Sufjan Stevens Band

I couldn't find a general thread for Sufjan, so I figured I'd start one. Every album he's released to date is a classic imo (apart from his debut and Enjoy Your Rabbit). Perhaps most well known for "The 50 States project", in which each album in the project references places, events, and persons related to a particular U.S state, his music in recent years has grown increasingly personal with his full length albums The Age of Adz (2010) and Carrie & Lowell (2015). Discuss your love for Sufjan here.

I'll start by saying that "The Owl and the Tanager" is a top 5 Sufjan song for me. I've been revisiting the All Delighted People EP this week.

 

one of the greatest of all time - I love (almost) everything he has done

if I had to choose one, I would probably go with All Delighted People, even if I think that "All Delighted People" (Classic Rock Version) is unnecessary

 

I love Soofy. I've only listened to some of his releases, but intend to become more thoroughly-acquainted in the future. I go back and forth between Illinoise and Age of Adz all the time.

 

Carrie and Lowell is one of the most important albums in my life

 

One of the best of our generation for sure. Excited to see him again at Panorama, since it seems like he's breaking out Adz stuff for festivals. C+L was great live but missed Adz the first time around.

 

I saw him on the C+L tour this past year, and it was great, BUT I just saw him on Saturday at Coachella and was fucking BLOWN away. He sounded absolutely amazing, his band and dancer/singers were phenomenal and the entire stage production was unreal. He started to play "Impossible Soul" and I thought to myself... no way he is playing this whole song, right? And then... he DID. Extreme highlight from my weekend, dude is on another level. He also brought out Gallant at the end and they covered Purple Rain together. Anyway, check out this fuckin PICTURES via Brooklyn Vegan

 

Hands down, Sufjan has one of the best discography of any artist I know of. "A Sun Came" and "Enjoy Your Rabbit" get very little play from me, but albums like "Michigan," "Seven Swans," and "Age of Adz" would be any normal artist's magnum opus. Except Sufjan has "Illinois" and "Carrie & Lowell" which are indescribably amazing and truly two of the best albums I've ever heard. And this isn't even getting into his in between projects. Seriously, my love for this man's music runs deep as a metaphorical ocean (however deep that may be).

Also, this chart:

Music vs. Intelligence. Can music make you stupid or smart?

 

YOOOO he did all of Impossible Soul? You just got me so hype

 

THE WHOLE FUCKING SONG IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INSANE

Yeah, I was happy. Most Coachella video is content blocked on YouTube, but they did upload this. Watch it.

 

The Avalanche is probably the best b-sides album I've ever come across. It more or less works as a cohesive album from front to back.

 

yaknow, I don't think I've ever actually listened to Avalanche. Hmmm

 

You should definitely give it a listen. "The Mistress Witch From McClure", "No Man's Land" and "Pittsfield" are some of my favourite Sufjan songs.

 

Avalanche is pretty awesome

 

His Illinois album changed my life.

 

Love this. You just have to watch the whole video to see what happens.

One question I have - are all the musicians / people on stage friends or does he hire people? Would be interesting to know that.

 

I was at this show at Manchester Apollo and it for sure is in my top 5 gigs. I'm so glad I caught up him on the Age of Adz tour, the way he opened up with Seven Swans was absolutely magical.

 

I saw him on the Age of Adz tour at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville - about 100 years old, 700-person capacity, beautiful space, perfect sound. It's my favorite venue. Seeing THAT show at THAT theatre is probably my all-time favorite concert experience. I still think regularly about him coming out for "Seven Swans" with this huge red curtain behind him and it opening up right as the band came in. "Magical" is totally right. Then there was "Impossible Soul" and the unplugged versions of "Chicago" and "Casimir Pulaski Day" and . . . It was just a perfect show.

 

I tried buying tickets to his show at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh. They weren't on Ticketmaster, so I went to the official venue site and ordered them from there z well, I kept getting these notifications saying my debit card information wasn't right. I checked my bank account after a few failed attempts and saw that it had been drained from $1,000 to $90. I called the bank immediately, and I'd been charged about ten times (for two tickets each). So, I call the venue, where I'm told that the ticket orders were on hold because my shipping address did not match my billing address (I'm a college student who never goes home). They never sent me the tickets or were willing to work with me. I did get at least half of my money back, I know, but I'm unsure about the other half.

And that's how I almost saw Sufjan Stevens live.

 

That sounds awful. Sorry to hear that. Can't believe they didn't send ANY tickets but kept HALF the money. Robbery.

 

I'm not sure. It definitely wasn't the same group (maybe some overlap?) from the C+L tour so I don't know

 

Like I said, it's possible they sent the other half of the money back and I didn't notice (no joke, in the same month my girlfriend's car got broken into and it was textbook renting season, so I could have spent that much without realizing it), but I remember my funds being much lower than I calculated they would be, for sure.

I definitely do plan on going to see Soofy live yet, just not at that venue.

 

So this is kinda interesting/crazy. Some dude on reddit apparently worked next door to Sufjan's studio and stole a CD album from the trash, from 1998. He posted about it

I used to work next door to Sufjan's studio in Brooklyn. One day, while he was renovating the place, he threw a bunch of stuff into the building's dumpster. I salvaged this...as far as I know, I don't think it's ever been released. • /r/Sufjan

Asthmatic Kitty jumped in and asked if he would keep it to himself, but as things go... it's leaked onto the internet now

 

that is wild

have you listened to it yet?

 

wild, I tell you

SUFJAN STEVENS STALKER

1. I KNOW WHERE YOUR KIDS GO TO SCHOOL
2. U KAN WRUN BUT U KAN'T HYDE
3. I GOT A GOOD VIEW FROM WHERE I'M STANDING
4. GONNA ROCK YOU LIKE A HAIL STORM
5. SAVE YOURSELF BEFORE YOU DIE
6. DON'T TELL ANYONE
7. NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY
8. BABY GIVE ME A FEEL
9. UH OH YEAH HUH ER UM BABY
10. I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU
11. KOMMIN' TA GETCHA
12. KEEP ALL THE MACE INSIDE
13. LET'S FLY TO ANOTHER PLANET
14. LONELINESS IS A WARM BUM

ALL SONGS BY S. STEVENS

© 1998 ASTHMATIC KITTY RECORDS

 

I haven't, but to be honest I don't think I will. Being such early material and being something he obviously didn't like, I think I'm ok without it. I'd listen to a track maybe