A little late to pen a piece on a single celebrating a thoroughly American holiday, but releases from Sufjan Stevens are a treat. This is far away from the charms of Illinois, it is deeply moved and sombre. Warming up that intimacy with a step in the right direction is a piece that lingers on the demented nature of the American holiday. Stevens’ Fourth of July piece is a singular and articulate piece that has tender notes of never feeling right, the need to leave moments that do not settle well and the unexplainable range of those intimate moments. There is a sincerity, a universal deepness, to Fourth of July.
Even those across the pond and beyond will grasp the intimacies tracked so beautifully here. Stevens’ exceptionalism comes from his graceful prose, his articulation of real fear and the immediacy of that is expanded through to some perfectly mixed. But it is all a cover to crack through two new versions of the Carrie and Lowell track. Those unfamiliar with the works of Stevens will find themselves with a comfortable introduction to his work and two slight variations of the track. Lamenting the death of his mother, Carrie, the two additional versions of Fourth of July display a unique range of inferences. Keep the original in the back of the mind, feel the difference and note the changes. This is not just the peddling of old tracks but the beauty of instruments bringing new meaning and life to a piece.
Credit to the talent Stevens displays in the intimacy on Fourth of July. There is a relatively twee and optimistic tone to the April Base Version, likely from the higher pitch of instruments and the octave rise for Stevens. That little flicker of change is more than enough to differentiate from the much superior two tracks featured afterwards. Still, the ghostly echoes that follow the line “we’re all gonna die” are a nice touch, a sentimental piece aired out in three very unique ways. Where the original may be the best of the trio, it is still touching that Stevens can bring new and unique excellence from each rendition. Stevens has successfully understood the emotional core of his work, a rare move for an artist to make, even if it sounds particularly simple a task.
He does so with an innovative process, a sharp mind and a clear tribute to the days of his youth and time with his mother. There is a chilling experience to each track, from the original beauty of Fourth of July to the louder, bombastic range found on the Dumbo Version. There is a clear path to comparing Stevens with that of Leonard Cohen, but that notion does little justice to either artist. It does bring to light the beautiful cover of Memories that Stevens marked a few short years ago. There are layers to each, there are movements to Fourth of July quite unlike anything else. It is hard to improve on the beauty of the original, but Stevens does so with the greatest of intentions.
