Artist of the Week...

Sufjan Stevens -

Good accoustic music nowadays feels like a dime a dozen. Over done and over played, certain artists like Jack Johnson, John Mayer and many others often get the most recognition amongst this group of musicians. Don't get me wrong, I really dig Jack Johnson (his laid back surfer attitude reminds me of home, and his Curious George soundtrack is more fun than one should have with a children's movie), but one can't help but feel inundated by the amount of times his songs are played on the local Top 40 station. If we branch out outside of the norm, we can find some real gems. Among them is local favorite Benton Paul (check him out if you haven't. A-freakin'-mazing...and it isn't because I know him personally...), the always brilliant (and soon to break-up) Nickel Creek, and this week's Artist of the Week, Sufjan Stevens.

I first got wind of Sufjan when I learned a song of his would be used in a film I was working on this past summer. The song, a Christmas one, had all the makings of a great piece of accoustic coolness, so I had to find more of his stuff. Turns out, he has had some mild success. His song "To Be Alone With You" was featured on one of the many "The O.C." mixes, and a few of his songs were featured on the "Little Miss Sunshine" soundtrack. But, as is the case with many great artists, that is only the tip of the musical iceberg. To get the full Sufjan Stevens experience, one must check out his full length albums.

Stevens has since previous dedicated himself to the notion that he wants to write an album based on each of the 50 states of the union. Interesting prospect no doubt, and so we see that two of his previous albums fall along those lines. "Come on Feel the Illinoise" and "Greetings From Michigan" are albums full of a variety of songs, each with very very long titles. It makes for a fun experience to listen to the full album, because it often takes as long to listen to the song as it does to read the title.

Now, Stevens is releasing a Christmas album, full of some of the most interesting Christmas remakes and originals, including the song featured in our film. I was able to download the album (legally) a while back ( it was previously only made available to family and friends, but Sufjan leaked it to several websites for mass releasage), and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. He plans on releasing a new Christmas album each year full of these same witty pieces. His sense of humor is evident in his choice of instruments for each song, and also in how he reworks the titles.

Follow the link below for a better glimpse into his world. His humor runs rampant on the website of his record label, Asthmatic Kitty Records, and so a brief glimpse is definitely worth a look-see.

Asthmatic Kitty Records