 others). But it's Sufjan—moreover Sufjan experimenting—and he does lots of interesting stuff, and there are enough compelling bits to make it worth pulling it out and giving a listen every now and then. I particularly like the more melodic, less noisome songs like "Year of the Horse." (JoAnn Whetsell)
Michigan
Release info:
2003—Sounds Familyre (PO Box 225/Clarksboro, NJ 08020)—SF010/Asthmatic Kitty Records (PO Box 1282/Lander, WY 82520—AKR007
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Sufjan Stevens—oboe, English horn, piano, electric organ, electric piano, banjo, acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitar, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, recorders, wood flute and likeminded whistles, drum kit, various percussion, shakers, sleigh bells, tambourine, dramatic cymbal swells, singing, rhetoric
Guest artists:
Elin Smith—vocals (2-5, 11-13, 15)
Daniel Smith—vocals (15)
Megan Smith—vocals (2, 5, 8, 11-13)
Tom Eaton—trumpet (1, 3, 8, 15)
John Ringhofer—trombone and vocals (13)
Stephen Halker—trumpet (4, 8, 13)
Monique Aiuto—vocals (8, 15)
Vito Aiuto—vocals (15)
Produced by:
Sufjan Stevens
Comments:
Michigan is not as immediately accessible an album as Illinois. Its songs are quieter, a bit slower and more contemplative, though the second half beginning with the song "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head" has more of the catchier songs that are closest in sound to the Illinois songs. The album rewards repeated listening. It is every bit as compelling as Illinois, and perhaps even more beautiful. The arrangements and orchestrations are absolutely gorgeous. In some ways, the album bridges the sounds of Seven Swans and Illinois, even though it preceded both. I love it more with every listen. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Seven Swans
Release info:
2004—Sounds Familyre (PO Box 225/Clarksboro, NJ 08020)—SF013
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Sufjan Stevens—vocals, everything else
Guest artists:
Elin Smith—vocals
Megan Smith—vocals
David Smith—drums
Andrew Smith—drums
Daniel Smith—vocals and bass guitar
Produced by:
Daniel Smith
Comments:
Not as catchy as Illinois, and maybe even a bit more subdued than Michigan, but a thoroughly beautiful album. Still, it fits with those albums in sound; just quieter, more contemplative, and arguably with more Christian allusions. It took me a few listens to appreciate its beauty, but now I love it, and I find more to love with every listen. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Illinois
Release info:
2005—Asthmatic Kitty Records (PO Box 1282/Lander, WY 82520—AKR014
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Essential
Group members:
Sufjan Stevens—acoustic guitar, piano, Wurlitzer, electric bass, drum kit, electric guitar, oboe, Miriam's alto saxophone, Sunmin's flute, Daniel's banjo and/or Matt's banjo, Shara's glockenspiel, Laura's rickety accordion, a rented vibraphone, various recorders (tenor, soprano, sopranino, and Monique's alto), Casiotone MT-70, sleigh bells, shakers, tambourine, triangle, Baldwin electric church organ, vocals
Guest artists:
James McAllister—all sophisticated drum parts
Craig Montoro—all trumpet parts (muted and non-muted), singing on 16
Katrina Kerns—backup vocals (1, 3, 5, 13, 15, 19, 20)
Shara Worden—backup vocals (1, 3, 4, 10, 13, 15, 19, 20)
Matt Morgan—backup vocals (7)
Daniel Smith—backup vocals and claps (7)
Elin Smith—backup vocals and claps (7)
The Illinoisemaker Choir (Jennifer Hoover, Tara McDonnell, Beccy Lock, Katrina Kerns, Tom Eaton)—singing, hooting, hollering, and/or hand-clapping (2, 7, 9, 12, 16, 20)
Rob Moose—violin
Julianne Carney—violin
Marla Hansen—viola
Maria Bella Jeffers—cello
Produced by:
Sufjan Stevens
Comments:
Boy ecto if I ever heard it. If you haven't yet give it a listen. Musically eclectic. All over the map. But it caught me from the moment I first heard the piano riff on the first track. (Neile)This is essential. Not just an essential album in Sufjan Stevens' catalog, but ecto essential. There is so much that is catchy and instantly compelling, and there's so much more that repeated listens uncover. And it really is an ALBUM. Whenever I pull out a single song, I find I need to hear the one before it and the one after, and I usually end up playing the whole album because that's really how it's meant to be heard. The first time I heard Illinois was the first time I heard Sufjan. I listened to the album from start to finish and then immediately played it again all the way through. Two years later, hardly a week goes by without my playing at least part of the album on my stereo or in my head. Yes, this is one of the few albums that I can't live without. And if you want to know why, just give a listen. That will tell you far more than I can. (JoAnn Whetsell)
The Avalanche
Release info:
2006—Asthmatic Kitty Records (PO Box 1282/Lander, WY 82520)—AKR022
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Sufjan Stevens—vocals, everything else
Guest artists:
James McAllister—drums and percussion (2, 6, 9, 12-14, 19)
Katrina Kerns—backup vocals (1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14)
Craig Montoro—trumpet (2, 3, 6, 10, 12, 14, 19, 20), singing on 19
Shara Worden—backup vocals (1, 2, 8, 12)
Rosie Thomas—backup vocals (1, 2, 8, 12)
Produced by:
Sufjan Stevens
Comments:
I was not quite as head-over-heels with this release as I was with Come on, Feel the Illinoise! (my #1 album of last year, by the way).. But come on, there is still so much to love! "Adlai Stevenson", "The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself)", "No Man's Land", "The Perpetual Self, or What Would Saul Alinsky Do?", and "Pittsfield" are some of the most complex and interesting songs I've ever heard. Sufjan's sweet, soft voice makes me melt a little. The flutes, horns, hand claps, bells, and rousing choruses help these songs become little transcendent music-miracles. (lasherboy@gmail.com)It's a credit to Sufjan's talent that he takes a bunch of songs that didn't make the cut for the Illinois album and alternate mixes of some that did, and out of them he makes a listenable, enjoyable collection that is really nearly an album in its own right. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Songs for Christmas
Release info:
2006—Asthmatic Kitty Records (PO Box 1282/Lander, WY 82520)—AKR028
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Sufjan Stevens—electric and acoustic guitars, banjo, drums, recorders, reverb, sleigh bells, stocking stuffers, glockenspiel, electric organ, mistletoe, Gloria in Eggshells Faygo, various bells, electronic keyboard, piano, oboe, electronic piano, bass, organ, that creepy Christmas feeling, gold, frankincense, myrrh, telephone, tambourine, flutes, shakers, bravado, sad feelings, nostalgia, eggnog, percussion, positive feedback, negative feedback, Christmas cheer, loneliness, irony, tidings of comfort & joy, four slightly out-of-tune pianos, Hammond organ, Rhodes, weird synthesizer sounds, mashed potatoes and gravy, bass guitar, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, figgy pudding, apologies, cranberry sauce, funny synthesizer sounds, vibraphone, vocals, backing vocals, narration
Guest artists:
Matt Morgan—vocals (disc 1, tracks 2, 4, 5, 7); electric guitars (disc 1 tracks 2, 3, 5-7); lead vocals (disc 1, track 3); banjo (disc 1, track 4)
Vito Aiuto—backing vocals (disc 2, tracks 2 & 5); elfin chuckles, reindeer giggles (disc 2, track 2); vocals (disc 2, tracks 3 & 8); acoustic guitar (disc 2, tracks 3, 8, 9); lead vocals (disc 2, tracks 4, 6, 9); guitar (disc 2, tracks 4 & 6); holly, ivy (disc 2, track 5) ; creepy vocals (disc 3, track 7); The Doves on "The Friendly Beasts"
Monique Aiuto—backing vocals (disc 2, tracks 2, 5, 8); elfin chuckles, reindeer giggles (disc 2, track 2); vocals (disc 2, track 3); holly, ivy (disc 2, track 5); creepy vocals (disc 3, track 7); The Doves on "The Friendly Beasts"
Marla Hansen—backing vocals (disc 2, track 2); vocals (disc 5, tracks 2, 7, 9, 10); viola
James McAlister—drums (disc 2, track 2; disc 5, tracks 2, 4, 6, 7); percussion (disc 2, track 2); celeste, wind chimes, vibraslap, Christmas cheer (disc 5, track 7)
Laura Myers—backing vocals, Christmas cheer (disc 3, track 2); The Cow on "The Friendly Beasts"
Colin Stevens—backing vocals, Christmas cheer (disc 3, track 2, 4)
Denison Witmer—vocals, acoustic guitar (disc 3, track 3, 4); The Donkey on "The Friendly Beasts"
Shara Worden—vocals, high notes, Christmas cheer (disc 3, track 4), angelic vocals (disc 3, track 5); The Sheep on "The Friendly Beasts"
Bridgit DeCook—vocals (disc 4, tracks 1-4, 7)
C.J. Camerieri—trumpet (disc 5, tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
Ben Lanz—trombone (disc 5, tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 9)
Rob Moose—violin
Naho Tsutsui—violin
Maria Bella Jeffers—cello
Produced by:
Sufjan Stevens
Comments:
Five Christmas EPs recorded between 2001 and 2006 as gifts for family and friends are packaged together in one box as a gift for fans. As if the music weren't enough, the box set includes lyrics, guitar, chords, stickers, a cartoon, and two essays (one by Sufjan; one by Rick Moody) He doesn't make fun of the holiday, but he has fun with it. This album is equal parts holiday and holy day, reverence and cheer. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Further info:
Sufjan Stevens' recordings appear on several compilation albums. Songs only available on compilations include: "The First Full Moon," "God'll Ne'er Let You Down," "Bushwick Junkie," and "I Can't Even Lift My Head" on To Spirit Back the Mews (2002); "To Be Alone With You" on Music From The O.C.: Mix 4 (2005); "What Goes On" on This Bird Has Flown: A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul (2006); "She Is" on Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim & Jeff Buckley (2006); "Variation On 'Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion At Magruder Park'" on I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey (2006); "How Can the Stone Remain?" on Metaphysics for Beginners (2006); "Opie's Funeral Song" on Mews Too: An Asthmatic Kitty Compilation (2006); and "Free Man in Paris" on A Tribute to Joni Mitchell (2007)
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
