Sufjan Stevens

The older I get, the harder it seems to find good music. Yes, there's a ton of stuff out there that's catchy, gets stuck in my head or is fun to dance to at the club. But it's so rare to find new songs, let alone artists, that pull you in and grab you emotionally. U2, Radiohead and Tool have all done this for me, repeatedly, and I am a devoted fanatic as anyone who knows me is aware. Why does it seem such a rarity to find such emotive music? Perhaps, I'm "getting old". Perhaps, I don't listen to enough of the new music out there.

Every now and then, an artist grabs me for a while and I obsess with them. In the last year it was Keane, Death Cab for Cutie, Bloc Party and Snow Patrol. I've played them to death now. Last night, though, I found a new artist to obsess over for a while: Sufjan Stevens.

Though I've listened to him for a while (thanks to Jocelyn!), none of his beautiful recordings compare with the live performamce we saw at St. Andrew Wesley's church. I had no idea that he would be bringing 13 band members in tow, including a string and brass section. The experience was amazing, and there were moments in some songs that ran chills down my spine. Though I am not a particularly religious fellow, this was pretty close to heavenly. I went into that show tired, weary, wanting to go to bed, and left feeling uplifted and happy. High.

So I'm going to insert a little plug here. If it's been a while since you've found an artist you are truly passionate about, check out his MySpace (click his name above) to get a taste of what his music is like.

And if you've got any music you want to recommend to me, I'm all ears! ...