SUFJAN STEVENS
Live At The Triple Door

Here is a July 23, 2005 recording by Sufjan Stevens to promote his recently-released album [Come On Feel The] Illinoise. The Triple Door is a club in downtown Seattle in Washington and the show was broadcast on KEXP-FM.

Stevens is part of the MTV generation who grew up in comfort without much angst. It has been suggested that their music reflects their upbringing - quietly confident and sensibly melodic. On Illinoise you can picture Stevens singing as a choir boy but this time he has brought along his friends and added a nice touch with a lone trumpet signaling changes in mood.

But unlike the singer-songwriters of the '70s [especially Neil Young, James Taylor, Cat Steven], Stevens is no confessioner. He holds his cards close to his chest and we never see him except through allusion. Neither is Stevens pretending to be spokesman for his generation. His music prefers to show-off itÕs melodies while his words are dense with many layers of meaning.

Stevens' music is by the well-mannered, well-behaved and well-educated young man.
Ð The Little Chicken

Here are the songs played :

Track 01 Casimir Pulaski Day (8.7MB)
Track 02 The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders (11.0MB)
Track 03 Prairie Fire That Wanders About (3.0MB)
Track 04 Jacksonville (7.4MB)
Track 05 The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us! (12.3MB)
Track 06 Chicago (7.0MB)
Track 07 The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts (8.2MB)
Track 08 John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (7.9MB)

All eight songs appear in studio versions on the 22-song album [Come On Feel The] Illinoise. This is an excellent stereo recording and has never been officially released.

The files will be available for download for the next two days.

stephen tan
www.bigomagazine.com