One of my favorite singers, Elliott Smith, unfortunately killed himself not long ago. I was quite broken up by it, which is odd since I never met the guy. I guess these things happen.
Anyway, I was thrilled when I was introduced to the music of Sufjan Stevens recently. Probably the most innovative "pop" singer/composer I've heard since, oh, Brian Eno back in the 70s.
Lots of interesting things about him. His harmonies are complex and unusual, and as far as I know much of his sound is unique to pop music. He is a self-taught musician who plays most of the instruments that appear on his albums. He's played at Lincoln Center. He favors reed instruments, banjos, and is obviously a fan of Vince Guaraldi. He's also a devout Episcopalian, which might not seem worth comment, but in the hipster pop music scene this has caused quite a bit of consternation. And he's embarked on a project to produce an album for each of the 50 US states. He's finished two of those so far: Greetings from Michigan and Come On Feel the Illinoise.
The cute names are misleading. Stevens is a songwriter and musician of rare power and sophistication. Recently, I came across his song about the notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy (whose story makes a fascinating read, let me tell you). I wonder if there's something to this? One of my favorite Elliott Smith songs was about the Son of Sam.
Posted by Alan Hogue at April 20, 2006 07:56 PM