In 2004, Sufjan Stevens announced an audacious plan to write an album for each of the fifty states, beginning with 2003’s Michigan and moving south to Illinois in 2005. However, as years passed and another state album never materialized, impatience washed away speculation over which state would be “Sufjanized” next. Then, in 2009, Stevens shamelessly announced that the “Fifty State Project” was nothing more than a publicity stunt, and that he was starting anew.
Stevens welcomes us to this new era with Age of Adz. And if you are eager to have the old Sufjan back, this album isn’t going to deliver.
Adz is an absolute departure from his earlier lullabies. It’s as if Sufjan’s sleepy-eyed tunes of old rolled out of bed, left their banjo behind, and took a rocket ship to an upbeat, experimental dimension.
You can hear Sufjan testing the limits of his new sound as early as the second track, “Too Much,” which begins with an effervescent intro and moves into drum machine-based electronica. As if that weren’t enough, the track occasionally features chamber music strings and is topped with beautifully crooned vocals. The overall effect is dense and complex. Although it is wildly different from his past hits, the song still bears Sufjan’s trademark sense of intimacy.
Next up is the title track, a dense, eight-minute song that combines cosmic noise with heavily-layered vocals, all drenched in reverb. As the music wanders from place to place, the lengthy track gives Sufjan time to prove his versatility. When the eerie electronic glitches become too dark, they are countered by lofty harmonies and a fleet of horns and orchestral arrangements.
The busyness of the title track pervades Age of Adz. While the addition of more progressive elements to his alt-folk roots doesn’t always work, it’s always good to hear that Stevens is attempting new things. The album is sure to disappoint the fans who fell in love with his banjo-plucking ballads. He may be accused of selling out to post-Merriweather trends. But for those who are not intimidated by Sufjan’s new style, Age of Adz is a beautiful, space-pop symphony that may just be his most creative endeavor yet.
Voice’s Choices: “Too Much,” “Age of Adz”, “Now That I’m Older.”
