The Founder Volume 5 Issue 4

16 The Founder | Thursday 4 November 2010
E X T R A
Music
Review: Sufjan Stevens The Age of Adz
Andrew Hutchinson
“It’s been a long long time since I
memorised your face”. Never to me
has an opening line seemed more
fitting.
‘The Age of Adz’ is Sufjan Stevens’
first full length album since
his well-received ‘Illinois’ of 2005,
and it has been a long long time
indeed. Stevens’ fans have had to
make do with a mix of unreleased
material from previous albums,
ninety-two Christmas songs and recent
EP, ‘All Delighted People’, over
the past five years to get their fix.
Much has changed since 2005.
The years passed and Stevens
abandoned his supposed plans
to release an album for all of the
fifty American states, eventually
confessing that the whole “states”
project was a promotional gimmick
he never intended to finish. I for
one was enthralled and excited by
the somewhat unrealistic plans of
a marathon project; to me Sufjan
seemed a man who was writing his
dream-like melodies and orchestral
arrangements in his sleep. How
could I question a man with such
ambitions? The idea of using each
American-state as a platform for
exploring faith, family and location,
with such deep heart-felt lyrics, had
me and many others hooked.
So what did the much-adored,
dorkily sincere Detroit singer tackle
next? The only subject matter you
really could after trying to tackle
America; the apocalypse. Inspired
by the outsider artist Royal Robinson,
whose art adorns the cover,
‘The Age of Adz’ comes across
as a combination of his previous
dabbling in electronica, his 2001
album ‘Enjoy Your Rabbit’, and the
aforementioned ‘Illinois’.
He opens ‘The Age of Adz’ with
‘Futile Devices’, very similar to
the Sufjan fans warmed to in his
previous “State” works. Much of the
same soothing tones and orchestral
arrangements grace the track, causing
me to question what all the fuss
was about and ponder what has
changed. But ending the track with
“words are futile devices” signals
his intentions to move away from
his marathon project, and to strive
to be remembered more for his
music than his ambition.
Track two, ‘Too much’, sets the
tone for the remainder of the
album, stepping away from the
banjo, trumpet and guitar, which
he himself had grown tired of, and
stepping into the realms of experimental
electronica. Whether or not
this will isolate his loyal fanbase,
we’ll see, but it’s certainly a step
away from the masses, taking a bold
move using an array of hip hop
beats, synths and broken glitches.
The rest of the album follows
much in the same vein; a series of
layered electronic beats and his
trademark orchestra, all mixed with
sentimental melodies. Some tracks
work magnificently, with ‘Now that
I’m Older’ and ‘I Walked’ reminding
us all of Stevens ability to create
a melody that captures and emotes
his audience. However, with tracks
‘Bad Communication’ and ‘I Want
to be Well’ it can feel like Sufjan’s
characteristic ability to connect
with his audience is lost; overcomplicating
beats and hiding his vocals
behind one too many electronic
beats and glitch soundscapes.
Lucky Shiner - Gold Panda
Ben Parfitt
It is the summer of 2010. A crowd
gathers in a little tent at a small
weekend festival. The tent resembles
a downscaled version of
a circus marquee – capacity one
hundred or so. The previous act has
just finished and a rather clunky
transition is taking place. The
growing audience wait tentatively
as a laptop is placed on a desk. Out
steps a man; 20-odd in age, slight
build, greasy hair and furry in the
face. He pops the hood of his shiny
Topman jacket over his head and
proclaims: “I am Gold Panda from
Chelmsford, Essex.”
Judgment at that point is reserved,
but as soon as he starts
tapping about, twisting knobs and
pushing sliders, the man garners respect.
The sound generated weaves
in and out, it rises and falls, it chops
and it changes – all to the headbopping
bassline that holds the
rhythm to bring the whole song,
set and crowd together as one. It is
although the hooded head of this
bear from East of London acts as a
metronome, moving back and forth
throughout at the required pace for
the entire set. This is the embodiment
of music.
It’s a tricky job trying to pin Gold
The ending track, ‘Impossible
Soul’, to me epitomises the album,
with moments of brilliance and
connection mixed with baffling effects
and somewhat cluttered background
tracks. When I first caught
ear of the 25 minute crescendo to
this album before actually listening
to the LP, I expected the flutes,
violins, choirs, and a triumphant
sense of
hugeness we’ve come to expect
from Sufjan. In practice, the listener
is left with a series of harrowing
lyrics and breathtaking melodies
(many worthy of a track of their
own), all over near-perfectly
orchestrated tracks, deep bass and
hip-hop beats, topped off with a sequence
of autotune/vocoder effects
Panda down to a genre. The official
NME verdict is that he “lies somewhere
between minimal house,
ethno techno, eclectic turntablism
and spun-silver electronica.” If that
makes the slightest bit of sense then
give yourself well a deserved pat on
the back. Gold Panda’s own claim is
to be part of the ‘Bedroom electro’
crowd.
Those familiar with the work of
Gold Panda, real name Derwin,
will recall ‘Quitters Rag’ as his big
breakthrough single. This album
continues the tradition of mishmashing
sounds drawn from the
East. One must state that Derwin
that would make T-Pain himself
proud.
‘The Age of Adz’ is a bold step
away from the self-created safezone
of Surfjan’s “Fifty Sates”
project, producing his most baffling
and mysterious piece of work yet,
but no matter how many boundaries
of the rock/pop divides are
crossed and how distant his words
seem at times, there’s still his
unique way with a melody sweetly
coating it all.
And once you’ve taken it all
in, this stands alone as more of a
unique piece of art to admire than a
chronicle of all fifty American states
could ever be.
ain’t your stereotypical Essex lad.
After studying at SOAS, he headed
off to tour in the land of the rising
sun. Be it this cultural exploration
or some other influence, this album
has an eclecticism rarely displayed
elsewhere.
It may take a while to get into this
sometimes disorientating collection
of ins and outs, but stick with it and
you shall be duly rewarded. This
really is an album worth the investment
that will have you nodding
away like there’s no tomorrow. If all
else fails, go and see him live for it
is his intimate performances that
bring the music to life.