Sufjan Stevens drops his banjo and picks up a synthesizer on his latest album “The Age of Adz“. He replaces his lyrical themes of Christianity and spirituality in favor of inflection and confusion.
Stevens has not released an album since 2005’s “Illinois,” but he has since released a soundtrack for his own movie entitled BQE , released a track for the charity album “Dark Was the Night” and released a sixty minute EP called “All Delighted People” just two months ago. Stevens stated that he was not sure what the album as a format had to offer anymore, but he apparently decided that it was enough to make a new album.
“All Delighted People” seemed to revel in Stevens’ past with his trademark folk music surrounded by an extravagant and loud orchestra. The title track and the seventeen minute finale “Djohariah” harkened back to “Chicago” and “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts” from Illinois, but there are no tracks like those on “Age of Adz.”
The album begins with “Futile Devices”, a two minute hushed introduction into the “Age of Adz” in which Stevens sets the artistic tone for the album. “It has been a long long time since I’ve memorized your face” a twinge of romanticism coupled with a distinct sadness.
The second track begins with the explosion and static of electronic instruments, Stevens’ way of giving a roadmap for the rest of the album. “Too Much” and “I Walked” showcase his pop sensibilities with catchy choruses and harmonization that is absent from much of the record.
The title track is an eight minute exploration of life and death, love and loss. When your lyrics include mentioning eternal living and the line “When I die, I’ll rot/But when I live I’ll give you all I’ve got” the listener gets a sense that Stevens is not as straightforward as he once was.
“Get Real Get Right” is an average song in the middle of the album that will certainly test the listener’s patience, but the album picks up again when it gets to “Vesuvius”. The song, like the volcano, is initially a slow-burner that explodes with vigor and enthusiasm.
The penultimate track “I Want to Be Well” is expletive-laden, certainly a surprise for fans who have listened to his previous works. Stevens is known as the altar boy of indie folk, and hearing him curse repeatedly shows that he is trying to rid himself of that image. The track has different voices yelling different things all at the same time, like voices screaming in Stevens’ head. He wants to be well, but it is clear he has not reached that point yet.
But one thing that Stevens has not changed is his sense of grandiose. The final track “Impossible Soul” is a seemingly impossible twenty-five minutes. It is an epic of epic proportions, including bleating electronics, auto-tuned voices and various instrumental shifts. Stevens uses irony almost exclusively in the song, something that he usually shies away from. “All I want is the perfect love, though I know that it’s small, I want love for us all.”
It almost seems as if Stevens’ career is going backwards. His new songs are replete with self-doubt whereas his old songs seemed to be proselytizing his self-actualization. This may be because of his maturation and acceptance that he knows less than he once thought he did.
Stevens’ most devoted fans might be confused about how to feel about this album, but it is definitely worth repeated listens. The album dabbles in seemingly every type of experimentalism, and becomes an amalgamation of interesting new ideas. Patience is required to listen to the sometimes overlong tracks, but the listener will be rewarded for their diligence.
“Age of Adz” was released October 12 on Asthmatic Kitty Records.
