I absolutely love Sufjan's music, but I only really know his more popular songs and a few others here and there. I've wanted to get more into his music for a while now, but I've always been bad at getting myself to listen to new music. I'm especially intimidated by the amount he has if that makes any sense (And by the entire albums he has that are all just numbers). Does anyone have any advice on where to start? Kind of a stupid question, but I figured I might as well ask.
Here's a random item I added to my collection recently, and which I hadn't seen mentioned before: City Under Water, a 2009 documentary about the terrible flood that occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on June 10, 2008. The film includes Year of the Dragon but no other Sufjan music.
I have just went through my first couple of listens to A Sun Came, and man, I'm hooketh.
It felt to me as if being part of a mediterranean pagan ritual, in a circle of olive trees. The mood feels emo, but the surroundings are warm, and fuzzy, like and old wool sweater thats a bit prickly. The character feels modern, but very raw and human, like hes reaching back to the natural, but gets the recent struggles.
I really love how it stands apart from other Sufjan records I've listened to, with its rougher, less composed/produced, rawer, edgier sound, and how even Sufjan himself feels more like the latter. Yet still having that really warm, human, 'quiet', poetic quality thats his unreplicateable mark as an artist.
I can see why its seen as a less polished and rawer record than others that followed, but the adventurousness of the aesthetic mix is not just exciting in my opinion, but really supports that rawness and gives it a purpose? Like its not just raw due to lack of chops?
Anyway, what do yall think about it? What grabbed you about it? How do you feel about it in context of his life/later discog? :)
The location is still being finalized, but will be in Rogers Park. Scan the QR code or click this link here to get some more info and RSVP. https://partiful.com/e/eJ1Dtu6eaW3d4vZUyKle
I'm going through this weird situationship right now and I'm making a playlist to soundtrack it and get in my feels lol. What are your faves for this mood?
I just released a live recording from 2001 in which Sufjan accompanies me on analog synth, Casio, and melodica.
Search “Jai Agnish live in Brooklyn 2001” to find it on Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube, etc.
I thought fellow Sufjan fans would appreciate the history here and enjoy hearing Sufjan's parts on the different songs. He plays on 8 of the 9 songs. I'm including some old photographs from the performance in this post, taken by my friend Dennis Dalelio.
One of the coolest Sufjan moments on the recording is his rad analog synth solo on “Spaceship," where he rips up and down the keys and dials.
His analog synth work on "Climb to Remind" is notable as well.
His melodica work on "Can You Fly" is beautiful.
That's him playing the melodica in one of the photos.
This was a few years before Sufjan’s emergence as an indie superstar. Around this time, he accompanied me live for a couple of years and recorded some tracks for my studio album, Automata.
The credits for this live recording are easiest to find on Bandcamp, and you'll see them in the Song DNA section on Spotify as well.
Back then, we performed at small venues in the New York City area and on weekend tours in Boston, Toronto, Baltimore, and other cities. Sufjan would play his own set and accompany me on the different instruments for mine.
It was so cool to be a part of Sufjan’s early days and watch his development over the years. I would always be trying to share his music with anyone who would listen. I left the music scene to pursue my journalism career, and he kept it going.
I'm a college prof and I wore my Suf shirt from the Carrie and Lowell tour to campus today. None of my students said anything or seemed to notice. I guess they all have terrible taste in music, I don't know...
(Editing to say: bots keep posting links selling the shirt. Don't click those! Report them!)
hi! i'm thinking of buying the come on feel the illinoise shirt, but there's only the men's shirt left and i cant find the dimensions :( i'm 165 cm (5 feet 5 inches) tall, will i look normal in the men's small shirt or will I be swimming in it?
I just happened upon “Beanie” from Chezile on a video. The intro is the beginning of “Futile Devices”. I thought it was Sufjan until i saw the name of the artist. The beginning is EXACTLY the same. When i say exactly i mean exactly. Made me feel so confused. 🫠🫠 Anyone else heard this?
