‘Life changing’ folk from the multi-instrument Michiganian
Art is supposed to reflect the place that it comes from. If that’s the case I’m hopping the first train to Michigan. I don’t know what causes a Sufjan Stevens, but I know that I want to have some of it.
Not the typical folkie, Sufjan Stevens is a multi-instrumentalist-guitar, banjo, xylophone, and sitar find their way onto his albums, and more often than not he’s playing them all. This eclecticism translates into a wide array of moods, influences, and song styles that permeate his songwriting and album-making.
No stranger to experimentation, Stevens seems to be as taken with the process of songwriting as he is with playing the music. A brief study of his albums reveals soft folk (“Seven Swans”), electronic instrumental inspired by the Chinese Zodiac (“Enjoy Your Rabbit”), and two installments of a project determined to document every one of the fifty states (“Greetings from Michigan” and “Illinois”). His music is arguably at its best when, as in the two latter projects, he ties himself to thematic device, as it allows him to explore within a framework and leads him to be his most clever and thoughtful.
Sufjan Stevens may well be the creator of the folk epic-lilting, Donovan-esque melodies tied to brilliant, over-the-top production. Choirs and horn sections find their place next to soft, folky introspection, and Stevens’ breathy vocal and clever lyrical approach makes it all fit together.
For all of his lo-fi influence, Stevens is meticulous in the studio, and his albums are lush, well-crafted, and immaculately arranged. A songwriter of his caliber could easily hide behind his songs and ignore production a la early Bright Eyes, but he instead embraces studio experimentation and in doing so brings his songs to a new level.
Few artists deserve the moniker “life changing,” but Sufjan Stevens is one of those artists.
Zach Pendleton is a music critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments and questions can be sent to him at
zachp@cc.usu.edu.