The Age of Adz

I refuse to allow myself to go into an overly intellectual exploration of Sufjan Stevens' new record, The Age of Adz, even if it is the kind of record that demands just that. (Too many others have already nearly spoiled the record by attempting to do just that.) I will say, though, that I listen to Adz with the same excitement and attention that I gave both Radiohead's Kid A and Wilco's Summerteeth back when those game changers first came out. I love Adz a little more every time I hear it. Every time I find a new, brilliant detail burring in these somewhat clumsy - and almost always overly decorated - arrangements. Over the record's 11-song playlist I don't feel major strategic changes from Sufjan as much as I do a progression - and general mixing up - of what he's done so well in the past. The grandiose sound of Illinoise is here; the pinpoint sound of Enjoy Your Rabbit matters; the deep attention to thematic detail of Seven Swans and Greetings From Michigan lingers. Sure, the record has a new sound, but since when is that a bad thing for a serious musician?

But, despite all that love, I do sometimes find myself struggling with the Wes Anderson-level of detail put into every second of these compositions. But is ornamental detail bad? No, bad is Bieber. Bad isn't someone trying (and trying very hard at that) to do something new. But this isn't Trans, a record Neil Young made to accommodate his own strong (and completely unsuccessful) need to experiment and surprise, even is casual ears would argue that is it. This is a successful record that may or may not go down as an experiment. My personal listening experience with the record thus far most clearly resembles the first few times I heard The Fiery Furnaces' experimental Blueberry Boat opus. I went on to love that very scatterbrained, anything goes record for a while before cooling on it. These hugely produced albums of deep artistry don't come around too often, mostly because artists know how risky - and difficult - it is to have success with ambition in the mainstream. Few pull is off, and even when they do (such as Wilco with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or The Flaming Lips with Embryonic), the common listener doesn't come around for months, if ever. Records like Adz just aren't for casual listeners who trust their own knee-jerk opinions about art too much. Like a wise man once said, "art ain't for knee jerk jackoffs"; Yankee, Embryonic and Adz - these are records for the beautiful idiot minds that obsess over detail and progression. The ones who embrace confusion and the wandering spirit of a true artistic mind.

All that said, I do think the lead single, "Too Much," is one of the best songs of 2010, experimental or not. A batshit pop composition topped off with classic Sufjan vocals and countless tracks of both organic and electronic decor, the song is at once epic and accessible. I think the guys in both Radiohead and Animal Collective will like/appreciate this song and album very much. But I don't think, contrary to what many have imply, that Sufjan was specifically trying to make a record with an appeal specific to fans of those artists. The guys in Animal Collective, in my opinion, are producers who make albums - very loop- and sample-driven records. Sufjan, on the other band, can play any instrument and understand classical composition in a way that maybe none of his current indie peers can even being to match. While bands like AC (one of today's most cred-getting acts) learned from artists like Tricky, Bjork and DJ Shadown, Sufjan leaned his style from Steve Reich, the Beach Boys, Stereolab, 80s pop (at least on this record) and a slew of classical composers. That he's able to take these disparate elements and make them into a cohesive record results in a sound just as strange as its mix would imply. Drum machines, those classically sweet Stevens vocals and too many keyboards to count adorn every track, often fleshed out by everything under the sun - samples, electronic noise art, choruses, strings … you get it.

A highly artistic statement in the already storied recording career of Sufjan Stevens, this record is full of deep and studied thematic influences that are, like any Stevens record, fun to dig up and explore. They enhance the listening experience and further the man's reputation as a caring, well educated lover of history and humanity. And while I wouldn't call The Age of Adz his best record yet, it does stand as his most labored over collection of songs. (As far as Sufjan Stevens is concerned, that's really saying something!) This year's most interesting album to see wide distribution and coverage, easily … but, as one of my friends said, be warned! There's a meal here, not fast food. This is work to savor, to sit with, to experience and obsess over.   8.75/10