Sufjan Stevens- Age Of Adz Review

Story by Dan Stier 

| Published Oct 5, 2010

What are we told to expect from an album? Are we so used to listening to the sound of one voice that when that voice jumps out of the box we are disgusted and turn away? The album is dead. The very notion that people sit down and listen to records in their entirety is no longer reality. It is this that prompted Sufjan Stevens to disappear for nearly five years, and completely explains his phenomenally enigmatic return.

The “Age of Adz” is the latest title from modern day composer Sufjan Stevens. At first listen, you could honestly say Stevens has lost his mind. The only sense of normalcy is the first song, “Futile Devices,” for it is the only song on the record with out the sampling of mayhem behind each verse and chorus.

Shortly after the first two minutes, the album slowly becomes a collection of thoughts and rhythms that would seem to look better in an abstract art exhibition than a musical record. Even with the complete overhaul that Stevens has done to his idea of the construction of a song, you still get the hints of the good old days. Large harmonies and orchestral parts keep you fully aware of who you are listening to. However, do not look for any banjo or acoustic guitar. They have all been packed away in favor of synthesizers and drum machines.

Beyond the unpredictable nature of the music itself, the lyrics seem to hark in some futuristic world written by Ray Bradbury. Not surprisingly, these concepts — wonderfully envisioned and expanded — come from the mind of schizophrenic artist Royal Robertson, who painted scenes of space aliens and fantastic flying vehicles and the end of the world in fiery apocalypse.

Even with an epic sense of the future. Stevens brings it back down to earth, tying it to a more sensual existence. Love and a celebration of life are always being referenced in the music. A longing for personal relationships and human connection is never far off from Stevens’ mind.

The album ends with a 25 minute song, furthering the fact Stevens has abandoned the traditional view of a record. Today you can open your iTunes and pick any song from any artist, be satisfied and turn it off. Stevens has avoided this from happening.

Bringing everything from complex beats, enormous orchestral parts, choral harmonies and apocalyptic sensuality, Stevens has created a piece of art that is sure to live for a long time. It may not be what many would want to see in a follow-up to his last LP “Illinoise,” but that is because it simply isn’t a follow-up. Stevens wanted to distance himself from the fabled “50 states project,” and that he did.