Huh....have listened to the whole album....my thoughts are mixed. My fave track by far is still Fourth of July...I like the words and the melody on that track...even if it is a bit on the sad side.
I think the Bon Iver reference is quite apt. It really does sound a lot like For Emma, Forever Ago to me. I loved that album so not a bad thing. However, it is by Sufjan's standards a bit on the reserved side. I like the bigger arrangements of Illinois and Adz so this is going require the listener to re-calibrate a bit. My first impression is that this is a good, but not great, album. More immediate, with a focus on the lyrics and basic melody rather than production.
I will purchase the album for sure..whether this makes it into heavy rotation for me remains to be seen.
listening to Fourth of July again...what a beautiful song.
"Fourth Of July"
The evil it spread like a fever ahead
It was night when you died, my firefly
What could I have said to raise you from the dead?
Oh could I be the sky on the Fourth of July?
Well you do enough talk
My little hawk, why do you cry?
Tell me what did you learn from the Tillamook burn?
Or the Fourth of July?
We’re all gonna die
Sitting at the bed with the halo at your head
Was it all a disguise, like Junior High
Where everything was fiction, future, and prediction
Now, where am I? My fading supply
Did you get enough love, my little dove
Why do you cry?
And I’m sorry I left, but it was for the best
Though it never felt right
My little Versailles
The hospital asked should the body be cast
Before I say goodbye, my star in the sky
Such a funny thought to wrap you up in cloth
Do you find it all right, my dragonfly?
Shall we look at the moon, my little loon
Why do you cry?
Make the most of your life, while it is rife
While it is light
Well you do enough talk
My little hawk, why do you cry?
Tell me what did you learn from the Tillamook burn?
Or the Fourth of July?
We’re all gonna die
When I cannot sing my heart...I can only speak my mind...