Sufjan Stevens is your new favorite indie-rock/folk singer.



From his website: "Sufjan Stevens was found in a milk crate on the doorstep of Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, in Detroit, MI, on Canada Day, July 1, 1975. He was wrapped in cellophane, and tagged on the wrist with the mysterious note: "I love you." Mr. and Mrs. Stevens had three other children: Jo-Jo, Zukey-Dukey, and Jam-Jam. Mrs. Stevens crocheted afghans for the flea market. Mr. Stevens was the custodian at the hospital. They had very little money, but very big hearts. They decided to keep the baby (using the milk crate to hold their National Geographics). They named him Sufjan Stevens, after Abu Sufjan Muhammad, the great Armenian Sufi warrior who slew ten thousand dragons to save the Fairy Princess. Despite his despondent looks, Sufjan was a good kid. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens did the best they could. They fed him carrots, they read him parts of the Bhagavad Gita, they combed his hair, they sang songs and tap-danced in the living room. Things were looking good!"

Sufjan Stevens' music is great. His latest album, Seven Swans, is mostly laid-back indie rock with acoustic guitar and banjo as the central instruments, yet is not bluegrass. It's more of an ambient slowcore. Sufjan sings and plays most of the instruments, but the Danielson Famile plays and sings backup. His lyrics are very narrative in structure (for example, his song "The Transfiguration" is a song about Christ's transfiguration) and range from spiritual songs to love songs. It's beautiful. Some of it reminds me slightly of Iron and Wine or Jeremy Enigk's solo stuff. Go buy Sufjan's music now.

I also currently recommend The Music's "Welcome to the North", Franz Ferdinand's self-titled, and Sigmatropic's "Sixteen Haiku and Other Stories".

Labels: music