How Much Is Too Much? Sufjan Stevens' Latest Effort

By Julene McCoy in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 13, 2006 8:01PM

It wasn’t that long ago that everyone was buzzing about Sufjan Stevens latest installment in the 50 state series, Illinois. Everyone loved it. It had to be listened to, or else. How quickly Sufjan has slipped from that mountain of acclaim with his latest release, The Avalanche. Originally slated to be part of Illinois as a double album, these are the songs that didn’t make the cut when it was pared down. The Avalanche boasts 21 more songs about Illinois and will suck about 75 minutes out of your life.

We love our heroes, artists, and celebrities, but what we love even more is when they misstep and get too big for their britches. The whole 50 state concept seemed ambitious, if not pretentious, and this collection of outtakes illustrates that. Sufjan won’t go away because of this, but it may be time for him to take a lesson from the backlash regarding the proliferation of Ryan Adams’ releases and decide to not release every single thing that comes spurting out of his head.

The American consumer responds better to being teased with stories of songs so great that we will never hear until the artist’s untimely death or re-entry into society, than we do to a constant stream of their art. That being said, The Avalanche can provide fans with insight into Sufjan’s creative processes and for his diehard fans that’s what listening to this album will be about.