Sufjan Steven's follow-up to A Sun Came is probably not what you would expect, especially if you've heard his other albums. Fans of Sufjan's music will be most comfortable with tracks like "Year of the Dragon" which is by far the closest-sounding thing to anything on an album like Illinois. The project is based on the Chinese zodiac and features names for tracks like "Year of the Ox", "Year of the Tiger" and "Year of the Asthmatic Cat" (a pun on the name of his record label, Asthmatic Kitty). The album seems to be an experimental phase for Stevens as the majority of the album is filled with glitches, beeps and boops. It is very electronic-sounding and instrumental save for a few oohs and ahhs here and there. Sufjan goes as far as using autotune on the track "Year of the Dog". If you're able to sit through the first half of the album, it seems to get better as it goes on. Some of the most rewarding tracks come towards the end of the album and include short acoustic guitar riffs. With each song the album seems to progress and create its own flow. It's an odd release for Sufjan and yet it seems to strangely fit into his catalogue. As his albums show, Sufjan has proven he's not afraid to try new things.
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