EP Review : Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP
- Written by Michael Waters
At around an hour long, it’s quite difficult to see why Sufjan Steven’s new release is an EP and not an LP - not that these designations actually mean anything in this age anyway. The opener is a 12-minute meander that soars to theatrical heights and brings to mind his Bond theme-esque Dark Was The Night contribution ‘You Are The Blood’, but it does - as so many extended Sufjan songs do - give the impression of several songs tacked together haphazardly. The closer is even more extravagant, presented as an extended prog jam and resembling Floyd at their most indulgent. Adept as ever at timbral blending, Sufjan lets banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, and innumerable other acoustic instruments bleed into one another, creating a beautiful constellation of sound throughout the record.
Sufjan has broadened his vocal palette, often progressing beyond his staple whispers into more full-bodied singing. He does, at points, attempt a brand of scalic vocal acrobatics that one just can’t take seriously unless they’re belted out by Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth. As ever, his strongest vocals are those more delicate, and he much better achieves the dynamic variation he strives for through hearty layered choruses and dense, poppy, arrangements. Stevens seems to be having fun in this respect, to an extent not seen since the blithely orchestrated A Sun Came!
This light-heartedness does come at a price, however. The locale-heavy imagery and intense storytelling of the state-themed records, and the pious subtly of Seven Swans boast a consistency that makes this latest offering seem slapdash. The Avalanche was an outtakes album that worked surprisingly well as a full opus, whereas this EP is a full opus that surprisingly plays out like an outtakes album.
Nobody can deny that Sufjan is a very, very accomplished songwriter. He does not rely on his flamboyant arrangements, and this is exemplified by All Delighted People’s subtler tracks; those which contrast heavily with its bookend tracks, and are arguably much stronger. ‘Enchanting Ghost’, for example, is a moving and satisfyingly concise pop-folk number, recalling the work of the Illinoise sessions. Warm timbres and melancholy melodies are often melded to distinctly magical effect, particularly in ‘Heirloom’ and ‘The Owl and the Tanager’. The latter, which many may recognise from unreleased live recordings, is the peak of the EP; a humbling ballad whose cinematic piano progressions and wonderfully shaped melody only compliment the heartbreaking lyrics and spacious vocal production.
Placed among the rest of his catalogue, All Delighted People is certainly a grower. By no means is it as immediate as Illinoise or Michigan, and it’s not nearly as steadfast in its thematic aims, but it is just as rewarding, musically, if you are willing to put the time in.