Sufjan Stevens

After the death of Elliot Smith a couple of years ago, I wasn't sure if I would ever find a singer/songwriter with whom I connected. I've been searching the vast musical expanse, and in the process, I came across some interesting cats like M. Ward, Damien Rice (who is truly amazing), and Donovan Frankenreiter. These guys to some pretty interesting things, both harmonically and lyrically, and Damien Rice is the one who affects me the most emotionally.

Lately, however, I've been listening to every Sufjan Stevens album on which I can get greedy little hands. Sufjan Stevens is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Detroit, Michigan. He is known for his lyrically focused and instrumentally rich songs that often relate to faith and family. He has enjoyed wide critical success in the United States. He is considered part of the folk revival in indie pop, but his influences are very broad, including electronica, the jazz of Vince Guaraldi, and the academic minimalism of Reich and Glass. Stevens has announced plans to make an album for each of the 50 U.S. states, beginning the series with the albums Michigan (2003) and Illinois (2005).

Many of Stevens's songs have religious and spiritual allusions, but his album Seven Swans has the most direct religious references. Stevens has expressed that he is Christian, but does not overtly advertise this aspect of himself in his music. Stevens has also stated that he does not try to make music "with a message," or music for the sake of preaching. "I don't think music media is the real forum for theological discussions," says Stevens. "I think I've said things and sung about things that probably weren't appropriate for this kind of forum. And I just feel like it's not my work or my place to be making claims and statements, because I often think it's misunderstood."