For a collaborative 7″ single that’ll be coming out on 4/21, Record Store Day, Sufjan Stevens has teamed up with his buddy and frequent collaborator Rosie Thomas. The A-side of the single is a reimagined version of “Where Were You?,” a song from Thomas’s album With Love. On the B-side, Sufjan offers up an answer song called “Here I Am!” (Exclamation point his.) Sufjan recorded and mixed both tracks, and both artists show up on both songs. The new version of “Where Were You?,” streaming below, is further evidence that Sufjan is getting really, really into electronic textures lately.
Between that and s / s / s’s “Museum Day,” it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Sufjan is going through an Auto-Tune phase. If he ends up making his own 808s And Heartbreaks, this could be pretty fascinating.
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I think we all anticipated Sufjan’s love for electronic textures and Autotune to continue, but damn — Never figured he was into scat…
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this is straying into owl city territory…not feeling it.
Have to agree…I still like the song, but these vocals are slowly breaching near teen-pop status.
The last half of this song is incredible. First half is a little blah.
Sufjan is my hero. I mean, look at this guy. He has so much obvious talent and natural ability. He could easily have pursued the course of becoming a household name super star. I mean, he peaked above those waves with “Chicago” and it would have been effortless for him to just keep making “Chicago” type songs that are loved by a large swath of people all at once. I mean the guy still has his every move tracked by blogs, magazines, and fans even years between putting out music, and it almost seems like he purposely avoids that fame. He could have it if he ever wanted it.
But no, instead he spends his time doing things like this, and things like the whole s/s/s album. Jump beyond the fact that this song is amazing for a moment. But it’s really just a remix of the Rosie Thomas song off of her album With Love. That was really her only contribution (It’s a good song and a great album check it out). This is Sufjan’s work. But he doesn’t present it as some kindof remix. He calls it a collaboration, and he releases it with one of his original songs on the back side of it and then puts her name above his on the cover. Seriously. Sufjan is using his talent to share recognition with his friends. Look at the s/s/s stuff now. Sufjan contributed some vocals, and rides along with some of his friends over at Anticon. Suddenly blogs are blowing up all over the web talking about Sufjan but indirectly name dropping Sun Lux and Serengeti, Anticon and Doseone. These are artist worthy of recognition, massive talents, but they don’t have even a fraction of the fan base Sufjan has. So, instead of going out and making his next big music hall-of-fame clinching opus, he wanders over and contributes, and acknowledges that there are areas of music that he wants to understand more, and people that he respects that are good at it.
Sufjan is more than just someone that has a talent in music. He /gets/ it. He understands how great and important music is, while simultaneously also seeing how small and insignificant it is. Music is not a competition that should somehow draw people apart, or into factions. Music is, by it’s very nature, something that should draw people together. In a music world where everything is increasingly rated and compared like some kindof sport, we need people like Sufjan to show us that there is a better way to approach music.
and he knits so he’s forever Mr. Indie of all decades.
seriously one of the nicest and most thoughtful comment/ers on stereogum. you/ nailed/ it.
Wow, I 100% agree with everything you just said.
Thank you for this! I adore Sufjan, and jive with your words.
His virtue and grace is evident throughout his career’s catalog, and comes through loud and clear in the way he navigates fame. Can’t wait to hear the rest of the new work.
I’m a huge Sufjan fan and whilst I agree with a lot of what you said, I think you’re really downplaying Rosie Thomas and her contribution.
Thought Age of Adz was pretty underrated, loved the mix of highly personal lyrics and heavy electronics
I thought this was going to be a Mekons cover. :(
When pop stars use auto-tune, it’s cheap. When Sufjan Stevens, Justin Vernon or others use it, it’s art and/or a musical tool.
…Right?
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Scram Spam!
Wasn’t AGE OF ADZ Sufjan’s 808s And Heartbreaks?
Auto-Tune giveth. Auto-Tune taketh away.