Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
This one was Sufjan's "singer-songwriter" record, sitting right in the middle of his discography. I've always thought of it as his attempt at a CSN&Y, America, Fleetwood Mac, etc. sort of outing, except without the mindblowing harmonies / jazziness and more Eliott Smithisms instead. There's nothing in here that's gonna outdo Stevie Nicks' 'Landslide', but the production is pretty fantastic and 'Sister' is a great median, the track that serves as an axis point for the album to rotate around.
My biggest problem with this album, however, is that I don't think it does enough with it's acoustic aesthetic from song-to-song. This is a problem Sufjan didn't have on Michigan or albums following this one.
To put it into perspective, an AOR album, metal album, etc. can get away with a samey sonic template because you have energy, a super tight band and different dynamics to really carry you along: great songwriting is icing on the cake. This type of record, unfortunately, feels like a slog with the exception of 'Sister' and the big crescendo on the title track later on. For an example of this type of album done better, see Fleet Foxes' Helplessness Blues or Crack-Up.
6 out of 10
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