Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
Asthmatic Kitty: 2010
When it rains, it pours, right? Just six weeks ago, I penned a review praising Sufjan Stevens’ All Delighted People as a long-awaited return to form. Now, Stevens’ proper follow-up to Illinoise arrives in the form of The Age of Adz and it stands apart as a sublime, seminal release – one of this year’s finest.
Stating boredom with his typical tools (banjo, guitar, piano, even his own voice), Stevens steps out on Adz and proves equally virtuosic on synths and drum machines. He bends sounds into bird-chirping ambient beauty. He utilizes drum machines and computers to create evocative soundscapes and glitch-hop beats. He even auto-tunes himself, which at first blush is the vocal equivalent of pasting an Andy Warhol silkscreen over a Rembrandt, but it works – and the end result is one of the best albums of the year.
On the surface level, it’s a glistening pop record. There are lilting melodies, memorable choruses set amid lush instrumentation. Stevens’ voice is as mellifluous as ever and songs expand and traverse unexpected places.
Deeper, Stevens is doing a lot of questioning and oftentimes providing his own answers. The Age of Adz invites listeners to join him on his solipsistic psychiatrists couch, frequently taking the musical conversation to far-reaching, unexpected places. It appears he’s getting cathartic enjoyment from simply creating – a far cry from previous interviews where he literally questions ever releasing music again. For whatever difficulties Stevens had (or still has) sharing his music, it is ultimately the listeners gain. The album is one of accomplishment and optimism.
Opener “Futile Devices” is familiar folk (which is to say, pristine and brilliant), but by the time the sopping, electronic drums of “Too Much” begin, Stevens is showing you folk-pop from the future.
On “Age of Adz”, Stevens’ voice, which has sometimes seemed almost too precious, is layered and looped into a dramatic, expressionistic opus. “I Walked”, with its glitchy backbeat, rivals Illinoise in its ability to frame a sentimental story within a beautiful backdrop. It’s also one of the best pop songs (if you can call it that) of the year.
“Vesuvius” is an exploratory, elemental track that ultimately ends as a personal vote of confidence. Flutes and synths intertwine atop Stevens lyrically giving himself a kick in the ass, and the listener is along for the ride as he conquers demons and comes out more joyful and optimistic as a result. “All For Myself” and “I Want To Be Well” follow sensibly, both tracks exuding increasingly confident tones. The latter track ends with Stevens exclaiming “I’m not fucking around!”
Then you reach the 25-minute closer “Impossible Soul”. It’s a beautiful song – one that’s uplifting and encouraging, with its impassioned chorus of “It’s not impossible.” One of the most memorable, engaging listens of the year coming from Sufjan Stevens? Quite possible indeed.
4 out of 5
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