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All Delighted People

Sufjan Stevens, free streaming available at http://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com/album/all-delighted-people-ep

Reviewed by Sophie Gyles

03 Sep 2010

9:29am Friday, 3rd September 2010

I'll be upfront: this is no Illinoise. Wait, don't let your brow furrow so easily. Yes, Sufjan goes on a bit of an esoteric bender here, and yes, it seems he's in his wilderness years. But for the patient at least, the gold is here, it just needs to be dug up.

If you're not familiar with Stevens' work, this isn't the place to start. Beginning with an 11 minute epic ballad exploring the apocalypse and finishing with a 17 minute "guitar jam-for-single-mothers" [Djohariah], All Delighted People probably won't see you converted unless you're into art rock.

But in many ways it's the pefect entrance point to Stevens' oeuvre, because it reflects the irrepressible creativity and innovation that characterises his music.

As a work of art, All Delighted People explores pretty dense territory, both aural and conceptual. Having said that, it's not so alienating that it's unlistenable. In fact, there are moments of near transcendence. The title track is a manic theatrical, yet ghostly, orchestral success. Cymbals crash and trumpets throw you to the ground with existential angst, before strings and choirs send you heavenward.

A professing Christian, Stevens doesn't shy away from theological subject matter. The title track Stevens assesses the fallen world. Essentially a lament, he asks: "When the world has come and gone shall we follow our transgressions or shall we stand strong?... I tried to save the things I made. Oh but the world is a mess!" In a similar vein, the quiet, brooding Arnika expresses Stevens' dissatisfaction with the human condition this side of eternity: "I'm tired of life; I'm tired of waiting for someone. I'm tired of prices; I'm tired of waiting for something. I'm tired of life," he sings.

A shorter, more minimal rendition of the opening track appears later on the EP, billed the "classic rock" version. It showcases a more typical band set up (plus banjo and brass), making it a little lacklustre after you've heard the epic opener. But classic rock's never sounded so good, so who's going to complain.

Speaking of rock, the epic Neil Young-esque guitar solo on Djohariah is completely unexpected and totally awesome. I didn't know the man had it in him.

All Delighted People is something of a hybrid between his earliest experimental electronic work (A Sun Came, Enjoy Your Rabbit) and his more recent epic folk-pop. It's characterised by an atmosphere of lament, and one can't help but be reminded of the Old Testament prophets crying out for restoration on the last day, unashamedly wrestling with God and taking all their emotions to Him in faith. One's reminded of the prophets because apart from being a musical visionary, it's Stevens' vulnerability in laying his soul bare before a harsh world that garners respect here. And what a disconcerting, yet beautiful vulnerability it is.