Chat Review: Sufjan Stevens
The Age of Adz/All Delighted People
By You Can't Hear it on the Radio
November 1, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com

Then a-boundin' up the slope came a great American jackalope.
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Noah: Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz/All Delighted People

Steve: The Age of Adzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Noah: Is that a sign you're bored with the album?

Steve: I found it boring, yes. I listened to it probably five times preparing for this review and it never really registered with me.

Noah: We might be giving away the store early here, but I prefer the All Delighted People EP.

Steve: I do too. So, we're done.

Noah: There's a "but" though...

Steve: Go ahead...

Noah: I do actually like The Age of Adz. I think it's important to note that All Delighted People is a significantly more accessible work than The Age of Adz.

Steve: If by that you mean it sounds better and is more enjoyable to listen to, I'm with you.

Noah: If nothing else, I give him credit for the sheer stones to leave what are probably better songs off of the full album. Again, there's a "but".

Leaving aside whether or not he succeeded with it, The Age of Adz is clearly a very specific vision for Sufjan Stevens. I don't particularly love the electronica and weird beats on The Age of Adz. But I do find that the album (like most of his work) is like an onion.

So many layers, so much going on.

Steve: I too, found it to be like an onion, in that it made me want to cry.

Noah: I'd like to hear more about that.

Steve: When sliced, onions emit a gas that irritates the eyes and causes them to water.

Noah: Am I speaking to Julie or Julia?

Steve: Oh, you meant you wanted to hear more about my impressions of the album. Okay, being serious here. I agree with you the album is an impressive piece of work. There is a lot going on, Sufjan seems to be working with a purpose, as he himself says on "I Want To Be Well," "I'm not fucking around." I can appreciate all that at some level, but I found the music and the vocals cold, and the lyrics mostly did not resonate.

Noah: Again, I don't totally disagree, but I do find it a fascinating listen. I think the difficult thing is that Illinois is such a beautiful listen, a complete concept album that manages to go everywhere without losing the thread...comparatively The Age of Adz just doesn't work as a companion piece. Or even a successor.

Steve: All Delighted People being what it is actually hurts Adz a bit I think.

Noah: Agreed. It's impossible to know why he did it, but Stevens released All Delighted People before The Age of Adz and it's more of what people were expecting. Yes, it's also a better album. The existence of All Delighted People effectively makes The Age of Adz the EP.

Steve: I'm not sure that my evaluation of The Age of Adz would be different if it were released without the existence of All Delighted People, though. In other words, I don't think the problem here is one of expectations, fair or unfair, created by what I thought he was up to based on All Delighted People. I think it boils down, for me, to Age of Adz missing the key element of emotional connection.

Noah: Isn't that directly in contrast to Illinois, though?

Steve: What do you mean?

Noah: I find Illinois very much a listening experience I connect to. Songs like "Decatur, Or, Round of Applause for your Stepmother!", "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." or "Casimir Pulaski Day" are completely engrossing. Even "Chicago" just takes you away.

Listening to his Michigan album is a similar (if less well-known) experience.

Steve: I agree with all that.

Noah: So for me, the contrast of those albums with The Age of Adz is fairly jarring. Maybe All Delighted People was intended as a bridge?

It's impossible to remove The Age of Adz from the context of his previous work, and I think it suffers as a result. While your points about the lack of emotional connection are accurate, it doesn't upset me in the same way.

Steve: I don't want to put him in a box. It would be unfair to say, "there's only one kind of album Sufjan Stevens could make that I'd like.”

Noah: But...

Steve: But, accepting there are different buttons to push, Age of Adz didn't push any of those buttons. I like music that does any or some combination of the following: It can punch me in the gut (see: White Stripes), it can make me want to dance (see: LCD Soundsystem), it can blow me away with its sheer pop hookiness (see: New Pornographers), it can move me emotionally (see all of Sufjan Stevens' work prior to Adz). Maybe a few other categories are in there as well. One of those categories is not "make me appreciate how complex it was to make the music" ... which is about the best thing I can say about Age of Adz.

Noah: I think that's fair. I generally agree with you, but I do like The Age of Adz more than you. I listened to both All Delighted People and The Age of Adz the other day on my home stereo at an incredibly loud volume. I did find that I was connecting with The Age of Adz. I do still prefer All Delighted People, but I think it's important to note that "Djohariah" scared my dog. That's a good thing, by the way.

Steve: I think "Djohariah" is the perfect example of a song being experimental, dissonant, and still beautiful. It also kicks some ass at times with the inclusion of (I'm assuming Stevens') electric guitar work. It's not a "typical" Sufjan Stevens song in that it's not quiet and precious, but it is still awesome. What's your highlight song on Age of Adz?

Noah: Probably "Vesuvius", which may prove your larger point. The more I think about it, the closest thing I found this year to a Sufjan/Illinois experience was Jonsi's "Kolnidur" from Go.

Steve: I agree with something you said earlier, which is how Age of Adz reflects a cohesive vision on Stevens' part. I liken it to a movie soundtrack.

Noah: That's a good comparison. Must be a really crazy movie. So on our scale of Great, Really Good, Good, So So, or Poor, where do you rank The Age of Adz and All Delighted People?

Steve: All Delighted People - Great; The Age of Adz - So So.

Noah: For me, it's All Delighted People - Really Good; The Age of Adz - Good.

Steve: So we're covering all the bases

Noah: Seems fitting considering the scope of the albums.

For the original version of this post, including music, click here.