Sufjan Stevens Presents The Avalanche

It seems only right that the newest Sufjan Stevens release be titled The Avalanche. The man has simply overwhelmed the masses with music, and almost all of it has been very, very good. “Wait a minute!” I hear you exclaim. “Did you say the ‘newest Sufjan Stevens release’?” That’s right, dear and attentive reader. Asthmatic Kitty is all set to release The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album on July 25, 2006. I realize the man needs little to no press and PR at this point in the game, but what the heck! Here’s the press release…

Asthmatic Kitty Records has announced plans to release a new collection of songs from Sufjan Stevens, titled The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album which will hit shelves on July 25, 2006.

The little secret behind the Illinois record is that it was originally conceived as a double album, culminating in a musical collage of nearly 50 songs. But as the project began to develop into an unwieldy epic, common sense weighed in — as did the opinions of others — and the project was cut in half. But as 2005 came to a close, Sufjan returned to the old, forsaken songs on his 8-track like a grandfather remembering his youth, indulging in old journals and newspaper clippings. What he uncovered went beyond the merits of nostalgia; it was more like an ensemble of capricious friends and old acquaintances wearing party outfits, waiting to be let in at the front door, for warm drinks and interesting conversation. Among them were Saul Bellow, Ann Landers, Adlai Stevenson, and a brief cameo from Henry Darger’s Vivian Girls. The gathering that followed would become the setting for the songs on The Avalanche.

Sufjan gleaned 21 useable tracks from the abandoned material, including three alternate versions of “Chicago”. Some songs were in finished form, others were merely outlines, gesture drawings, or musical scribbles mumbled on a hand-held tape recorder. Most of the material required substantial editing, new arrangements or vocals. Much of the work was done at the end of 2005 or in January the following year. Sufjan invited many of the original Illinoisemakers to fill in the edges: drums, trumpet, a choir of singers. The centerpiece, of course, was the title track — “The Avalanche” — a song intended for the leading role on the Illinois album but eventually cut and placed as a bonus track on the vinyl release (also on iTunes). In his rummaging through old musical memorabilia, Sufjan began to use this song as a meditation on the editorial process, returning to old forms, knee-deep in debris, sifting rocks and river water for an occasional glint of gold. “I call ye cabin neighbors,” the song bemuses, “I call you once my friends.” And like an avid social organizer, Sufjan took in all the odd musical misfits and gathered them together for a party of their own, like good friends.

A careful listener may uncover the obvious trend on this record: almost every song on the Illinois album has a counterpart on the outtakes. Carl Sandburg arm-wrestles Saul Bellow. The aliens landing near Highland salute Clyde Tombaugh, the man who discovered Pluto. The loneliness of “Casimir Pulaski Day” deepens even further in the foreboding soundtrack to “Pittsfield.” At its best, The Avalanche is an exercise in form, revealing the working habits of one of the most productive songwriters today. As an illustration, the avalanche refers to the snow and rubble that falls off the side of a mountain, or, in this case, the musical debris generously chucked from an abundant epic. It’s unlikely you’ll find a mountain in the Prairie State so the metaphor will have to do. Also, Sufjan has still not made an official decision on the next state in his epic 50 States project, but we will keep you posted.

And here’s the tracklist:

1. The Avalanche (3:14)
2. Dear Mr Supercomputer (4:40)
3. Adlai Stevenson (2:34)
4. The Vivian Girls Are Visited In the Night by Saint Dargarius and his Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies (1:49)
5. Chicago (acoustic version) (4:40)
6. The Henney Buggy Band (3:16)
7. Saul Bellow (2:53)
8. Carlyle Lake (3:15)
9. Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair (4:17)
10. The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself) (3:24)
11. Kaskaskia River (2:15)
12. Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version) (6:06)
13. Inaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne (1:25)
14. No Man’s Land (4:45)
15. The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake (1:38)
16. The Pick-up (3:23)
17. The Perpetual Self, or “What Would Saul Alinsky Do?” (2:24)
18. For Clyde Tombaugh (3:43)
19. Chicago (Multiple Personality Disorder version) (4:35)
20. Pittsfield (6:41)
21. The Undivided Self (for Eppie and Popo) (4:59)

If you add all that up, that’s well over 70 minutes of new Sufjan goodness. And somehow I doubt that these will be mere toss-offs and whatnot. If you were lucky enough to get the b-sides to the Michigan album, you’ll know that some of those tracks — such as “Wolverine” — were just as lovely, if not moreso, than the “real” album tracks. And if nothing else, I’m quite interested by the notion of an “adult contemporary” version of “Chicago.”

Oh, and as for that whole Rosie Thomas/Sufjan Stevens baby rumor floating around… it’s a hoax (ah those merry pranksters), so all of you heartbroken indie kids out there can dry your eyes and rest easy — you still have a chance!