Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

The Age of Adz, indie mastermind Sufjan Stevens' fifth proper album, could and probably should be described as an oddity for the multi-instrumentalist. The musical structures and lyrical content are a far cry from the wistful storytelling and soft acoustic overtones of 2005's Illinois. Rather, Stevens goes back to his early electronic works and unveils some deeply personal lyrics to create a chaotic record full of alternating pieces of lush instrumentation and minimalistic beauty.

The album's title (pronounced 'The Age of Odds') and cover art are taken from the works of paranoid schizophrenic sign painter and self-proclaimed prophet Royal Robertson, whose pieces are a smörgåsbord of apocalyptic images and poorly written slogans of misogyny. In an interview with Eyeweekly.com, Stevens describes Robertson's art as "...impulsive free-association, and the lyrics on The Age of Adz also follow that [impulse]." The lyrical content of Adz showcases the typically reserved Stevens at his most uncensored. This is most apparent on the track "I Want To Be Well," on which Sufjan exclaims, 'I'm not fuckin' around!' no less than 16 times. On "Futile Devices," Stevens croons to a lost love he couldn't express his feelings for in words. "Vesuvius" sees Stevens referring to himself directly, comparing some kind of deep sadness in him to being trapped under the famed volcano that destroyed Pompeii. His gift for lyricism really shines here, as he lets us into his deepest thoughts, singing 'Sufjan/the panic inside/the murdering ghost that you cannot ignore.' Don't think that every song on Adz is dark and depressing though. The title track is an optimistic piece on Stevens' belief in eternal life, albeit not in the traditional sense, and the closer "Impossible Soul" is a massive opus about moving on after a tragic event (and Sufjan uses Auto-Tune for a spell, so it's gotta be good).

Musically, this is some of Sufjan's best work to date. His talent as a composer is obviously apparent as you hear everything from chaotic orchestral fracases ("The Age of Adz") to soft electro-pop ("I Walked"). The harmonics are absolutely gorgeous, and Sufjan's voice towers above it all, conveying his deepest thoughts to you over majestic instrumentation and choral background singing. Sometimes it toes the line between majestic and overly bombastic, but usually stays on the correct side. Besides the first track, you won't hear much of the soft balladry that made him an indie darling in the mid-2000s, but his gift for incredible compositional songwriting is almost enough to make you forget Michigan and Illinois even existed.

The flaws here mostly lie in the middle track, the grossly over-composed "Now That I'm Older." This track just tries a bit too hard, with a few too many angelic choruses and harps, it just sounds muddy and frankly boring. This is the only blip in an otherwise exceptional album, but what else do you expect from Sufjan Stevens? Here's hoping his next work can be as incredibly creative as this one. 4.5/5.

I Want To Be Well - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO17WyaU2mE

Vesuvius - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTsDcjHj54M

Too Much - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0g7R3xqdcM