Midwestern singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens offers up a lovely, beguiling, and occasionally disturbing folk-rock record with Seven Swans. Recorded several years ago, with Danielson Famile mastermind Daniel Smith manning the boards, Stevens' songs conjure up a bleak, wintry landscape. Fluttering banjos, minimal piano flourishes, and ethereal female backing vocals make up the "lovely, beguiling" parts of the record. The "disturbing" parts come from Stevens' lyrics, which cover the Old Testament, witches, and dragons, among other peculiar topics.

The title song is particularly terrifying, with its portrayal of a religious awakening that feels more paranoid than ecstatic. "He will take you," Stevens sings in his most fragile voice. "If you run, He will chase you. He is the Lord." Who knew God was such a stalker? Still, it is Stevens' creepier qualities that make him a cut above the average singer-songwriter. You may be a bit baffled by the content of Seven Swans' lyrics, but you certainly won't be bored by them.

Jeff Odland
March 25, 2004

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