Under Examination: Sufjan Stevens

4AD/Red Hot's Dark Was the Night seems like an incredible compilation. I haven't gotten it yet, but every track that's been released thus far has been absolutely incredible. Ben Gibbard/Feist, Dirty Projectors/David Byrne, Grizzly Bear/Feist, and today the Myspace is streaming Sufjan -- those very well-connected Dessner twins from the National certainly know how to curate a successful charity comp.

Quite simply, "You Are the Blood" is refreshing as well as exhilerating. I've loved Sufjan since I got ...Illinoise in 2005 and delved into his back catalog. With this track, he marks a very radical departure from his typically "pretty" sound, a stylistic shift first hinted at on The Avalanche's "Springfield, or, Bobby got a shadfly caught in his hair". An electronic beat, synthesizer, a noisy guitar breakdown in the middle, a grandiose horn arrangement, and acrobatic backing vocals (presumably from Shara Worden) all converge to make one of Steven's most adventurous tracks yet. After the noise freakout at seven minutes in, a virtuosic piano solo begins. I'm unsure who's playing, but if it is Steven's, I had no idea he could play (or even write) so well.

You need to get this track, now. As noted, it's currently streaming (today only!) on the Dark Was the Night Myspace. Also, an mp3 of the track is incredibly easy to find with a simple google search. If this is indicative of Stevens' current direction, I'm eagerly anticipating more work.

Under Examination: Annuals

"Brother"

This is undeniably one of the best opening tracks I've ever heard. Hyperbole? Hardly. In fact, the track is so amazing that it makes the rest of the album seem tepid in comparison (and Be He Me was an awesome album). It's rather deceptive, as the song opens with a field recording of crickets at night, and whispered vocals from Adam Baker. Tranquil, fingerpicked guitar is complimented by a pentatonic (read: "Asian sounding") string embellishment. As soon as you've been seduced into a restful realm, the strings' presence builds, extra-terrestrial synth tones hover around, and you're no longer in a peaceful field at night. 

Somebody yells "GO!", and the real journey begins. Huge guitar strums linger as a stomping beat propels the group ever higher. Other voices join Baker's (some doubling parts, others harmonizing), and a room full of singers joins in. The most exciting part of the track is the excellent drum work. During the second verse of the second half of the song, the drummer provides an exhilarating, furious polyrhythmic pattern, propelling the track to an abrupt end. One of my favorite songs of the last few years, no question.

Under Examination: Low

Welcome to a new feature. I'll write a little about some good songs, and you get to listen. Enjoy! Feedback welcome, as always.

I've only recently discovered Low, the progenitors of the unfortunately named "slowcore" movement. The trio create minimal, hauntingly beautiful songs. Every time I tried to listen to their music, I used it primarily as a background to myspace/facebook/pitchfork/all-the-other-sites-that-occupy-my-time. It was fine as ambience; pretty unobtrusive, nice-enough voices; in short, not very memorable. It wasn’t until I chanced upon “Sunflower” one night that I was converted. Low’s music is quietly intense, and actually very difficult to ignore, if you’re listening closely. This is music best enjoyed when you’re not in a hurry, and best delivered through headphones.

“Sunflower”

The opening to Low’s magnum opus Things We Lost in the Fire [2001, Kranky] begins with Alan Sparkhawk’s spacious, descending guitar chords. After a measure, Zak Sally’s subtle, though altogether crucial bassline enters. Mimi Parker’s insistent drums quickly fall in, driving the song ever forward. I’ve heard complaints of her drumming being ‘incessant’ or ‘boring’. However, I think it’s absolutely necessary to the song. The repetition is hypnotic, and draws the listener in, unrelenting until nearly five minutes have elapsed. While the ride cymbal is quietly hit on every eighth note, the snare drum is pounded (though with a brush) on every one of the four beats per measure. Yes, it is a simple drum pattern, and yes, it is repetitive. The metronomic drums are a staple of Low’s music, and make their music all the more tenacious.

Sparhawk’s lyrics are very often vague, lending to the unease that's almost ever prevalent among the band’s music. This can also be attributed to his weary tenor and Parker’s delicate alto, and how well they harmonize on nearly every track. Here, their voices intertwine in two-part harmony, singing bleak lyrics to accompany the falling chords and melodies. Towards the end of the song, however, some hope can be felt, as a small violin section bows a short, ascending whole step pattern, tenuous steps taken out of the depths.

“Murderer”

I think this might be the strongest track from Low’s stunning 2007 Sub Pop album, Drums and Guns. Overtly religious and political overtones make this a profoundly moving, disturbing track. It begins with a dissonant loop of guitar feedback writhing beneath panning ride cymbal strikes (this is an example of why I consider Low a “headphone band”) and Sally’s propulsive bass line. The lyrics are, as usual, fairly vague. This only adds to the discomfort felt in the song. A religious fanatic offers his services to God in unsettling desperation. The man defers to his ruler, and sounds frustrated, almost begging for his plan to be vindicated. The minimal sonic landscape draws all attention to Sparhawk and Parker’s striking three part harmonies. Sparhawk’s vocals are panned to the far right channel, while Parker sings a very low alto line in the left channel, and a higher register melody that interweaves with Sparhawk’s in the right. It’s over too quickly, and there’s hardly any relief from the built tension.