New York Magazine - USA (2020-10-12)

90 newyork| october12–25, 2020

onceupona time,winsome,hopefulMichiganderSufjanStevensbecameone

of thefinest songwritersof hisgenerationbydelvingintothesweepingtopography

andsometimespeculiarlocalcultureofMiddleAmerica,tracingthefallofcitieslike Flint

andDetroitfromindustrial-eraprominenceon2003’sMichiganandrecountingunfor-

ge ttableyouthfulexperiencesinDecaturandtheMississippiPalisadeson2005’sIllinois.

Coupledwithhisbookishat tentiontohistory,Stevens’sfey vocalsandtweearrangements

suggestedanaccomplishedmultimediaclassproject, a whizkidwrappinghisheadaround

thefullnessofAmerica.Stevens’s “50StatesProject”endedabruptly, though;suchwasthe

restlessnessofhisinterests.Whenhewasn’t makingconceptalbumsaboutU.S.states,

Stevensmadedelicatebanjo-and-guitarsongsstuffedwithreligiousallegory,dabbledin

electronicsona collectionofcompositionsinspiredbytheChinesezo-

diac,anddishedouta seeminglyendlesstroveoforiginalChristmas

carolsandcovers.HehelpedrunAsthmaticKitty,theindielabelheco-

founded;producedforfriends;startedsupergroups;rana livelyTumblr

coveringeverythingfromfaithto popcultureandpolitics;andcreateda

film,album,andliveshowaboutthedecayingexpresswayjoining

DowntownBrooklyntoAstoria,Queens.His methodis everchanging,

pop / movies / tv

buthisdrivealwaysseemstobesimplyto

shareandappreciatebeauty.

Inmost of theseendeavors,wehaveexpe-

riencedStevensasanoverarchingcurating

eyethroughwhichthevastAmericaland-

scapeis ponderedalongsidepeople’s indi-

vidualjourneysacrossit.His catalogueis

a needlepointtapestry, a seriesofvibrant

strokesupclosethat revealsanintercon-

nectednessasyoustepbackandwhat look

likerandomshapesandcolorsbecomeiden-

tifiablepatterns.Still,themanhimselfcan

feelfaraway andunknowable.Fanspore

overlyricsanddispatchesforcluesabout

thelifeofthewriter,obsessingoverambi-

guitiesandtryingtoparseautobiographical

narrativesfromcleverbitsofstorytelling.

A Facebookpage titled“Is thisSufjanSte-

venssonggayorjust aboutGod?”studies

thevisceralphysicalityofStevens’ssongs

aboutfaithinboorishterms;thesedays,

cultivatinga senseofmysteryis seenasa

challengetotheenterprisinginternet citi-

zen,thoughit usedtobea concertedact of

creatingspacebetweenartistandaudience.

Sufjan Stevens

PHOTOGRAPH: ASTHMATIC KITTY RECORDS

The CULTURE PAGES

CRITICS

Craig Jenkins on The Ascension ... Alison Willmore on On the Rocks ...

Matt Zoller Seitz on The Good Lord Bird.

THEASCENSION

SUFJANSTEVENS.

ASTHMATICKITTY.

POP / CRAIG JENKINS

His Beautiful Despair

Sufjan Stevens’s latest represents both

an evolution and a return.