Give Sufjan a try, you might vibe

I genuinely believe that Sufjan Stevens is one of the best artists of our time. I know I usually have lots of positive opinions while writing, but Stevens has affected my life in a way that few artists have. His music is not only saturated with emotion, but with amazing lyrics as well. 

First, his music is so emotionally saturated that I can put it on based on almost any vibe or mood that I’m in. The first album I listened to by him that immediately clicked with me was “The Age of Adz.” It was so uplifting, and I still put it on even in times when I am happy.  

“The Age of Adz” is wildly colorful in songs like “Too Much” and “Get Real Get Right” because Stevens used the electronic elements to their full potential within the songs he made with them. “Get Real Get Right” specifically feels like flowers blooming in spring during the midday sun. These flowers are in very long stretches, with blooming, bright and warm colors. The breakdowns of this song are particularly floral to me, with the flowering sounds coming in full swing in addition to the drums. The sounds aren’t quite overpowering, but they definitely make their presence known in the song. 

“Too Much” isn’t as floral, but it feels like a painting that employs similar bright colors to “Get Real Get Right”. The melody of the song feels like brushstrokes on a canvas very different to “Painting With” that I talked about a few weeks ago. If “Painting With” had fine brushstrokes, “Too Much” has large and booming strokes, filling the canvas with its loud melody. 

Stevens’ folk output also has these bright moments, but I want to highlight the song “Say Yes! To M!ch!gan!” The song particularly feels like a blast of afternoon sun on an extremely cold day. The ensemble of instruments in that song has a warm feeling, and the album portrays that throughout many songs. 

The entirety of the album “Carrie and Lowell” and certain songs from different albums feel particularly sad, though, and I enjoy putting them on when I am feeling down. “Drawn to The Blood” from that album is particularly saddening to me. The guitar sounds almost like a quiet despair with the way Stevens is drumming. The ambient passage at the end adds a deep pained feeling to the end of the song. When I first listened to it a long time ago, I didn’t understand why it was there, but now I see it as a great ending. 

The song “The Owl and the Tanager” is also particularly sad in its presentation. It uses a somber piano and backup vocals to set the scene, and it particularly works with the delivery of Stevens’ vocals. “The Owl and the Tanager” is just plain sad. 

Stevens’ music is also great in a lyrical sense. I consider him to be my favorite songwriter, mostly because of the way he describes different types of experiences. My favorites are when he talks about his experience with queerness, but he describes almost anything he’s going through in a strong and unique way.  

The song “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!” is a great example of him describing his queer experience in a wonderful way. Throughout the song, he remembers his queer experience as a teen and his deep romantic feelings for someone using a wasp as the representative of this found love. After he sings the lyrics “Touching his back with my hand I kiss him / I see the wasp on the length of my arm,” the song boasts into a bombastic chorus that highlights how in love he was.  

“Size too Small” to me represents a man deeply in love with someone that’s about to get married. Throughout the song, Stevens says “I still know you / I still like you, the best man / I still owe you” which to me represents the pang of knowing you may love someone, but they love someone else and you still “owe” them an apology for feeling this way. The song takes a bittersweet and somber tone as well, with the guitar stopping after every time Stevens says, “I still owe you.” 

Stevens talks about the sadness of death in many of his songs as well, with “So You Are Tired” being one that comes to mind for me. “I was the man still in love with you / When I already knew it was done” hits home because it’s the bookend to a song that talks about struggling to process the death of his partner. 

If you are into folk and want to listen to someone new, why not try Sufjan?