Javelin - Sufjan Stevens: Review

Sufjan Stevens 

is an indie darling if there ever was one. The singer-songwriter has received massive critical acclaim throughout his career for projects like Illinois and Carrie & Lowell. Though his last studio album came out in 2020 he's been releasing music prolifically ever since with a series of piano compositions and a pair of collaborations. 

Review by Lav:

I cover almost everything Sufjan Stevens releases, within reason. Why I do that is pretty simple, he's remarkably talented in a variety of ways. While I don't worship his entire discography in the way that some are known to I do think his highs are as high as anybody. There aren't many artists I would follow through all of the various side projects Sufjan has undertaken, but with the exception of a misconceived ambient project a few years ago, everything he's done has at least offered something compelling in return. His last conventional lyrical album was a collaboration with Angelo De Augustine in 2021 and I liked it quite a bit. 

So going into Javelin with some strong momentum from the singles I was excited. But Sufjan added an entirely new layer to the emotional experience of the project when he took to social media to share that the album was written about and dedicated to his late partner. Handling deep and painful emotions through song is nothing new for Sufjan and the circumstances remind me of one of my favorite works of his, the brilliant Carrie & Lowell. On Javelin, Sufjan has shifted away from exploring the deepest dregs of pain and sadness and shifted to highlighting the love he felt for his partner during their life and the cruelty of it being taken away.

This album gets off to a spectacular start. In the mix is Will Anybody Ever Love Me? which I called one of the best singles of the year when it dropped a few weeks ago and I stand by it. It's a world-class songwriting job from Sufjan who is already at the very top of his class. Opener Goodbye Evergreen is a heartbreaking way to begin the album, with a goodbye. The stark piano instrumental slowly grows with flourishes of backing vocals erupting into a spectacular bliss. A Running Start sees Sufjan really showing off his pure poetry as a songwriting with some incredibly romantic imagery. The lyrics are absolutely beautiful and the combination of raw folkier plucked strings with dazzling background layers is magnificent. 

While the first single So You Are Tired got sort of overtaken by the second single I still think the track is solid even if the gentlest moments can kind of drag. It's relatively simple instrumental presentation is mirrored on Everything That Rises. The song features a lot of religious imagery which Sufjan is known to dabble in and I also like the repetition of the title phrase in the chorus. Despite the simple instrumental presentation the song doesn't feel like its missing anything. 

Genuflecting Ghost is a gentle and plucky Call Me By Your Name soundtrack-style cut. It doesn't blow me away with the refrains nearly as much as the songs from that soundtrack did. Thankfully, it manages to make up for it with some of the gentle but lively percussion and ghostly backing vocals. Elsewhere in the middle of the record is My Little Red Fox, a beautiful little waltz that works on me from the very start. I love that it manages to sound so authentically lovely and life-affirming despite some moments of arguably eerie minimalism. 

The album's most substantial statement compositionally is Shit Talk which reached a full 8-and-a-half minutes. The song begins very familiar Sufjan with bouncy verses sliding into angelic hooks. it also does almost all of the narrative building very early on in the song. The lyrics are in service of Sufjan realizing he shouldn't be spending his final moments with his partner fighting. While I think the song gets off to a good start and the driving instrumental build-up is impressive that only takes up around 6 minutes. I think the spaciness of the final two minutes is not only underwhelming sonically but also just not a particularly satisfying way to end the song. 

Thankfully, the album itself concludes with There's A World. It's a short and simple return to basics for the finale of the project. While it's technically a Neil Young cover Sufjan really makes it his own and while a lot of the lyrics are vague and naturalistic he finds the right way to make it apply to the themes and feelings of this album. 

Javelin isn't perfect. Well, the first half of the album is near-perfect. But even though I have some nitpicks with the lack of truly stunning high points in the second half I still find this album incredibly enjoyable. Sufjan's ability to transform a song from earnest wintry singer-songwriter music into extravagant and mystical instrumental bliss is on full display all over Javelin. And lyrically, what can I even say. Sufjan's already instantly recognizable blend of emotional potency with naturalistic and spiritual imagery is even more on point than usual. Even taking all of his side projects into consideration, this is my favorite thing Sufjan has released since Carrie & Lowell and one of the most purely beautiful albums I've heard anywhere in 2023. 8.5/10

For more great singer-songwriter music check out my review of Susanne Sundfor's blomi