When Sufjan Stevens sings, "Will anybody ever really love me?" in the song titled after that refrain, I really defy even the most hard-hearted asshole not to be a little bit moved. The material on Javelin is so emotive and heartfelt that the effect is -- like the best Stevens stuff from the past -- a little bit jarring. Still, his talent lies in making the murmurings of his heart heard loudly. And the whole album works on those terms.
While Will Anybody Ever Really Love Me?" swells and surges, "Genuflecting Ghost" takes more time to unfold. This one builds and uses choirs of voices to buttress the musical effect next to the plucked guitar. It's a real highlight of Javelin, as is "Goodbye Evergreen", the aching ballad that opens the record. It is here that Sufjan Stevens seems at his best. He has a way to make songs that in other hands would not work, work. There's a genuine appeal here, and nothing that feels like a put-on or an ironic take. And while Javelin works wonderfully, it is closer "There's a World" that really brings things together. The Neil Young composition is both an intimate expression, and an unfolding lotus-like piece of music. Listened to with attention, this is all very moving stuff.
Javelin by Sufjan Stevens is out on Friday via Asthmatic Kitty.
[Photo: Dawn Miller]