REVIEW: Sufjan Stevens: "Come on feel the Illinois"

A simple play on words can be either intriguing, or simply exasperating. As is the case with the mystery that is Sufjan Stevens, the boy with the odd name from Michigan. For those of you who haven’t heard, Sufjan has made it his audacious goal to write an entire album for each of the 50 states. Each state so far, has been painstakingly researched and captured in no less that 18 songs of wit produced by the prodigy that is Stevens. Is he mad? Or is he Genius? Only time will tell.

First a little background on the artist himself, which will greater explain the odd nature of the album itself. According to the profile found on his label ‘Asthmatic Kitty’ (more on that later), Sufjan is a self taught musician who is well versed in the mechanics of the “oboe, recorder, banjo, guitar, vibraphone, bass, drums, piano, and other instruments too numerous to mention.” Anyone who has the patience (or is downright crazy enough) to learn that many instruments, must have an incredibly odd taste in musical styles. He is also schooled in the art of literary verse from the New School for Social Research, and it is quite apparent from the lyrical style found in many of his songs.

On our next stop – we take an in depth look at the track titles found on the album. The shortest title by far is the track: “Chicago”, consisting of seven whole letters. Other titles include: “To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament, and It Involves an Inner Tube, Bath Mats, and 21 Able-bodied Men”, which is as thought provoking as it is disturbing. It certainly is a curious feat in itself to be able to title a song with an entire epic poem.

It is with these entirely odd facts at the helm of my mind that I decided to give Stevens a try. Certainly, a bloke who is as eclectic as they come can produce a wonderful artistry of musical delight! And so – I listened.

At first glance, the music contained within the shiny Compact Disc is exactly as I imagined it. There is no real genre to place the sounds within; it is rather a conglomeration of musical styles that “pop” in and out as the songs as they please. And not just the common styles like Pop, and Rock. There is to date Baroque Classical, Medieval Epic Bard, Opera, and Broadway Musical. Never is your mind simply at rest while listening to these songs, as you can never quite place what you are listening to. That being said – the mixture of the genre’s is just that – a mixture. The songs never quite evolve enough to become their own sub-genre. It can only be labeled as independent, and it seems that this is exactly what Sufjan wants.

All in all, there is a very unique mix of music and lyrics that will weave a million tall tales of life in Illinois on this album. But… to me it can never achieve more than great background music, because to listen is to subject your mind to a million unanswered questions.

Tracklist: (Come on feel the Illinois) - Just for kicks

1. "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois" – 2:09
2. "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, 'I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are off Our Lands!'" – 2:14
3. "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" – 6:45
1. "The World's Columbian Exposition"
2. "Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream"
4. "John Wayne Gacy Jr." – 3:19
5. "Jacksonville" – 5:24
6. "A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, but for Very Good Reasons" – 0:47
7. "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step Mother!" – 3:03
8. "One Last 'Whoo-Hoo!' for the Pullman" – 0:06
9. "Chicago" – 6:04
10. "Casimir Pulaski Day" – 5:54
11. "To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament, and It Involves an Inner Tube, Bath Mats, and 21 Able-bodied Men" – 1:40
12. "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" – 6:17
13. "Prairie Fire that Wanders About" – 2:11
14. "A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze" – 0:19
15. "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!" – 5:23
16. "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!" – 5:09
17. "Let's Hear that String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way out in Bushnell" – 0:40
18. "In this Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth" – 0:35
19. "The Seer's Tower" – 3:54
20. "The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders" – 7:03
1. "The Great Frontier"
2. "Come to Me Only with Playthings Now"
21. "Riffs and Variations on a Single Note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to Name a Few" – 0:46
22. "Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals as I Run" – 4:21


Released: July 5, 2005
Genre: Folk rock
Label: Asthmatic Kitty
Producer: Sufjan Stevens


Find
at


Sufjan Website
Asthmatic Kitty

REVIEW: Death Cab for Cutie, "Plans"

Artist: Death Cab for Cutie
Album: Plans
Year Released: 2005 - tlantic.
Genre: Indie / Rock
Rating: (4/4) Awesome

"When heaven and hell decide, that they both are satisfied,
Illuminate the No's on their vacancy signs,
If there's no one beside you, when your soul embarks,
then I'll follow you into the dark."

"I will follow You Into the Dark", Death Cab for Cutie

Such a hauntingly beautiful song that touches the very depths of the soul. The imagery, the pain, and yet the hope that eminate's from this song is a beautiful thing. I really can't help but listen to the poetic love song over and over again.

And yet I must admit that the first time I heard the "Plans" album from Death Cab, I wasn't a big fan. It didn't have that dynamic rock and roll presence that usually strikes me in a band. There weren't a lot of screaming guitars, driving rhythms, up-tempo's... Yet I can't stop listening to the whole album over and over again.

It takes a while, but the entire album is so full of playful poetic lyrics that stab your still beating heart, and haunting sounds that both give you the chills and warm your very soul, you really can't help but love this album. What it lacks in rock, it more than makes up for in pure artistic expression, the very core of the indie music movement.

For example the song "Summer Skin" with it's piano driven marching beat, never gets off the ground running, but when the vocal's begin to "read" the lyrics off to me in such a melancholy fantasmic way, I close my eyes and begin to dream of hope lost, and loves gone... Beautiful.

Each of the song's warrants such an emotional response. I can only say you will truly be moved by this album. Perhaps not at first, but you will.

Death Cab is: Christopher Walla, Ben Gibbard, Nathan Good, Nick Harmer, Michael Schorr, Jason McGerr
Album Produced by: Christopher Walla.


Find Death Cab for Cutie at eMusic

News: Raconteurs Recording Another Album

According to Billboard News, the Raconteurs are busy recording another album at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, TN. The album, which as of yet is unnamed is the groups second album following up their successful "Broken Boy Soldiers" released in 2006.

Jack White, of the White Stripes and acting producer for the groups claims this song list is "very different" from their original album, but he is very pleased with what the band is producing. They currently have 12 songs written at this time, and are trying to finish recording in a three week window, before the members get along with their busy schedules.

The album should be complete sometime next year.

The Raconteurs are: Jack White of the White Stripes, Brendan Benson, and Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of The Greenhornes.

Review: The Flaming Lips, "At War With The Mystics"

Artist: The Flaming Lips
Album: At War With The Mystics
Year Released: 2006 - Warner Brothers Records
Genre: Indie, Electronic, Rock
Rating: (4/4) Awesome

The first thing about this album that caught my attention is the cover art. It was beautiful. I was standing in Urban Outfitters, in the men’s department where they keep the covers of the records they are spinning, and I was intrigued by the artful explosion of color and the guy on the front in obvious disbelief at the light emanating from the bright orange and blue blob. It was truly surreal. And I hadn't even heard the album yet.

"At War With the Mystics", is the 11th release for the Flaming Lips, spanning over a twenty years of intrigue, and a blatant disregard for the normality of the music industry. And the album continues the tradition with utter excellence from start to finish. With an analog feel, and a cacophony of sounds ranging from synth driven organ sounds, to clapping of human hands, the album does a great job of standing out from the standard radio played songs put out today.

One of my favorite tracks, "The Wizard Turns On... The Giant Silver Flashlight and Puts on His Werewolf Moccasins", is a grand instrumental track that moves up and down, telling a story with textural sounds rather than lyrics, and inviting the listener into an imaginative state of being. Another great, "Vein of Stars", provides an almost ballad like beginning to an intriguing, psychologically driven song hinting at the state of life today.

You will not be disappointed with the outcome of this album, no matter where your tastes in music lie. Pick up a copy of this heroic album today.

The Flaming Lips Are: Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, Michael Ivins.
Album Produced By: The Flaming Lips, Dave Fridmann, Scott Booker

New Music Tuesday

Artist: The Papercuts
Album: Can't Go Back
Year Released: 2007 - Gnomonsong
Genre: Rock
Rating: (4/4) Awesome

No one ever likes to get a papercut, in fact I would say it is probably one of the worst things in the world. But upon finding some cuts from this album, I would say everyone loves to listen to the Papercuts. This is one of the most acoustic, analog, marvels I have heard in a long time.

I must admit right off the bat that I have not heard the entire album, only those cuts and samples that I could dig up from my search on the entire-world-wide-net. But I immediately fell in love with the emotionally driven, laid back, analog sounds that eminated from my computers speakers.

According to their mySpace page, the Papercuts is the music of Jason Robert Quever accompanied by David Enos, Matt Stromberg, and Trevor Montgomery. They are based out of the San Fransisco area, and are signed with the label Gnomonsong.

The songs upon this album are an amazing display of talent, with just the right amount of edgy raw sounds that make them stand out from rest of the music world. The track "John Brown" has a light airy feeling, coupled with the somber melodic genius of the lyrics. It is the type of song that brings one's own emotions to the feelings, causing a reflective mood within your soul. Then the song changes movements entirely with a folky / gospel feeling that sways back and forth in your ears like musical candy.

I highly recommend checking out the Papercuts on your trip through the music industry. It is well worth it.

New Music Tuesday: Bloc Party, A Weekend in the City

Artist: Bloc Party
Album: A Weekend in the City
Year Released: 2007 - Wichita / Vice.
Genre: Indie Rock / Pop
Rating: (3/4) Awesome

Long live the Bloc Party. Today is Tuesday, and for reasons unbeknowst to most typical consumers, the music industry has decided that Tuesday is an excellent day to feed the consumer their new music. Whatever the reason, for all music lovers, tuesday is the day of choice of our weeks.

Today, a new album is released from the United Kingdom by Bloc Party, a energetic passionate group of young brit's on the cutting edge of the world's music scene. The album is called a Weekend in the City, and touts compositions such as Song for Clay (Disappear Here), On, Hunting for Witches, and my personal favorite, Uniform.

The album on the whole has a definite pop influence, with a sound that ranges from punk to California Surfer Emo, and many in-betweens. The talent portrayed by this young group is immense and welcome, with crystal clear vocal's, well written lyrics, excellent guitar riffs, and solid beats throughout. They have also done a great job at adding a dynamic quality to the album, allowing the searing rock to shine with moments of quiet introspection in between.

I definitely recommend taking a look at this album. It will be a welcome addition to your Tuesday, and give you a release from the monotony of the week.

Bloc Party is: Kele Okereke,Russell Lissack, Gordon Moakes, Matt Tong
Album Produced by: Jacknife Lee.

Other Albums out today: "Yes I'm a Witch, Yoko Ono"
Other Albums I'm excited about: "Village Sessions, John Mayer"