First (slightly drunk) impressions of Sufjan's "The Age of Adz"

The album begins softly and sweetly with "Futile Devices", it's strongly familiar and reminiscent of Sufjan's usual sound,  but it all turns hard the moment "Too Much" starts. At first I thought this was going to be one of those slightly experimental Sufjan songs that are almost unlistenable yet still amazing, but it turns out this song has quite a catchy chorus, and it's catchy in a weird way that leads nicely to "Age of Adz". This song is crazy, absolutely crazy and strangely cinematic, not my favorite, but it's certainly a statement about Sufjan's new sound and evolution as a singer. I guess I should miss his old style more but I honestly can't because this new era is just as interesting as the one that was marked by Illinoise.

"I walked" continues with the same strong beats, but much calmer and seductive. It is rich and it just reaffirms that this album is much different than any previous Sufjan album. This one's definitely one of my favorites and a clear companion to the earlier "Too Much". "Now that I'm Older" is hauntingly melodic displaying Sufjan's vocals with a clarity that was rarely found in previous albums.  The electronic beats and drums are even more evident in "Get Real Get Right", where he makes it clear that the folksy intimate tunes have been transformed into something just as intimate yet expounded into something truly urban and epic. This song could even be remixed into something *gasp* danceable. "Bad Communication" is a nice leisurely break while "Vesuvius" builds up beautifully and is definitely one of the highlights of the album. "All for Myself" highlights Sufjan's vocals gorgeously accompanied by what sounds like a full orchestra, which makes the transition into "I Want To Be Well" pretty jarring. This song is also almost danceable and nuts in its own spastic way, it's an explosions of experimentation, not in the old garage like sounds of A Sun Came, in a new original bizarre way that sounds contemporary and amazing. 

Now "Impossible Soul" is the much heard about 25 minute song. Self-indulgent? Possibly. Completely and utterly beyond enthralling? yes, but far from the best song on the album. Halfway through it I almost jumped out of my chair when Sufjan's completely synthesized voice started singing, holy hell it almost sounded to something you could find in a Kanye West song, but it unexpectedly works here. 

I'm sure many fans will hate this album and want Sufjan to get back to his 50 state project that is clearly never going to happen (shhh just let it go), but I love it, not a much as most of his previous work, but it has the potential to grow on me and anything made by Sufjan is vastly superior to 98% of what's out there, so that's always good.

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