for those about to rock

and yet ...

sometimes, pitchfork will publish a glowing review in which praise DOESN'T come off as cheap or too easy, as seen in this write-up of sufjan stevens' new christmas album.

it's appropriately circumspect, offering a liner note summation of indie ethos as context for the apparently problematic -- stevens' spiritual orientation -- before observing that

" ... for all the squirming induced by Stevens' brazen faith, the talents that elevate him above your run-of-the-mill coffee-shop folkie are crucially linked to the characteristics that inform his faith: empathy, optimism, and a love of ceremonial pomp,"

which goes a long way in explaining (and perhaps, in context, reconciling) the anomaly that stevens and his underground success represent, a mature and even-handed appreciation that mitchum then deftly brings to bear on the release at hand, which comprises a whopping five cd's worth of christmas music.

all told, this review is very good writing on music. it makes me feel like i absolutely owe it to myself to check out a musician whose stuff i've never listened to before, playing songs i've only heard a zillion times.

what do people think of sufjan? sounds like he could be a divisive character ...

(the g.g. allin analogy, incidentally, is pretty f-ing funny, given sufjan's huggy bear persona).

posted by jomilkman @ 8:32 AM