The sound on this album is beautiful. It has an immediate (dare I say intimate) rich "feels like they're in the same small scale auditorium as me" sound. Sonorousness that seriously defies the limits of my crappy in ear headphones as I walk back and forth to town on these cold and dark november evenings.
This is folk/indie I am told. Though it's far from standard folk fare as its hugely multi instrumental. And though guitar driven I suppose, the melodically focused (what a term!) pieces are just as often carried by brass, banjo, vibraphone, hushed strings in intemingleing layers that would make Steve Reich smile while washing his black baseball cap.
Lyrically Sufjan dwells on family, friends and faith, but also more symbolic (?), and downright weird in my book, explorations of love (explain the ode John Wayne Gacy Jr for me!). It sometimes rings a little over-sentimentalat times (how many times in one album can someone sing about crying!) but also has moments of beautifully balanced poignancy (see Casimir Pulaski Day - cinematic, really touching)
He is in no rush to fit the pieces of music to any particularly formal pattern, and leaves plenty of space for lush instrumental interludes which are full of contemplative starry skied magic. As I hinted at already, the layers upon layers of sound play build on the main lyric melody in a way that really reminds me of Steve Reich; it has something of Reichs explorative and at times soaring sheets of sound. The track titles are gas too, similar to the 'free association' way a lot of instrumental bands name their tracks (eg. They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!)
"Diagnosis murder" diagnosis - One for the collection - itis!!
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