With his sixth full length LP, Indie god Sufjan Stevens finally decides to stray from his usual combination of banjo’s and melodic choirs and take a new direction. Do not be alarmed — the Sufjan we all love is still in there, it’s just disguised in a very up-to-date fashion. The album is highly experimental for Stevens’ standards, combining sporadic synths and bass with his usual style. For some reason, it all works. He has managed to create an almost electronic based album without conforming to music’s current infatuation with electro-everything. Many were thrown off by the auto-tuned vocals featured throughout the album, but the difference between this and the over-produced sounds of Top 40 is that Stevens uses it in moderation. He isn’t auto-tuning because he needs it, he is doing so in a creative sense, while still creating a very genuine album. Continue reading →