Why are year-ends so hectic? Isn’t it supposed to be this like this marvelous, serene refuge from the onslaught of the usual day-to-day? Either way, I have been a bit tardy with getting on here on a weekly basis, like I try to do. I blame work, trying to see everyone before the changing of the year, and hunting for gifts for everyone.
Musically, the end of the year can be a bit of a doozy as well. I like Christmas songs as much as the next guy, but the at times uninterrupted onslaught of seasonal songs can get a bit much. I can hardly imagine the sheer horrors that some storefront employees must be going through. As someone on Reddit put it: “If I have to hear “marshmallow world” one more time, I’m going to gnaw my own foot off like a coyote caught in a trap just so I won’t have to go back to work”.
So to spare you all that fate, I want to talk about an album today that, while not actually being focused on Christmas, works quite well in mood and auditory aesthetics of the season: Michigan (2003), or as the album cover fully proclaims “SUFJAN STEVENS presents… Greetings From Michigan, The Great Lake State”.
Going back over my prior musings here, I am somewhat surprised to find that this is the first time that I dedicate a full bit to an album of his, considering that he co-owns the spot atop my list of favorite contemporary artists. Possibly also surprising is that I should pick this album for the Christmas season, since he has released more than 100 dedicated Christmas songs.
Michigan, to the best of my knowledge, does not allude to Christmas directly, but to me, it can be felt still. The holiday season tends to have so much going on – homecoming, excitement, loud and energetic moments juxtaposed with calm and quiet ones, melancholy, revisiting traditions, places, people, stories… Michigan is a lot like that, too. Christian under(and over)tones, love and care showcased in simple but impactful ways, reflection of self and the wellbeing of others, healthy amounts of Glockenspiel.
Undoubtedly, the album has a lot going on: Not only does Sufjan play a whopping 17 instruments across the record (and vocals and arranging and mixing and producing), he also blends the state’s history – in the shape of people, places, events – with his personal attachment and experience here. And yet, it stops short of being too much. Even the one or two songs that push a teasing electric guitar or layered choir and orchestration to an irking amount, cut back just as you are turning towards the speaker or consider a search for your phone.
To me, Sufjan packs more poetry in his liner notes than many artists do across their actual songs. On “Holland”, for instance, he reminisces about a past romantic fling, the memory of which is tied to Holland, Michigan by the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. In the album-accompanying booklet he writes, “We made omelets on the weekends. We whittled wood. We knitted hats. We smoked cigarettes. We gave each other gifts. Elaborate, handmade, complicated passive aggressive gifts.”
May you and yours have a bountiful holiday season – passive aggressive gifts or not.
Coryphe 