| The Age of Adz | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Sufjan Stevens | ||||
| Released | October 12, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 and 2010 | |||
| Genre | Indie folk, art rock, electronica, experimental, freak folk | |||
| Length | 74:43 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Asthmatic Kitty | |||
| Producer | Sufjan Stevens | |||
| Sufjan Stevens chronology | ||||
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The Age of Adz ( /ˈɑːdz/)[1] is a 2010 album by American indie folk songwriter Sufjan Stevens, released on October 12, 2010 by Asthmatic Kitty Records. It is Stevens' sixth studio album and his first song-based full length album in five years, since the release of Illinois in 2005.
The album features a heavy use of electronics augmented by heavy orchestration, and takes inspiration from the apocalyptic artwork of schizophrenic artist Royal Robertson. Steven's use of electronics marked a radical departure from much of his previous work—most notably from Seven Swans and Michigan. Unlike Illinois, the lyrics do not explore events, characters or setting, but deal instead with themes and emotions on a personal level.
The album was highly praised by critics, particularly for the intimacy of the work. However, critics were divided over the different stylistic direction Stevens had taken. Nonetheless, it appeared on several "best of the 2010" lists—including those of Paste, The New York Times and MTV. Commercially, the album gave Stevens his career's best first week sales to date and was his highest charting album to date, peaking in the top ten on the Billboard 200.
Contents |
Following his 2005 album Illinois, Stevens did not produce another song-based full length album for five years.[1] In 2006, Stevens released an album of extra material left over from Illinois (originally conceived as a double album), titled The Avalanche,[2] as well as an album of Christmas music titled Songs for Christmas (produced in parts between 2001 and 2006).[3] Following the release of The Avalanche, Stevens expressed a dissatisfaction with his music, stating in interview with Pitchfork Media in 2006: "I'm getting tired of my voice. I'm getting tired of...the banjo. I'm getting tired of...the trumpet".[4] In 2009 Stevens released The BQE, an orchestral suite accompanying a home-made film dedicated to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.[5] In an interview with BeatRoute Magazine in 2010, Stevens stated "[The BQE] kinda sabotaged the mechanical way of approaching my music, which was basically narrative long-form. It really opened things up for me. It also confused things as well. I don’t think I ever really fully recovered from that process".[6] On August 20, 2010, without prior announcement, Stevens released the EP All Delighted People,[7] and less than one week later announced The Age of Adz to be released on October 12.[8][9]
In interviews, Stevens stated that during 2009–2010 he suffered from a mysterious debilitating viral infection that affected his nervous system. He experienced chronic pain, and was forced to stop working on music for several months.[10] He said: "The Age of Adz, is, in some ways, a result of that process of working through health issues and getting much more in touch with my physical self. That's why I think the record's really obsessed with sensation and has a hysterical melodrama to it."[11]
My Brightest Diamond frontwoman Shara Worden is featured on the track "Impossible Soul".[12]
The artwork of Royal Robertson was used for the album's cover and interior.[1] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone said that Sufjan Stevens uses the artwork "as a springboard for music that evokes a visionary psyche."[13] Stevens became interested in the work of Robertson after recording music for a friend's documentary on the artist, and said that "[the more I studied him and his work], the more I felt a weird affinity to this guy and the story of his life."[14] He began to transcribe some of the text that appears in Robertson's artwork, and says this process stayed with him a "long time" and "that some of it started to come up in the lyrics, in the songs I was writing.[14]
The Age of Adz debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200, with 36,000 copies sold, giving Stevens his career's best first week sales to date. It also gave him his highest charting album to date, peaking in the top ten on the Billboard 200.[10][15]
| Region | Sales charts (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| United States | US Billboard 200 | #7[16] |
| Independent Albums | #1[16] |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80%[17] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [18] |
| BBC | (mixed)[19] |
| Consequence of Sound | [20] |
| Drowned in Sound | (8/10)[12] |
| Entertainment.ie | [21] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A-)[22] |
| The Guardian | [23] |
| The Independent | [24] |
| One Thirty BPM | (89%)[25] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.4/10)[26] |
| Slant Magazine | [27] |
| Spin | [28] |
| Sputnikmusic | [29] |
Critical reception of The Age of Adz was very positive. Review aggregator Metacritic gave the album an 80/100 ("Generally favorable reviews") from 33 reviews it compiled.[17] Keith Meatto of the Frontier Psychiatrist described the album as "a musical masterpiece that blends analog and digital sounds as it reflects on love and loss, life and death, humanity and divinity."[30] Entertainment.ie's Jenny Mulligan describes Stevens as "a strange one, that's for sure, but he may just be a genius."[21] Uncut commented that the album provides plenty of evidence to argue that he is either "one of the most important songwriters of his generation" or "just an infuriating, neurotic show-off".[31] Alex Petridis of The Guardian said that although the album "goes a bit barmy and over-the-top." there are some "incredible tune[s]" that are "not only genuinely remarkable, but genuinely enjoyable".[23] On the intimacy of the album, James Skinner of Drowned in Sound noted that "Peer into The Age of Adz long enough and a decisive, highly personal work reveals itself."[12] He believed that the sound of the album could be predicted from earlier works such as The BQE.
Perhaps the most discussed track of the album among reviewers was "Impossible Soul", which at 25 minutes comprises a third of the overall album length. Pitchfork Media reviewer Ryan Dombal described the track as having "more engaging ideas than most artists could muster in a career", while No Ripcord reviewer Alan Shulman criticized the middle sections as being an "epic train wreck", saying that the closing minutes come as "a breath of fresh air".[32] One Thirty BPM reviewer Rob Hakimian commented that the track would "make or break" the album for listeners, describing it as a successful "proclamation of love", but that it is "bloated" and "way over the top".[33]
Many reviewing sites included The Age of Adz in their best of 2010 lists.
| Publisher | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Top 10 Albums of 2010 | Unranked, one of 10[34] |
| Exclaim! | Best Pop & Rock Album of 2010 | #8[35] |
| Pitchfork | 50 top albums of 2010 | #25[36] |
| The New York Times | Top Pop 2010 Anthems | #5[37] |
| MTV | 20 Best Albums Of 2010 | #10[38] |
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2010 | #9[39] |
All songs written and composed by Sufjan Stevens.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Futile Devices" | 2:11 |
| 2. | "Too Much" | 6:44 |
| 3. | "Age of Adz" | 8:00 |
| 4. | "I Walked" | 5:01 |
| 5. | "Now That I'm Older" | 4:56 |
| 6. | "Get Real Get Right" | 5:10 |
| 7. | "Bad Communication" | 2:24 |
| 8. | "Vesuvius" | 5:26 |
| 9. | "All for Myself" | 2:55 |
| 10. | "I Want to Be Well" | 6:27 |
| 11. | "Impossible Soul" (featuring Shara Worden) | 25:35 |
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