Sufjan Intro

This is one of the two greatest things that Sufjan has ever done. In fact, years ago, I participated in a Covid Quarantine Best Album Ever party where we recorded videos that argued for what album was the Best Album Of All Time. I chose this album and argued that nothing more complicated or majestic has ever been recorded. Here's my presentation for that event about this album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CNYkMx28nuPZyf938

This is a difficult album. You may not like it at first, and you may even be a little turned off by it. Tina hated it the first time she heard it. But it pays off in a very big way over time.

This is the album that we talked about on Saturday night. This is the album that he wrote after his mom died. He and his mom did not have a good relationship, so there's a lot of unfinished business on this record. Lowell is his step-father. You'll hear references to being left behind and neglected. You'll hear love and confusion and longing. There's also a fair amount of content about the general inevitability of death. The song that Tina played at the party is Fourth Of July: We're All Gonna Die! This is one of the most beautiful albums of all time. It's much more accessible than Illinoise, so if you don't like Illinoise, maybe turn this one on a few times. It's sad but honest and beautifully written.

I'm including this because it's his most recent record. I think it's fantastic. It may not be his actual peak product, but it's worth knowing that he can still write amazing music.

This is the Outtakes from the Illinois Project. It's amazing that he wrote the Illinoise album and then had an entire double album worth of left over tracks that are mostly excellent (but not always excellent). He was really on an incredible roll!

Finally, I'm including Seven Swans just so you can see where he came from. I know this is too much content, and you will probably never work your way through all of this, but just know that this is his "Christian" album. It's not as good as his later stuff, but at times it's pretty fantastic. Listen to Transfiguration if you just want to hear one song. It's literally about the Transfiguration of Jesus.