All Delighted

For starters, All Delighted People EP is no EP. An EP, by definition, is an "extended play single." Maybe it's Sufjan's little joke or maybe he, known for releasing extra-lengthy records, felt that a release with only eight songs - despite being an hour long - couldn't be considered an album. Either way, All Delighted People is the new album from the most missed man in music, Sufjan Stevens. It came out of nowhere, just sort of showing up on a Friday afternoon with no warning. Fans had heard talk about him working on new music with The National, but we'd also heard that he'd lost faith in releasing music, fearing that anything he put out would get lost in the shuffle or be met by fickle ears. But something must've changed for Sufs, and here it is, the ninth proper release from the Man Who Made Michigan, his first set of proper new songs since 2005's now-classic Come On Feel the Illinoise (one of the best reviewed records of the naughts). 

Let's start with a quick inventory: what we have here are five regular length new songs, two lengthy (at 11 and eight minutes) - and very different - versions of the title track and a 17-minute closer that, right towards the end, suddenly feels like a concise song. All together we're looking at just under 60 minutes over eight tracks. Where Stevens' core set of albums - A Sun Came, Michigan, Seven Swans and Illinoise - all share a cohesive set of attributes that have defined the artist, his other projects have been diverse, including a five-disc album of holiday-themed songs, a score to a film he shot about the Brookly-Queens Expressway, a lengthy album of outtakes, a remix album and an electronic set of compositions. So where does Delighted fit in this mess of a discography - with the more straightforward records or with the themed releases? Well, it's kind of hard to say, really. For starters, the composition style doesn't too much resemble anything he's done before. Sufjan has always made lengthy songs, so that's nothing too new, but he's not always writing or singing pop-formatted songs here, the arrangements overwhelmingly unique throughout. Needless to say, this is the kind of record you have to put on repeat for a while; it's a new kind of Sufjan Stevens record.

The quality of the work here is almost startling. It's funny (to me at least) that Sufjan clearly worked so hard on these songs, then hastily released them with no promotion, a crappy album cover and that awful "EP" tag. But, by first releasing the record via Bandcamp for only $5, he'll probably make more money than he has from any of his other releases. And by keeping quiet for so long and now surprising people, you can bet this will be his most pleasant album-release experience since becoming a big name, the faithful gushing joy and clicking "purchase" rather than downloading early and dismissing (or growing tired of) before the proper release date. It's not quite as brilliant of a move as Radiohead's release plan for In Rainbows was, but it suites Sufjan and his current apathy and confusion towards the record industry well.

Sufjan himself describes the opening track, "All Delighted People (Original Version)" as such: "a dramatic homage to the Apocalypse, existential ennui and Paul Simon's 'Sounds of Silence'. He describes the 17-minute closer, "Djohariah," as a "guitar jam for single mothers" and "The Owl and the Tanager" as a "gothic piano ballad that's a live-show mainstay and Debbie Downer." Anyone who follows Sufjan's live shows on YouTube has surely kinda/sorta heard some of this music already. But here, recorded, it seems different - some of the on stage craziness (think Miles Davis, electric era) has been left behind or melted into the mix. There's much to explore and get to know, further advancing Steven's status as the musical wunderkind of his time.

The opener, which really doesn't resemble "Sounds of Silence" too much, is, for my money, a new classic. Clocking in at an epic 11-plus minutes, the piece is as much an experience as it is a song. The vibe at times reminds of some Illinoise moments, but Sufjan sounds more world-weary and, well, just older. It's an epic production that never feels tedious, featuring musical turns we'd never expect from Sufjan before now. "Enchanting Ghost" reminds a bit of the Seven Swans song in that it's a minor production and simple arrangement - the kind of song that grows with repeat listens. Again, though, there's something different going on here; Stevens seems least concerned with accessibility, which I dig. Even track three, "Heirloom," a song as simple as we've heard from Stevens, has it's own thing going on. A small chorus of voices back Stevens as he sings simple, elegant lyrics over a simple, elegant arrangement. The slight twang and sweet vocals go down nicely.

"From the Mouth of Gabriel" is classic Sufjan in that it's just as much a classical composition as it is a pop song. The arrangement is so detailed and delicate, all held together by Steven's lovable vocals and tender writing. When little computer blips come in and out the song hits a new level, offering yet another side of Stevens - a side that builds and builds, mixing so many elements and sounds that, by the time the song is over, you're talking about kitchen sinks and wild ambition. I'm not quite sure if the everything-at-once moments work as well as the artist hopes they will, but it's an inspired effort either way.

I could go on, telling you about the alternate (more accessible) version of the title track, or maybe the dreamy perfection of "Arnika" or the patient vibes of closer "Djohariah," but I won't. This isn't so much the kind of album you review and talk about as it is the kind of record you get to know. Sure, it's an EP (in name), but there's enough highlights and layers here for two full-length. I've heard All Delighted People a solid 10 times and it's still revealing itself to me, hooking my subconscious in deeper, making me fall in love with the unique musical mind of Sufjan Stevens all over again. Good to have this guy back; don't be surprised it Delighted ends up getting some serious end-of-the-year love.   9.5/10

Written by G. William Locke