A daring and expertly crafted statement that’s a product of its political climate, ‘The Ascension’ is another masterpiece from Sufjan Stevens.
A curate’s egg only of interest to hard-bitten Sufjan fans, ‘Aporia’ is a series of frustratingly half-formed good ideas recorded with his stepfather Lowell Brams.
Ah, Christmas: the season of travel disruptions, disappointing presents and violent stomach cramp. Not to mention being bombarded by the same bloody songs over and over again. If you’ve ever quietly gritted your teeth in murderous rage at Noddy Holder screeching “It’s CHRIIIIIIISTMAAAAS” for the 50th time in a week, we feel your pain. To provide a soothing remedy for what ails you, we’ve made a playlist of ten weird and wonderful seasonal
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2015 has been our first year of operation under our new name The Student Playlist, and it’s been a year of steady expansion. There are now five of us, with a view to adding yet more talented, passionate writers in the new year as we continue in our quest to point out the best new music, rediscover old albums, both stone-cold classics and hidden treasures, and cause lively debate with
by Ed Biggs Ten years ago, a few people must really have believed that Sufjan Stevens was serious about his ambition to record a concept album about all 50 American states. His splendid 2003 album Michigan had set the ball rolling, and while he interrupted the sequence with 2004’s Seven Swans, it was followed with 2005’s Illinois, the album many consider to be his magnum opus. In fact, Stevens was so
by Ed Biggs In a career spanning fifteen years, American auteur Sufjan Stevens has made six-disc Christmas albums, started and abandoned a series of albums about the 50 U.S. states, made experimental electronic records, collaborated with rappers, and even had a residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Yet for all this, we’ve never really gotten to know him very much. However, this might be about to change with his
