Music Banter - View Single Post

innerspaceboy · 06-27-2017, 11:56 AM

Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans

Stevens was an artist I smugly rejected in 2004 - pop music I resigned myself from listening to as I felt it was music reserved for those just young enough to be beyond my social sphere of relatability.

In my more thoughtful and retrospective years, I’ve shed that haughty stubbornness and find myself in a headspace where I can just enjoy this stuff, relatable or not.

This last week I’ve really been exploring intimate and vulnerable musics, beginning with Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel / Why Patterns? and progressing steadily toward key works of post-minimalism. As such, I’ve found myself in a space where I can really connect with and enjoy music far less academic and much more emotive than in my previous inclinations. Even this review is feeling far more intuitive and reflective than my usual formal and dissective analysis.

Seven Swans is intimately understated and fragile with whispery vocals and sparse chamber folk instrumentation. There is a pastoral quality about the entire record which is carried quite cohesively throughout. None of the tracks stand out as singles, and from what I understand this album is often overlooked in favor of his more radio-friendly recordings. But the subtlety of this record is what makes it more accessible, at least for someone in my headspace.

I’ve no academic criticisms to make, no judgment to pass, and no socio-cultural contextualization to apply here. I just enjoyed the album, psychologically and emotionally. It added a pleasant sonic dimension to my quiet and reflective afternoon.

Thanks for making it a part of this thread.

No X/10 this time 'round - I'm not feeling like quantification at present.