Released 5 years ago earlier this month, this is the ninth album from singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens. And even if you've heard Sufjan Stevens music before, it will not match what you find here. This is a collection of instrumental music made mostly from keyboards and synthesizers, though some other things show up in this recording too, I think. Much of it is very modern and even some of it is grating on the ears at times, while at other times it is otherworldly and beautiful, but it's always at least interesting and not what you you expect from an instrumental album. These 49 tracks of music total over 2.5 hours, so it's not something I've often listened to in total, besides just now. But it does come in 5 parts, which I have often listened to separately while reading a book. Sufjan Stevens says that he created this music as a "reflection on a year of anxiety, uncertainty, isolation and loss" after the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of his father. This music is pretty out there and I kinda like it on occasion.

Release Year: 2021
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