Sufjan Stevens -- The Avalanche

Sufjan Stevens
The Avalanche
Asthmatic Kitty; 2006
Rating #1: 7.4 (the album in its entirety)
Rating #2: 8.9 (the Chicago EP that I wish Sufjan would have released)



I look at it this way. If you still haven’t heard of Sufjan Stevens, you’ve probably spent the past 18 months or so hiding under some musical rock somewhere. And that can be understandable to some extent – everyone does have their own musical tastes, preferences, likes, and dislikes, all of which can confine the average music listener to only being exposed to quite a narrow slice of the musical spectrum. However, I would like to assume that most of the people who would potentially be reading my written/typed words have heard of Mr. Stevens and his multi-state recording project, not to mention his traveling folk orchestra (the Illinois-makers). Thus, I will proceed henceforth under the impression that you have some inkling of this man and his offbeat, yet defined musical style.

Wow… Simply wow. This album represents quite an ambitious musical undertaking, one that few artists would ever dream of undertaking, and I’m not even talking about the 50 States Project. In its most rudimentary form, many people have released CD’s full of B-sides, out-takes, rejected tracks, and other assorted songs that didn’t quite fit on any other released album. Thus, in and of itself, The Avalanche isn’t really that revolutionary – many groups throughout music history (whether they themselves or greedy record executives) have created something of this nature and they’re usually released to mixed reviews (i.e. Led Zeppelin’s Coda). Big deal, right? Aren’t most of albums of this nature just a vain attempt by bands to milk their loyal fan bases for extra money (i.e. Pearl Jam’s series of live concert releases from their US and European tours a few years back)?

However, where this album stands up and makes people take notice is that Mr. Stevens went back into his journals and pages of scribbling from the recording sessions for Illinois, found all of these songs, finished writing them, cleaned up whatever rough studio version might have exited, and compiled yet another CD (nearly 80 minutes worth) for his listeners. The aspiring, wannabe, wish-I-could-be songwriter living inside of me is excited to listen to these songs, as many of them are truly works in progress. Here is a writer/artist/sings who’s willing to open up to his listening audience and declare, “Hey! Here are some broken fragments of songs, some not-so-good songs, and some could-have-been songs! I’m not afraid to release a CD that’s not picture-perfect!” When I first heard of the release of this album I was quite excited, because the makeup of these songs and how they were collected was really compelling to me.

But then, the more I listened to the album and gained a decent glimpse into the content of this album and what it represented, my cynical side began to expose itself. I fight my cynicism rather often, as it can be difficult to repress, but it comes to the fore when I think about this album. I enjoy it; in fact, I really enjoy it, but this album screams out, “Over-Indulgence!” And I don’t like thinking of artists of various descriptions, whose work I regularly enjoy, as crassly commercial beings, out to make a quick buck with their creativity. But, if you’ve ever heard any of the programming on any radio station owned by Clear Channel (or other large media conglomerate), you’d know that people sell out and do so often and regularly.

Please don’t misunderstand me here – I am not accusing Sufjan of exploiting the ears and wallets of hipsters across the nation by cashing in on the well-deserved acclaim of Illinois. Far from it actually – I think that there are many portions of The Avalanche that are excellent. To be honest (and a fawning fan), I could listen to every single variation (both studio, live, or otherwise) of “Chicago” that Sufjan could ever release. When traveling and performing, he takes pains to recreate and reformulate “Chicago” on a regular basis; he is simply not content to let the song stay as it is, and such an idealistic approach to making music makes me really happy. And just like on Illinois, the “Name” songs on The Avalanche (as in, the songs referring to specifically to people, whether real or fictional) are standout tracks, filled with quality lyrics and his best compositions. I mean, who else would actually write songs entitled “Adlai Stevenson” and “Saul Bellow”? I am in no way denying this guy’s talent – Mr. Stevens is a great songwriter, one of the most talented that any genre or subgenre has heard in years.

But, in the long run, I think my problem with this album is that Sufjan is running the risk of watering himself down. A songwriter can simply release too many albums, too many tracks, too many concepts, and too many ideas, and, in the process of doing so, can potentially diminish his or her impact upon music history. Accordingly, there’s just too much here, as in, I feel overwhelmed by the sheer length, depth, and breadth of this album, and it’s only a collection of B-sides. Sufjan would have done well to engage in a bit of the same self-editing he employed when casting these songs off Illinois in the first place.

I wholeheartedly concur with the idea a great friend of mine had when he reflected upon the entirety of the record – I would have preferred to purchase this album as a succession of 3 or so EP’s. Yes, that means I probably would have spent more money, but I would have found much more enjoyment from the collective purchase. Each EP would have included one or two different versions of “Chicago” and, from there, the songs would be collected thematically – “Name” songs, “Place” songs, and then other assorted bits and pieces of things. I would have been really excited about that. I would have been able to decide which version I wanted to enjoy and not feel bad about skipping across songs that I really don’t want to hear, because I don’t like skipping around – I’m a fan of listening to an album in its entirety, the way that the artist made it to be.

So, if ever I get into a conversation with Mr. Stevens, I think what I’d tell him would go something like this – “Hey! Sufjan! Great work on The Avalanche! Next time though, do a better job with track selection. I want to hear your best work, and not just your ‘Eh, this is OK’ kinda stuff. I’d appreciate it.”

Original Track List:
1) The Avalanche
2) Dear Mr. Supercomputer
3) Adlai Stevenson
4) The Vivian Girls are Visited in the Night by Saint Dargarius and his Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies
5) Chicago (acoustic version)
6) The Henney Buggy Band
7) Saul Bellow
8) Carlyle Lake
9) Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair
10) The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself)
11) Kaskaskia River
12) Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version)
13) Inaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne
14) No Man’s Land
15) The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake
16) The Pick-up
17) The Perpetual Self, or “What Would Saul Alinsky Do?”
18) For Clyde Tombaugh
19) Chicago (Multiple Personality Disorder version)
20) Pittsfield
21) The Undivided Self (for Eppie and Popo)


Chicago EP (the one that I wish Sufjan would have released):
1) The Avalanche
2) Adlai Stevenson
3) Chicago (acoustic version)
4) Saul Bellow
5) Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair
6) Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version)
7) For Clyde Tombaugh
8) Chicago (Multiple Personality Disorder version)