Since Illinois, winged maestro Sufjan Stevens has given us various avian outtakes and covers (Lefty Frizzell w/ David Byrne, Joni Mitchell, etc.), but far as we can figure, this track is the first proper studio shot of original Soof we’ve heard in awhile — and it’s a complete mind explosion.
For their forthcoming music-comp bearing issue, the Believer coaxed Sufjan from his orchestral-folk chamber and lured him into what sounds like a rusty-hinged garage down the street from Jack and Meg’s place, asking him to record “a rock song.”
The shocker is that Soof slings the slack speak and high-fretted guitar chatter of “In The Words Of The Governor” with such dead on (in)accuracy — but now we know never to be surprised. The cut skids out with a barrage of frenzied “I’ll put it back!”s, but really Sufjan … don’t. Sounds like he’s got another genre to rock and unfold up his embroidered sleeves. Ya know, after he finishes up on those other 48 states-based bits of historical fiction. Get ready…
Yeah, you should listen again.
Here’s what else to expect from the Believer music comp…
Cue The Bugle Turbulent: The 2007 Believer Music Issue CD Tracklist
01 Deerhunter – “Hazel St.”
02 No Age – “Everybody’s Down”
03 Oxford Collapse – “Please Visit Your Nationals Parks”
04 Sufjan Stevens – “In The Words of the Governor”
05 I’m From Barcelona – “The Painter”
06 Aesop Rock – “The Next Big Thing”
07 Reykjavik! – “Rex”
08 YACHT – “I Believe In You”
09 The Twilight Sad – “Watching That Chair Painted Yellow”
10 Of Montreal – “Du Og Meg”
11 Page France – “Without A Diamond Ring”
12 Clogs – “I Used To Do”
13 The Blow – “Parenthesis (Rory Phillips Remix)”
14 Bill Fox – “My Baby Crying”
15 Explosions In The Sky – “The Long Spring”
16 Magik Markers – “Body Rot (The No Nude Mix)”
17 The Drones – “I Don’t Ever Want To Change:
18 Zach Condon – “Venice”
19 Lightning Bolt – “Deceiver”
20 Grizzly Bear – “Easier (Alternate)”
And here’s the motley crew of contributors to Sufjan’s latest opus.
“In the Words of the Governor”
by Sufjan Stevens (c) 2007 Asthmatic Kitty Records
recorded at The Buddy Project in Astoria, Queens, NY
mixed at home in Brooklyn, NY
drums: J.J. Jazzy McAlister
lead guitar, vocals: Sufjan Buckey Beaver Billy Bird Stevens
unleaded guitar: Inspector Jelly Toe
bass guitar: Smooth Tooth McCoy
piano: Ravioli Dimple, Jr.
assistant engineer: Sharpie Points, III
bat boy: Todd Rodd
key grip: Harry Hands
dish washer: Mr. Lemon Mist
wardrobe: Mandy Cumberbun Moyer
Suddenly this pic seems awfully dated, doesn’t it?
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well, gurddayum, you might as well drop a new song from the beatles today- or better yet just show us your huge cock. but way to go, gum.
^lmao!
this sounds like something to expect to come out from “Icky Thump”
http://whudahexup.com/
Wow, Sufjan’s got a much broader sound than that whole band geek thing. I’m in love with the song though, and I hope he explores this sort of haphazard technique a bit more.
Definitely a good get. Too bad the song is awful.
Talk about a new sound. Liking it…
I’m glad I’m not the only one who actually enjoys this track.
sufjan’s fun when he’s silly, but this sound is not entirely new for him though. *A Sun Came* has similar (though not the same) rock moments, for example “Rice Pudding”
now when jack white has an uplifting flute orchestra, THEN i’ll be suprised.
takes a couple of listenings, but i am enjoying it now.
Yep, took a play or three but I’m starting to like it. It’s unfamiliar having Soof’s vox so deep in the mix; definitely wouldn’t have recognized this as his.
Uh, mind explosion?
This is not a departure. See: all of his attempts at rock music. This is just like if Steve Albini had produced it. (see: In Utero drums)
However, the vocals are rad.
whoa this is super unusual. but it’s good not to have his pretty lilting voice above everything else.
off the hook!
this song is fucking awesome, and i honestly can’t believe it’s sufjan stevens. If the new state album sounded like this i would be fine with it.
Ya, as mentioned, this is hardly new/unusual, see: A Sun Came.
Not among his best, though.
incredible. i need a full record of this, sufjan.
Sufjan proved his versatility with Enjoy Your Rabbit. Unfortunately nobody seems to care about that one.
can we make this an mp3?
those vocals could not be more jack white. i’ve heard a sun came, but i’m still pretty surprised at this.
killer track! thank you!
this is the shit, i’ve listened to it 100 times. you have to admit, it’s different than what you were expecting.
What state merits this sound?
Brooklyn Heathen is right. A Sun Came sounds like this. I’m enjoying it, considering I loved A Sun Came.
i mean, i really like it, but i wouldn’t want sufjan to abandon his other sound(s) all together. i do enjoy rawwking sufjan, but i fell in love with the sufjan who plays the banjo and gets all vulnerable and emotional on every song. still though…this is pretty awesome.
Awesome guitars. The singing just sounds silly, though.
“this track is the first proper studio shot of original Soof we’ve heard in awhile”
I believe the last Christmas EP (or two?) were that more than this song is.
Very Stephen Malkmus/Pavement, much more than White Stripes.
I agree, this song would’ve been right at home on “Wowee Zowee”.
I like it! Good job Sufjan.
can’t think of the last time i heard such an abrupt switch. love it, though.
is this a joke?! This is a joke… right?
I agree with the Pavement connection. When I heard it first I thought of Danielson. Even the vocals (sound and rythm) sound much more like Danielson than they do Sufjan.
Pavement is right on the mark. This is actually a real grower, once you get over how different it sounds from what you’d expect from his recent work. Good to hear him throwing a curveball..
is it really even his voice?
someone already said what i was going to…’rice pudding’ is the second thing that came to mind. the first? mason proper.
this reminds me exactly of mason proper.
but i love it.
i LOVE it.
and he did forewarn us in an interview, that he wanted to break up the harmony and just rock out.
seriously could someone get an mp3?!
So when is sufjan’s next album?
you can grab an MP3 here
This IS an mp3; check your temporary internet files.
>>can’t think of the last time i heard such an abrupt switch.<<
Enjoy Your Rabbit to Michigan?
I’m actually not surprised. If anyone’s heard his song Bushwick Junkie, then I think they know why.
I’m all for Sufjan trying different musical styles, but this is…ugh. I’m not feeling this one at all. I’d be super dissapointed if his next album was along these lines.
if ash bowie was dead……he’d be rolling in his grave
whaaaat!?
a) how could somebody not LOVE this song on the first listen?! calling it a “grower” is an insult!
b) uh…white stripes? because it’s sloppy??? i agree with the guys ahead of me. this is pure malkmus and i love it. a bit of a pixies feel too.
c) trying to determine what suf’s next album will sound like is like trying to predict what the next season of lost will be like. just let the writers write and ENJOY THE HELL OUT OF IT.
d) thank you for posting this!
I’ve never heard of Polvo before now. Can someone explain the connection to me?
Next state: California!
Great track. Seems to be more in line with some of the material being produced by other artists on the Asthematic Kitty label. I’m thinking Shapes and Sizes, in particular. Kind of has an element of their gonzo attitude.
i whole-heartedly agree with christian.
i just happen to LOVE this track.
can’t wait for his next album.
i’m a sufjan fan no matter what turns he takes.
Wow.. I like this so much better than any other Sufjan song I’ve heard. The vocals are great. It’s time for Sufjan to go electric!
I love me some Sufjan, he can anything he likes.
I think is just like in Beatles white Album Paul decided to make some noise with Helter Skelter…
Sufjan just takes some noisy stuff here that’s all
wow. soupjam does something good. no. great.
i’m surprised. very pavementy.
sounds like a bunch of retards broke into a music store, did some coke, went apeshit with the instruments and recorded the mess.
sufjan’s stuff is fine for the most part, but this is shite. maybe he’s just trying to alienate his indie-hipster fanbase so they’ll love him even more.
meh.
Ever heard about A Sun Came, Mews, Mews II, and other compilations? What’s the shocker? Actually the folky softy Sufjan is the one I can’t get through.
Ben – Polvo was a 90′s era college/indie/post rock band outta NC that rocked an angular/noisy guitar attack. Easily one of the best bands of this period.
Bravo for Sufjan for going out and trying (successfully!) a different sound. This song rocks!
I always wished Prince did a garage rock record or a solo piano torch record.
It’s similar to “The First Full Moon” which is also an awesome track despite it’s departure from Sufjan’s “regular” sound…
This track reminds me of when Badly Drawn Boy got his rock on with “Nursery Rhyme” on the first U.N.K.L.E. cd.
Not that this track sounds that much like “Nursery Rhyme”, only that the each artist took a similar leap.
well, gurddayum, you might as well drop a new song from the beatles today- or better yet just show us your huge cock. but way to go, gum.
Didn’t Sufjan use to say he wanted to try sounding more rock? I suppose he’s all happy now.
Awesome song, btw.
Freaking amazing. Way to go, Sufjan.
Sounds ok – nothing too special. I reckon is just him playin around having a bit of fun.
Don’t get me wrong i am a big fan, but considering that it’s not an official song off a new album, I’d say he’s just messin around.
Sound’s to me like Sufjan just having a bit of fun in a studio of a non album track.
great song, i’m just sick of the whole sucking at guitar thing
oh god. this song sucks, i hope he’s kidding. he is WAY better than that. please, leave that genre to one of then hundreads of bands that all sound like that these days with names that start with “The” something or others….
he is far too talented to ever continue that dirty rock shit.. band geeks 4 ever!
Ha the way he sings this… you know it almost sounds like he’s making fun of this type of music. Same with Rice Pudding… really it sounds like he’s just having fun. Or drunk (not Sufjan!). But I definitely like his more acoustic stuff. Even in A Sun Came, he always had that acoustic guitar, or flute, or strings… this is too alien.
What a great song.
Sufjan Malkmus.
UMMMM.
I never thought I’d see Sufjan Stevens compared to Mason Proper.
Or rather, I never thought I’d see Sufjan Stevens make music that would remind me of Mason Proper.
This is a bizarre world.
Agreed. It’ good, nice to see he’s versatile. But def too talented for simple garage rock stuff. It’s just him having fun.
It’s a joke.
There is a sense of humor hidden somewhere in the waterfall of somberness that is Sufjan Stevens.
Actually an alright song, barring the annoying squeak solo behind the entire song that the Asthmatic Kitty roster loves so dearly.
Eh what is this?What are you doing man?As someone said above all music sounds like this nowadays … “dirty rock” true we have nobody who plays class melodic piano cello guitar banjo music like you and those who try fail except maybe Damien Rice but stick at what your best at pllllllzzzzz
Eh what is this?What are you doing man?As someone said above all music sounds like this nowadays … “dirty rock” true we have nobody who plays class melodic piano cello guitar banjo music like you and those who try fail except maybe Damien Rice but stick at what your best at pllllllzzzzz
Best thing that happened to me all day!
Why is everyone so surprised in this music? Don’t you remember his cds a sun came and a sun came again? I love this track!!!
i still search the stereogum site specifically to listen to this song
fucking rocks
lets just say i like this much better than his god awful joni mitchell cover.