Sufjan Becomes Eclectic

I realize that this site has been loaded with Sufjan Stevens-related updates for the past couple of weeks, what with the new album and all. So really, what’s the harm in adding one more, right?

On July 14th, Sufjan made an appearance on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” program, playing a couple songs in-studio with the help of some friends. You can listen to the performance, as well as a short interview, here. Or, if you’re a visual kind of person, you can watch it here. (Both links require RealPlayer.)

The setlist was “Casimir Pulaski Day,” “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts,” “Chicago,” John Wayne Gacy, Jr.,” “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” and “Jacksonville”.

To be honest, I’ve never heard a live Sufjan recording, so I was quite curious as to how his elaborate sound would translate to a live setting. It did so quite well, and then some. I love the “stripped down” version of “Chicago,” and the live version of “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” if even more haunting and chilling than the album version. Needless to say, I’m even more excited to see him when he hits Omaha in September.

Alright, here’s one more Sufjan-related bit. Josh Hurst takes a look at Rolling Stones’ review of Illinois — and makes some very pointed and good criticisms of the review.