Sufjan Stevens / The BQE
Asthmatic Kitty Records / 2009
Sufjan Stevens has had my attention ever since he released Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State. His broad range of influence contributes to a completely unique style that plays to just as broad an array of fans. Patiently awaiting the next installment of his 50 states project, I was eager to hear new album The BQE.
A symphonic exploration of the urban blunder that is the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the album was originally a performance commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), and originally performed in the Howard Gilman Opera House in October of 2007. Now Asthmatic Kitty Records has released a studio recording of the ode to Brooklyn, along with extras like a film about the BQE and other goodies. This tribute to the Empire State makes good company for the artist’s other geographical opuses.
But putting the States aside, Stevens’ new album is a slight detour from the banjo and biblical references we all may be accustomed to hearing. At the same time, the symphony is quite obviously a Sufjan Stevens creation – his signature combination of horns, bells, cymbals and the occasional electric guitar underpins the album. A listener may be reminded of some of the instrumental interludes on records like Illinoise and its spinoff record, The Avalanche. So just as much as one may be thrown off in the absence of Sufjan’s tender vocals, they are soon comforted by the kind of romantic and then capricious tunes that are warmly familiar from the musician.
Truly an orchestral piece, the album has a distinct progression, beginning with the bright fanfare of an overture, followed by quieter and slower installments. The first interlude transitions the piece with a noisy crescendo, which moves on to a more playful and optimistic movement, followed by an unexpected electronic-influenced track. Immediately after, Sufjan returns to the traditional symphonic devices with a reprise of the fanfare and somehow seamlessly weaves the listener in and out of contrasting moments of alternative rock, waltz and fanciful flute.
Originally a classical musician, Sufjan has brilliantly crafted a piece that remains wonderfully true to the classical music genre, while still engaging plenty of his own style to give his fans a twist to the predictable indie rock filling their music libraries. Fans ought to appreciate The BQE for its uniqueness in context of the rest of Sufjan’s work, but new listeners may need to have more patience. It’s tougher for one to pick a single track off The BQE to introduce someone to Sufjan Stevens than it may have been to do so with his bigger hits like Illinoise. Like with many instrumental works, this one requires a full listen to appreciate the nuances in transitions and a better understanding of what each single track contributes to the album as a whole. And of course, the piece is much more thematic and holistic than your average indie release.
The BQE may not be anything like what one would expect from Sufjan Stevens, but it remains familiar enough to render the departure from his usual music a pleasant surprise. Perhaps The BQE is a bit of a detour for Sufjan, but the music leads me to believe that he’s only taking fans along the scenic route on the New York expressway.
by Cassie Crespo, Staff Writer
cassie.crespo@thepulse.cl
