Sufjan Stevens: The Avalanche
Label: Asthmatic Kitty
A new Sufjan record? Well, sort of. Yes, it’s new, but these are outtakes from the Illinois sessions, the album that justifiably made him as big a star as indiedom has produced these days. Sufjan Stevens, perhaps the most ambitious artist in showbiz today (remember, he still plans to make an album of each of the 50 states), originally wanted Illinois to be a double album. He was persuaded to go with a single instead, but now the songs have seen the light of the day in The Avalanche, and we’re all the richer for it. It’s 75 fantastic minutes of vintage Sufjan, with delightful harmonies, counterpoints and enough hooks for several more albums. We also get a bunch of new versions of “Chicago” and lots of other memorable songs, from “Adlai Stevenson” to “The Henney Buggy Band.”
