Sufjan Stevens - Javelin ALBUM REVIEW

[@derplockedin]

You know an album is actually meaningful to a lot of people when even a Fantano comment section loses the humor and focuses on the album

[@jakewoods8847]

It happened in the "A Crow Looked At Me," review too.

[@kyemazo2976]

Or when Anthony doesn’t have a nickname at the start of the review for himself

[@clumpofcats]

Crazy to see someone with the robust catalog of Sufjan to still be able to show growth and emotion in new music. Such a gorgeous album

[@Hopesfallout]

Gotta be honest, I'm happy he's back on top because I felt like everything he did since Carrie & Lowell was underwhelming at best.

[@demifolk8940]

@@Hopesfalloutthats still his favorite album of mine, it still feels like his most personal. and most of the songs feel like something he made up in the moment and added a bit more in the studio. sure the production isnt insane but its his most emotionally raw performances yet. thats kinda the appeal for me, especially if you listen to some of the demos for some songs

[@EcneBanjo]

@@HopesfalloutA Beginner’s Mind is excellent

[@ajesco]

​@@HopesfalloutBeginners Mind??? The Ascension??

[@illkissyourightnow]

@@demifolk8940 ….you mean. “that’s *your* favorite album of *his”* ???

[@TheGobbit]

RIP Evans Richardson. Such a lovely tribute and album from an equally lovely man.

[@colloquially]

who is he?

[@nutritiousapple6366]

@@colloquiallySufjan's partner that passed away less than a year ago

[@colloquially]

@@nutritiousapple6366 darn. he seems to lose a lot of people around him

[@connorcampbell5839]

Sufjan is so beloved and influential that even Melonheads will make genuine comments on Anthony's reviews of his work.

[@Night5225]

@@connorcampbell5839it’s kind of disheartening to prepare yourself for the callous disregard and ironic detachment peddled by the “humor” in most of these comments sections. It’s really refreshing to read all the comments here.

[@EcneBanjo]

The “I don’t wanna fight at all / I will always love you” in Shit Talk with the backing vocals and final crescendo into the wall of sound is one of the most powerful and beautiful things I’ve ever heard in my life

[@Ridhotoni]

fuck you now im getting teary eyed again

[@user-gp9es3rd3e]

Thus was also the point that first sent me over the edge lol. I think he really nailed the tracklisting so the pay off here is heightened even more. Love a good tracking order in an album

[@a24superfan23]

Dude I was thinking the same thing driving home from work today, I didn't even understand fully what I was listening to but I knew it was nothing I've never heard

[@sassytabasco]

Yeah that section really broke me down. Handily one of the best passages he's ever written.

[@manana6646]

I agree, so beautiful it hurts! I also love "so you are tired", the backing vocals are absolutely divine and the lyrics.. "I was a man born invisible" breaks me! I still can't listen to this song without crying 🥲

[@alexdamngood4831]

The 4th "Hold me closely, hold me tight" from Sufjan is so heart wrenching and beautiful, it gives me chills and I just wanna rewind it every time I hear it.

[@spamsingles5948]

The best part of the album

[@gulermo]

Shit Talk is one of the most beautiful songs i've ever listened to, i've never seen before a song capture so accurately the feeling of a relationship falling apart with toxicity and constant fighting to the point you feel like you can't be near that person anymore, "i will always love you but i cannot look at you", and the final part where Sufjan keeps singing "i don't wanna fight at all" because it happened so much it made him exausted of it while "i will always love you" keeps being said by the backing vocals is just perfection, one of his BEST songs ever.

[@abrar2240]

I'm going through the fall of a relationship with a person i loved and still do so much and this song made me cry like a baby, truly one the most beautiful songs ever.

[@mackielunkey2205]

I also love the pace of the rhyming lines "Hold me closely, hold me tightly lest I fall/I don't wanna fight at all". Like he's trying to be strong, but then suddenly slacks, if you get what I'm saying.

[@SuperCasablancas123]

This is your redemption arc after your Carrie and Lowell review

[@ReviewedByAndy]

this makes it seem like he gave it a red flannel 😅

[@eeeeeeeeeddddd]

7 ain’t a negative score, it’s just that everyone else puts a 7 on records that are average

[@samcoker2458]

Such a wonderful, touching record. It combines so many of Sufjan’s sounds from over the years so well. It’s sure to stay in my rotation for a very long time.

[@thelastpepsi9369]

For someone who’s so reserved,I think Sufjan’s songwriting is top tier because in this like 30-40 minute stretch,he gives us so much information about this relationship and loss and it’s just crushing. Really hurts to listen to,I really want Sufjan to be okay,always been one of my favorites. This and the Armand Hammer record are my favorites this year and they couldn’t be any more different

[@bobo2215]

One of the most cohesive and lush albums I’ve ever in a good minute. Album of the year in my book. Rest in peace to Evans. Stay strong Sufjan! We all love you!

[@kurtsnuggly]

definitely one of the albums I've ever

[@sammystank7174]

I agree man, this is definitely the most I’ve ever

[@helloismabye]

It's crazy how you heard an album and then LITERALLY ONE GOOD MINUTE LATER you heard this one

[@robertdallas4130]

​@@kurtsnugglyno

[@DavDaFreak123]

I put this album on last night while i was high, and I have never cried so hard in a long time…for no apparent reasons either. It was a cathartic session, one i didn’t know i needed. Definitely gonna be one of my fave albums this year!

[@MrKrk221988]

Sufjan Stevens is arguably one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation. I don't think he gets enough credit for being a great lyricist either. The lyrics in 'Shit Talk: "I will always love you, but I cannot look at you" are so simple yet so impactful.

[@EcneBanjo]

He probably has the deepest and most robust discography this century, along with Kanye.

[@thesingingaccountant1]

Not arguable for me he's number one

[@joeboonmusic4004]

I would 100% put him at the top of the list of our greatest songwriters along with Laura Marling, Adrianne Lenker, FJM, Robin Pecknold etc.

[@thesingingaccountant1]

@@joeboonmusic4004 to my Shame I only know Laura marling so need to check the others out

[@cheeez9438]

Joanna Newsom and Julia Holter

[@paulorodrigues170]

One of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard. This remind me of Mount Eerie's Crow, two albums about love and death that hit you like "This is the prettiest album ever, I don't wanna touch this ever again"

[@queensofthedthrone8267]

Crow… even being reminded of its existence … my god

[@wadejg_blaze0n213]

at least Sufjan joins the sad indie 9/10 album club with A Crow and Benji

[@codyross59]

@@wadejg_blaze0n213and carrie and lowell

[@ssbperidot5574]

Beyond grateful to Sufjan for this experience. This record has easily cemented itself into my top 3 albums of his, and is my AOTD so far. Incredible stuff, RIP Evans Richardson.

[@NathanielSnider1017]

bcnr better but excellent album

[@MicahSmart]

Just listened to it, it's amazing. I would also call it my Album Of The Day, so far.

[@sebastiaosalgado6696]

to me personally its a contender for album of the decade only being slightly topped by amts from up there.

[@obrey__]

@@NathanielSnider1017 I think ants from up there and javelin are both 10s. The most moving and eye opening albums I’ve ever heard in so many ways

[@NicholasStulga]

@@MicahSmartI think they meant the decade, but yeah

[@Mattyvanz]

This was my first time checking out a Sufjan album and it’s honestly brought me back to how I felt listening to my first Bjork album (vespertin). There’s a strange magic to stumbling across some of an artist’s greatest work on a whim, and it makes me excited to dive deeper into his catalog

[@wadejg_blaze0n213]

I unironically think this is an improvement over Carrie And Lowell, and possibly his highest point since Illinois. Hope everything actually gets better for him and that he continues to make great art like this again and again ☺️ also genuinely cannot believe that he is 48

[@visualspark6308]

Yeah it’s better than C&L

[@nfdhje38743m]

He's aging beautifully

[@tylerware2836]

Idk about that… C&L is one of my all time favs. I dont think this is as good

[@handstamp630]

For sure an improvement and both are great!

[@visualspark6308]

@@tylerware2836 C&L is great as well, I just prefer Javelin a bit more.

[@adhiantos]

I cried listening to the album. Then I thought “Shit Talk” was the resolution of this sadness. Then I read his Instagram post. It felt like a javelin stabbed right through my heart 😭 I just wanna give Sufjan a good long hug.

[@bryantloayza3253]

This is my first introduction to sufjan stevens I had no prior info about what the album is abt or of the artist and all I came back to is recasted but in a hopeful way. I legit started crying on the end of shit talk it’s literally so beautiful and now knowing more information on sufjan screens ima have to delist me this again because this album is one of the most heartbreaking and heart lifting piece of music I heard

[@steadyrhythms9571]

This is one of those albums that you confidently feel will be looked back as a classic, defining album of the time. Maybe not one that is influential, but one that everyone will remember fondly as something that moved us all in the moment and perhaps beyond. It feels like one of the most special albums we've gotten as music fans in several years, regardless of the context that makes it hit deeper. This record must cement Sufjan's legacy as one of the forefront songwriters of our time.

[@elwinMMA]

Crazy how there's still musicians out there from my youth still making music. Sufjan Stevens, bright eyes and spoon.

[@traebeneck4994]

[@joeboonmusic4004]

I would like to commend you for having great Sufjan and Bright Eyes taste and for having Elliott's (in my opinion) best record in your profile pic x

[@NicholasStulga]

Well deserved for Sufjan. He’s gone through so much and this release shows his emotional and character growth. It’s so beautiful and cinematic, I can’t get enough. I honestly think it ends too soon, but that isn’t a critique as much as a request.

[@manytinyboxes]

as someone who has lost a partner, this album tore me apart. it really means a lot to me hah

[@jjjenniferc]

I’ve never written down a video before, but I MUST now because Javelin’s touched every fibre of my body while listening to it. We can definitely feel the pain. It’s a 10 for me, new classic

[@marekmedien]

Just listened to Planetarium again, completely missed that great Album! Just amazing how consistent and always refreshing Sufjans music is. ❤

[@calebjordan5068]

Everything that rises must converge is a reference to the French priest and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: "Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge."

[@timothyboyce6572]

Everything that rises must converge is beautiful theology that sums up Sufjan’s message perfectly, “Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love. At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge” Also could be referring to the Flannery O’Connor collection of short stories that basically has the same message

[@woongielovebot7089]

it's been a whole week and I still can't help but cry whenever i hear Shit Talk, what a wonderfully heartbreaking song

[@MR.FREEDMAN]

Absolutely beautiful album, in every sense of the word. I haven't felt this strong about a Sufjan record since Age of Adz.

[@ashleyeatsmuffins]

Yessss. Loving the love for Age of Adz

[@joshuachristisOVER86]

Can't believe fantano still hasn't put out a review for oneohtrix point never's "again"... please!

[@costask3404]

I love this record. So gorgeous and so moving. Shit talk is one of my two favourites (alongside So You Are Tired), but personally I don't interpret it the same as Anthony. I am guessing that it was written before Evans died, and that it is about giving up on a relationship despite still loving the person, but not having the energy to fight anymore - not declaring love for someone who has passed. I believe that Evan's passing is referenced elsewhere in the record, but not on that track. It feels closely related to So You Are Tired.

[@jaxmanf]

Strong case for “So You Are Tired” as song of the year. Tough competition against Burfict! And Cowboy Nudes but I think it stands

[@greatwesternsky]

Not appreciating the shade to his previous albums because they were masterpieces too.

[@gaysara]

Javelin has to be my song of the year. I'm fully obsessed. I cried the first time I listened

[@zTeaTheCoffee]

All of his best music is so fucking tragic. Casimir Pulaski Day is probably his best song and this whole album feels like if that song grew up and became an album. More than any other album, this feels like the culmination of a long and elustrious career lived along a life of tremendous loss and personal struggles, all of his past really shines through with this one. I still think Illinois is probably a better album, but this is a close second for me.

[@thesingingaccountant1]

Casimir Pulaski day is an amazing work - probably agree although Carrie and Lowell is my fave it's close with Illinois

[@nishantaryan1397]

I'm a simple man, i saw fantano reviewing Sufjan Stevens, I click

[@originalboxelder]

I’m a moderate fan but this is his best work in my opinion and that’s on every level, his lyrics are poetic but clear and they are delivered with more range than usual. The song arrangements and instrumentation is complex without getting muddy or cluttered . The entire thing is perfectly cohesive. Even without the backstory it’s a heavy listen but knowing the backstory it’s absolutely gutting. It’s a 10 for me and an instant classic.

[@davidhowell5585]

Unbelievable beautiful. The ambient break down on Shit Talk might be his greatest moment ever

[@Bhound96]

The way Sufjan contorts his voice on Shit talk is one of the most beautiful things I've heard, especially given the context of the record

[@SlapChopMyShamWow]

Comes out just in time for me to spend the whole winter crying to it too, good on you Sufjan

[@00pium_kingvampstan]

as someone who has never listened to sujfan and hasn’t listened to the album either, i was gonna make a typical ‘ty for giving me my opinion melon’ but that would be quite disrespectful given the context of this record, and i will now listen to it later tn.

[@mauricioandres7470]

If you like indie or singer-songwriter albums, check out Illinois, is a perfect album

[@00pium_kingvampstan]

@@mauricioandres7470 Ty for the rec, I do enjoy singer-songwriter albums and I think if I like Javelin (And I think I will), I’ll do a discography dive on Sujfan.

[@moleratical1232]

and??? What did you think?

[@00pium_kingvampstan]

@@moleratical1232 forgot abt this comment until now, and I’ve only recently done a discog dive on him, but it was amazing. 9/10, very beautiful record.

[@moonshelter3448]

This album is extremely beautifully... painful. A bright sadness. But still for me Stevens is that guy who wrote 4th of July. And this composition is an unbeatable masterpiece.

[@freddiegormack-smith8060]

I'd sort of gone from being a real big fan slowly making my way through Sufjan's back catalogue, to kind of not making as much time to absorb his albums fully as I found myself getting busier over these past couple of years... Now with this new album being so personal and finding out all the context behind it has motivated me to go back and make the effort to listen through all his stuff in my own time (especially now that I collect vinyl!). Sufjan is truly one of the greatest artists of our generation.

[@GoalGuys]

This album is perfect.

[@FadeAwayGab]

This album feels like the instrumental lushness and beauty of his early albums like Illinois with the lyrical weigh of C&L, a culmination of much of what he's made before into one beautiful piece of work

[@BOOMDIGIDYable]

I wish he’d put out a bad album. Then we’d know his life isn’t going tragically.

[@Freakthesorceress]

Decent-to-strong 9 is the highest score this year.

[@lily-hazy8823]

I know this man turns his grief into beautiful art but can we all agree that this man must be protected at all costs? someone get him all the happiness please.

[@cleverclover7]

strong agree. deeply moving record and it was so cool to first experience it with you and the NMF fam on twitch, as silly as that sounds.

[@luckyluc009]

It feels like classic Sufjan songwriting with his more recent experimental electronic music ornamenting it all perfectly

[@SauLsV55]

Such a fantastic album, might be my AOTY

[@jaredhinton5662]

I don't need to hear anyone's opinions on albums but just came here to say this album is fucking amazing

[@rckkatansky5783]

Sufjan’s best since Illinois, super emotional record

[@jeffreyroedel9804]

Album of the Year. Just stunning. I guess it might get "Best Alternative Album" or something like that, but it's the Best overall, imho, and the best album Sufjan has ever made.

[@bmth3211]

Cool review Anthony but when's code orange?

[@seize198]

total 10/10 for me. one of the mstt devastating and heartbreaking albums of all time.

[@ThomasBarthoulot]

IT'S A 10!!!!! it's the perfect balance between the production of AoA, the tunes of Illinois, the simplicity of C&L It's intimacy, and hope, and fear and love. It's short, but it would have been too long otherwise. You haven't anything bad to say about it It's a 10

[@ykdec]

we gon need an A Great Chaos rating lil bro

[@avinashmysore1703]

Album of the year EASILY

[@timjackson4387]

You know it’s a special album when the Fantano comment section is full of thoughtful takes instead of memes.

[@heyseuz]

i have literally had this album on repeat since it came out, it's devastating beautiful hopeful

[@Chris_P_Bacon]

My introduction to Sufjan, and Shit Talk absolutely blew me away. One of my favorite songs ever already

[@Jacob32905]

10/10 for ke for sure. Sufjan is a an absolute giant and in the league of some of the best living songwriters today.

[@rike94]

This does not excuse the 7 for Carrie and Lowell, Melon

[@adrienfaunce]

Dude. Where's the code orange review.

[@wilsonsecaur1015]

Devastating record, Sufjan is such an authentic songwriter it's impossible not to feel some sort of emotion from it

[@moleratical1232]

9 seems a little low for this one. It;s only a week old and I can confidently say it is AOTY, or at least it should be.

[@tarekdeeb7314]

I'm calling it. This is gonna be his AOTY

[@dougxvale]

This or Jeff Rosenstock's scored a Decent 9

[@abrar2240]

Shit talk is my favorite song of this entire year, he made a masterpiece a one in life experience with that bridge

[@MajoraWaffle]

i'm so incredibly happy that sufjan built upon the beautiful, delicate folk sound that he established with carrie and lowell here; i was pretty scared he was going to return to the art pop/experimental electronic sound like in age of adz which i'm not a fan of in the slightest.

[@PondOfGlue]

Check out Seven Swans (and a majority of Michigan) if you loved the stripped down intimacy and folkiness of C+L. All three are masterpieces.

[@MajoraWaffle]

@@PondOfGlue oh dw i'm well aware of that album haha, some of the best love songs ever on there

[@PondOfGlue]

@@MajoraWaffle I wholeheartedly agree 🥰

[@petermahler853]

Every listen I give this album makes my heart grow 10x larger. please help

[@duewest1998]

Strong 9? Just give him the 10 already! (Great review)

[@MechHypalus]

Is anyone else avoiding this album? I've heard a little bit and I don't feel like I'm ready. I'm terrified to feel all the emotion that will come.

[@MrBaumGeo]

Is this a real thing? Are people avoiding good records because of the emotions they'll feel? I'm genuinely wondering because that makes me feel like I'm not able to feel quite as many emotions as the average person when listening to music. I typically try to disconnect myself from the song and just listen to it on a feeling that the artist intended level. Javelin really creates a feeling of comfort hope and reality. Nothing sad about accepting reality...

[@timy19979]

Love this album 😩. Would love to see a review for Hannah Diamonds new album

[@calvinhuynh5877]

A great chaos when

[@RobertLombardi04]

Easily one of my favorite singer-songwriter records of this whole decade.

[@charmingmaan]

Genuflecting Ghost was my favorite track on this album

[@Stefarooh]

When you doing the new Kylie Minogue "Tension" album? Been waiting for weeks. I absolutely adore Javelin. Very moving record.

[@connoremery9521]

Great review but when is he reviewing the Tension album by Kylie Minogue

[@finlayjohnman519]

Really lovely to see this community dropping their usual memes, and just really love this album! Just really lovely pieces of music

[@bluespinfr]

Incredible album, truly deserved that 9

[@ckpizzle]

don't let this great review take away from the fact that fantano gave carrie & lowell a 7/10. one of the best albums ever made. yes, i said it. it's his worst miss ever. worse than mbdtf

[@c4gam1ng12]

This album is better than Carrie & Lowell

[@cogito919]

Damn we really never gettin another 10

[@BonHarper]

You know it's a good album when he describes his least favorite track as "genuinely beautiful"

[@mz8061]

Feels like a continuation to Carrie and Lowell and I love it. But the Ascension was as good to me

[@Mekkis93]

cool review. any chance we're going to get a review on the new OPN album?

[@GameJunkyard11]

This is gonna be AOTY, I'm betting on it.

[@turboshazed7370]

I'm betting on it being at number two but number one could happen!

[@mauricioandres7470]

How is Genuflecting Fox a least favorite? It's so sincere and beautiful

[@tylerhackner9731]

Beautiful piece of work

[@guts1258]

Deducting a point because you didn't win the 1976 Summer Olympics in the javelin throwing competition is a bit petty don't you think?

[@adolfoduran5683]

Anthony! You should do a review of the new Rolling Stones album!

[@firstofawll]

he did

[@dougxvale]

He hated it

[@MrMattaiusify]

Errr This wait for AnCo is getting kinda crazy

[@hicuhcpvp]

it's time for a great chaos anthony!!

[@refresh_tv6825]

I completely forgot about Sufjan. I'll have to check out this album soon and maybe take a little walk back in his discography to see what he was up to.

[@benfrowen94]

Code orange review when

[@호준이-p8p]

Yep I predicted it. One of the best this year handily.

[@jordancourtney9142]

It really do be like that sometimes, this is probably just one of those good records I'll never "get"

[@TheFushigiFan99]

Drop the Dorian Electra review

[@nishantaryan1397]

I'm feeling a Decent to strong 9 on this review

[@nickfalletta661]

Guncle Sufjan with the AOTY! What an artist.

[@MsGemDoll]

this album is so heartfelt and beautiful