Sufjan Stevens “Delights People” With New EP

By Keir Bristol

Last week, I came across a delightful discovery, thanks to Pitchfork.com. Sufjan Stevens’ new album was finally released, and is streaming for free online.

Sufjan Stevens is an amazing songwriter. He manages to write poetic sad songs without seeming emo. His songs are intricate and the harmonies are simple, yet rich. When people envision heaven, with clouds and angels blowing horns and strumming harps, the music they would be playing would be pretty similar to Steven’s work.

His new album, All Delighted People is no exception. It is a short album for Stevens; it’s an hour long, but it’s only eight songs. It begins with the song for which the album is titled, “All Delighted People,” backed with a haunting chorus and full orchestra. After 11 minutes and 38 seconds (yes, that’s how long the first song is), we move into “Enchanted Ghost,” a song that combines the sounds of Nick Drake and the lyrics of Elliott Smith. “From the Mouth of Gabriel” combines classic Stevens songwriting with the angelic chorus from the first track and even a touch of electronic sound effects that sound as if they could have been inspired by UFO’s. And before the album ends with the electric guitar-tinged “Djohariah,” at a whopping 17 minutes, we are graced with a shorter rock remix of the title track.

All Delighted People is available for download here for a mere $5 dollars! If you like what you hear, buy the album!

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