Album Review: Sufjan Stevens' 'Javelin' is a masterpiece

I mean, I really can't be more descriptive than that. When it comes to the Sufjan Stevens hype train, I am fairly new, only learning of him with last year's April Base remix of Fourth of July, which, in my opinion, is fantastic and my favorite or second-favorite song of last year, and only the second instant 10/10 song of the young decade. Stevens is an enigmatic figure. Despite reaching levels of success and acclaim greater than any other indie folk singer since perhaps Paul Simon, living to see it all, must be a grand experience. Nonetheless, Sufjan remains intensely private, and his music betrays loads of hidden emotion and pain.

Javelin is Sufjan's first indie folk album since 2015's fantastic Carrie and Lowell, dedicated to the passing of his mother. Once again, Javelin is tinted with the specter of death, this time it being Sufjan's partner. It makes Javelin's tragic storytelling all the more amplified, with Sufjan's sadness at the struggles of love being all the more amplified. Javelin has enveloped my life since its release and is perhaps my favorite musical project this year. Thus, let us go through the album, song-by-song.

Goodbye Evergreen

The only song on Javelin explicitly about the death of Sufjan's partner, Goodbye Evergreen has slowly become a fan favorite. I seem to be one of only a few who view this as one of the weakest songs on the album. It genuinely hurts me to say this, but I don't enjoy Goodbye Evergreen. It isn't that it is a bad song, I would go so far as to say it is a really good song, it is just that the electronic assault, which Sufjan uses as a way to process his grief, is a little all over the place. The finale is fantastic, however, and the lyrical themes are beautiful as always, as they tend to be for Sufjan. The issue is Goodbye Evergreen is hardly pleasant to listen to, even if it is painful, and you can feel Sufjan's pain and sadness through every note.

A Running Start

A Running Start is perhaps the weakest of the three singles of Javelin, but that still makes it one of my favorite songs this year. After a rocky start when it came to the album's production, A Running Start provides a... well, start of the album showcasing Sufjan's skill as a producer. The guitar melodies are washed over by a merger of lovely coos, ringing bells, strummed guitars, and a heavenly choir. These elements prove the backbone of Javelin, used in different forms throughout the ten tracks of the album. For A Running Start, they act as a heavenly assist for a tale of youthful innocence. The lyrics find beauty in finally meeting the one you love, and Sufjan proves himself once again as one of the world's best storytellers.

Will Anybody Ever Love Me?

The second single released off the album, Will Anybody Ever Love Me was a favorite of mine upon release and has only gotten better with time. Gone is the poetic depiction of love from A Running Start, replaced with a yearning, questioning feeling of loneliness and heartache. Gone are the complex metaphors, and replaced with an earnestness that cannot be replaced. Sufjan's voice is always fantastic, but over here he leans in on the effects of him growing older, tackling every note with a weariness that is beautiful. That country guitar is the icing on the cake.

Everything That Rises

Religion is a major theme in Sufjan's music, with him being a devout Christian. Everything That Rises is both a song of a man learning to grow over his sins and reach a higher level of understanding, and a prayer of Jesus. I find Everything That Rises beautiful, but it doesn't hold a candle to the two singles that it follows. The mix of the backing choir only makes Everything That Rises all the more intriguing. It is a nice little song on the album, but far from the release's best.

Genuflecting Ghost

Sufjan is clearly getting the most out of his word-a-day calendar. To genuflect is to bend the knee and bow, and thus, it is obvious that Genuflecting Ghost is another prayer song. This one is much better than Everything That Rises. The melody is simple, but that repeating guitar melody, and the beautiful vocal choir, all come together for some absolute majesty. The hollow percussion near the end only makes the song better.

My Little Red Fox

A desperate outflow of emotions in a beautiful ballad is what Sufjan's music has always been about, and My Little Red Fox is one of the best examples of this sound. A celebration of life, every note of Sufjan is paired by a descending choir, and a slow, beautiful melodic hook. Sufjan's delivery switches from speedy to soothing, taking its time to create one of the most heavenly tracks off this golden album.

So You Are Tired

After the nostalgic yearning for something fresh and new on My Little Red Fox, we reach the album's first single, So You Are Tired. Sufjan's lyricism is at its apex here, with a mastery of metaphor with lines such as "So you are seething with laughter" and "Turning back all that we had in our life, while I return to death." So You Are Tired is a beautiful, sorrowful look at a relationship falling apart, not due to wrath or agony, but simply, because the couple are... tired of each other. It is novel and heartbreaking, while also served as a fantastic introduction to Javelin.

Javelin (To Have And To Hold)

The record's shortest moment, Javelin tackles the album's undoubted darkest moments. After all the fighting, doubt, and tiredness, Sufjan imagines hurting his love, only to snap back in a moment of fear. The production is fairly standard for the album, but more than accomplishes its aim, especially in the chorus. The lyrics are also sufficiently succinct and strong.

Shit Talk

Ignore Shit Talk's title, this song is fantastic.

Last year, I was introduced to Sufjan Stevens' discography with the April Base remix of Fourth of July, which quickly became one of my favorite songs of the year. I felt it was unbeatable, and it would forever remain my favorite from his discography. A remarkable 10/10, I never thought I would be saying in less than a year, that Sufjan equaled it again.

Shit Talk is not great, it is incredible. An eight-and-a-half-minute ode to Sufjan's love, and the beauty that comes beyond all the fighting and sadness, Shit Talk is one of my favorite songs of the year, and it stands as a potential contender for my song of the year.

From the repeated chants of "I don't fight at all" and "I will always love you, but I cannot see you," Shit Talk is crystal clear on the emotional themes it will tackle. From this point onwards, all it takes for this song to make its classic status crystal clear is the shortest eight minutes of your life. The surging choirs rise and fall like waves and the little tricks that made the production so lively all come together to make an absolutely devastating impact on the listener. 

Shit Talk is an example of maximalist balladry, coming together for the vast and beautiful segment that begins with "Hold me closely, hold me tightly, lest I fall." Any hidden vestiges of grief and the veil holding it together collapse as Sufjan, and the listeners he brought alongside him, and reduced to facing their emotions.

Catharsis is how I would describe Shit Talk, it takes listeners on a stunning journey, slowly building its production for one of the greatest musical moments of perhaps the decade. It is stirring and immaculate. I mean, my thoughts are like my emotions right now, a mess. But if you can't hear the album, hear Shit Talk at least, please.

There's A World

A cover/interpolation/remake of the 1972 Neil Young song, There's A World has the tough task of summarizing one of the most stunning musical experiences of the year. Perhaps the most optimistic track on the album, Sufjan wistfully looks at the past, and then finally looks forward. There's A World is great, and a fantastic closer to a fantastic album.

Overall Rating: 8.9/10

What. An. Album. A whole album review is dedicated to only my favorite artists and favorite releases of the year, and I feel that though I loved Sufjan before, this album has made him one of my favorites. Beautiful, personal, and endlessly replayable, the album would be worth it just for Shit Talk's final moments, but the entire experience is memorable.

Image Source: The Line of Best Fit