JAVELIN Reaction | Sufjan Stevens

[@Luscent]

Hiya! You can watch this with NO CUTS on Patreon! www.patreon.com/luscent 😘😘😘

[@TheFresnan22]

My man was crying without realizing the actual lyrical context. If he was welling up to it without it, with it it's going to hit like a ton of bricks.

[@Luscent]

YUP

[@optimalrefundable]

oh, Sufjan has ripped my heart open so many times, but at the same time -- so beautifully. Please give the album Carrie and Lowell or Illinois a listen next.

[@Luscent]

Ill have to hes just so beautiful!

[@johnreypial46]

ahhhh Carrie and Lowell. my fave album

[@Buffaloreplaced]

Sufjan, for me, it’s one of the greatest musicians of our time. His songwriting, instrumentation, composition, is all just so incredible. He’s so unbelievably talented. I highly recommend his album Illinois to get a sense of how incredible his skills as an orchestral composer and conceptual artist he is!! Definitely one of the greatest albums of all time in my very honest opinion.

[@benmarshall3941]

This is easily my album of the year, and Shit Talk is one of if not the best song released this decade for me. Sufjan is truly a once in a lifetime artist, and its so impressive that he is releasing arguably his best material of his impressively deep catalogue so late in his career. Thank you Sufjan for sharing this with us.

[@benmarshall3941]

Also of course carrie and lowell is a sufjan classic, but I’d highly recommend listening to Age of Adz to see Sufjan at his most experimental/electronic on a singer/songwriter project. The album reminds me of the wizard of oz on acid. Plus, Impossible Soul is my all time favourite Sufjan track and the greatest 25min outro ever recorded.

[@RichardLerwill]

I think you really nailed the narrative of the album! But then adding the fact the partner at the centre of the story passed away adds this extra layer of devastation. From how I see it, the first and last tracks bookend the album as tributes to Evan, both feel like goodbyes. And the rest of the album documents their relationship, from the giddy first kiss and initial internal doubt, all the way through to fights and the eventual breakup. It’s so brilliantly put together, defo my album of the year. Really enjoyed your reaction too. Javelin/Shit Talk are defo the albums centre, but I think “So You Are Tired” is my fav track.

[@Luscent]

someone on Patreon told me about the partner and I almost cried on the tube the next day listening to it again so so so beautiful I think since recording each of the songs have developed on me in different ways and I love so you are tired too

[@alenanga]

Carrie & Lowell, Illinois, The Age of Adz, and this one seem to be his absolute best 10/10

[@christiandoyle7783]

100%. Would also include A Beginner’s Mind as a top tier Sufjan record.

[@cxbees]

This album is such a difficult one to react to without context, and I am so in awe of his storytelling and composition that he manages to get across that ongoing sense of death and existential emptiness without ever having a moment on the album where he directly *says* that the "end" of the relationship was his partner's passing. "I cannot look at you" and "I cannot live with you" in Shit Talk have this double meaning -- literally, he cannot look at Evans because he's dead, but it's probably *also* about a fight they had, which is just... fuck. God, what an album.

[@RichardLerwill]

I think they split up before his passing, that’s the impression I got, which is why the the title track is so full of regret.

[@erinb8937]

while it feels kind of wrong to speculate, i wonder too about the circumstances of his passing, and about the amount of time the two had to know the end was soon. i think shit talk, if his death was a known eventuality, also plays as an attempt to wrap his head around the contradictions of wanting to be near him before the end but also wanting to be away from him so it doesn't feel as real - there's a sense of that anger you feel when you're backed into a corner with no real way out that the anticipatory grief makes you feel in a way very little else can

[@cxbees]

@@erinb8937 agreed! I also think it feels kind of wrong to speculate (and I also feel like both the breakup and anticipatory grief interpretations are sort of speculative?), but I do think the “I grow like a cancer” line in Goodbye Evergreen made me think about this album in the context of illness. it seems probable that the album was close to finished by the time Evans died, too, just given the timeline for music production, and I’ve been thinking about this album as the kind of thing I would want my partner to hear as a bit of a parting gift if I knew the end was coming. like, I’m projecting 100%, but the person I most want to hear the eulogy I write for my partner IS my partner.

[@Luscent]

its honestly so brilliant that he can make you feel the depth of the sadness and still be so non literal what an incredible album

[@Bastikovski99]

@@erinb8937From what I’ve read, it seemed like a sudden death to me. But who knows? They aren’t releasing the cause. Generally there is a reason for that.

[@girlgroceries]

this is definitely another album largely revolving around grief from sufjan (this was written after the passing of his partner). i've had a running start & genuflecting ghost on repeat for weeks- this interplay of raw, real love & a deliberate atmosphere of mythicality in most of the songs imo is reminiscent of the intangibility of grief, almost, loving someone whom you can no longer be physically present with. feels unreal (but is very real, at the same time). here's what he said on this: "This album is dedicated to the light of my life, my beloved partner and best friend Evans Richardson, who passed away in April. He was an absolute gem of a person, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, integrity, and joy. He was one of those rare and beautiful ones you find only once in a lifetime-precious, impeccable, and absolutely exceptional in every way. I know relationships can be very difficult sometimes, but it’s always worth it to put in the hard work and care for the ones you love, especially the beautiful ones, who are few and far between. If you happen to find that kind of love, hold it close, hold it tight, savor it, tend to it, and give it everything you’ve got, especially in times of trouble. Be kind, be strong, be patient, be forgiving, be vigorous, be wise, and be yourself. Live every day as if it is your last, with fullness and grace, with reverence and love, with gratitude and joy. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you. I love you. XOS" i'd also recommend carrie & lowell. this album centers his (process of) grieving for his partner- carrie & lowell explored his grief (so to speak, it's complicated) for his mother. fourth of july was about her too.

[@georgeweatherford1027]

Yes! Shit Talk is just so visceral. When people parse the lyrics or the length of segments, I keep wondering whether they let themselves gets out of their heads and just feel.

[@waakkeuppp]

‘Shit Talk’ tears me apart and puts me back together - has helped me process an excruciating separation from someone I love but can’t have in my life

[@eduardogoldschmidt7513]

You look and sound so genuine.. Love that, the autenticity, the honesty... Keep doing that, you just got another fan

[@sannat9753]

This was so nice to watch. You seem like such a warm and thoughtful person, it was lovely to get to re-experience this album with you! and I really feel you on how hard this album hits emotionally. I feel like every time I listen to it, it grows on me and hurts more and more. It's incredibly beautiful. ❤

[@rayname908]

Sufjan's boyfriend died and this album is about their love and his loss. Sufjan can't promote it because he was paralyzed and is learning to walk again. Tragedy on top of tragedy for such a beautiful man. 😥❤ I love your reactions. Not just when you cry but your knowledge of music.

[@Luscent]

oh wow thats so tragic no wonder I really felt this one ❤

[@edwinglenn]

Sufjan is a man of many faces. A lot of this album feels a little more like some of his older stuff back when he said he was going to make an album about each of the US states (he only made it through 2 😂). “Come On Feel the Illinoise!” is an incredible, bizarre ride. Carrie and Lowell (the album 4th of July is from) is beautiful and heartbreaking. He also has a FIVE disc Christmas album with some really beautiful originals along side of sincere covers of classics and some really goofy stuff. He’s one of the more diverse artists out there, and he’s absolutely worth spending some time getting to know.

[@erinb8937]

as a queer, catholic-ish illinoisan who loves christmas, sufjan is truly the top tier for me lol

[@Luscent]

ah awesome that all sounds great!

[@aldo34]

@@erinb8937 Like you were made to be a fan, made me Lol. His music is literally the only thing I like about xmas ;-)

[@laurensmith485]

The album Carrie & Lowell is the first album I heard from sufjan & it blew me away with emotion & had a real connection with me,he’s a genius!

[@elusiveDEVIANT]

His music hits me so hard. I dont really believe in cushy stuff like a soul mate, but holy fuck. Universe out someone in my path and he was perfect. All i needed to do was follow my heart and only listen to him. But i didnt. Let other ppl get in the way and through it all, made the choice to throw him away and it caused some serious damage. Heinsights a bitch. The burden of dealing with what i did, abandoning him, betraying him. All because i was scared as fuck to just admit what i felt. Only has gotten harder to carry over the years. This mans music is like my feelings made manifest. Probably not good to keep listening

[@danielmason9287]

My favourite album of the year. Sufjan has an amazing discography!

[@troygoss6400]

Sufjan is a shaman with sound. I cannot think of an artist who affects me more.🕉🖤

[@mikefricchi8239]

Definitely one of my favorite albums of the year!

[@georgiaap]

The thing i love most about Sufjan Stevens is how unfailingly human his music is. There's a quality to his music that i can't quite put my finger on that just makes it feel so visceral and intimate. I have never experienced a breakup or the loss of a partner and still Shit Talk has me SOBBING every time!!

[@oliverowe7668]

Great video and take on the songs, Sufjan's music is always very intimate, moving and magical 🥹✨ highly recommend reacting to his Carrie & Lowell album my personal favourite, you'll definitely need tissues

[@Bastikovski99]

What I get from the title Javelin is the idea of a piercing event. A spear to the heart. Or, to get more “conspiracy theory” focused, something that is seen as mundane actually being a weapon.

[@Luscent]

ooh interesting!!

[@sommu2908]

i love sufjan (btw pronunciation is like soof yahn) so much and have for almost 10 years now. when he made his post explaining this album i cried for like 30 minutes straight. love this man, he has been through so much and he continues to make beautiful things from it

[@dimman16]

You are always cutting the songs but you are so emotional and beautiful so I forgive you for the moment.

[@SmartVandelay]

I think you need a few more crying faces in the thumbnail + several emojis for more views, likes, subscriptions, and bells!

[@aldo34]

Great album, lovely insightful review. This man is a genius. Almost time to crack out the Sufjan xmas CD boxset. The only part of bl**dy xmas I enjoy!

[@Brandon-tw7ys]

You would love both sides by perfume genius omg

[@introvertbio4718]

React to medium build, he is also a great artist