Present

Anna gave me a new picture today that she took while on the set of The Subject. I hadn't seen it before - I guess everyone took pictures that day. She said it was her favorite, but she gave me some other ones too that were pretty cool.

They are Night Zombies!! They are Neighbors!!

Sufjan Stevens has a grand plan. He aspires to write an album for every state. So far, he has two – Greetings from Michigan and Come on feel the Illinoise.

My prior knowledge of Sufjan consisted mainly of praising reviews from Pitchfork. I believe I had listened to a handful of song samples a while back, but heard nothing that aroused my musical interest. That is, until recently when I download a couple songs, one of them from his new album.

It is quite the concept album, covering many facets of Illinois, from historical subjects and holidays, to the fictional character of Superman, who grew up in Smallville, Ill. Sufjan even covers the low points, such as John Wayne Gacy, Jr., the Chicago serial killer who murdered over 30 people. Despite the depressing topic, it’s a hauntingly beautiful song in which he practically sums up Gacy’s biography. He then, perhaps disturbingly, compares himself to the killer when he sings “And in my best behavior I am really just like him. Look beneath the floorboards for the secrets I have hid.”

Sufjan is often categorized as a “folk singer.” He splendidly ventures from that genre. He has the typical acoustic guitar, but his songs are often layered with strings and horns, and even a choir. There are also a few songs with very catchy melodies. He is deep and kooky at the same time.

There are 22 tracks, many being short segues. He has outrageously long song titles such as “To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament.” Or, “THE BLACK HAWK WAR, or, How to Demolish and Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You’re Going to Have to Leave Now, or, ‘I have fought the Big Knives and will continue to fight them until they are off our lands!’”

It’s refreshingly original. If the music wasn’t enough, Sufjan has a unique voice that pulls you in. I’ll even post a couple favorites, which are more stripped down musically than most on the album.

Sufjan Stevens - Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois.mp3
Sufan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr..mp3

Bad Boob

I have a couple posts I've been working on, but I haven't had time to finish them since my wife was admitted to the hospital Wednesday afternoon. She's been there since. She developed a real bad case of mastitis. She finally gets to come home tomorrow. She'll have to be on antibiotics through I.V. for about two weeks.

I'll get the posts up soon. One is a review of a new album I'm really, really enjoying. The other, is a revist of The Village.