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Editorial Reviews
The EP, All Delighted People, is built around two different versions of Sufjan's long-form epic ballad "All Delighted People," a dramatic homage to the Apocalypse, existential ennui, and Paul Simon's "Sounds of Silence." The song was originally workshopped on Sufjan's previous tour in the fall of 2009. Other songs on the EP include the 17-minute guitar jam-for-single-mothers "Djohariah," and the gothic piano ballad "The Owl and the Tanager," a live-show mainstay.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Ken Meyer
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Why is this classified as an EP, I ask you? It is more full of ideas, beauty, pathos, experimentation, and yes, length, than many releases nowadays. I have loved all of Sufjan Steven's work ever since picking up Seven Swans years ago (though Sun and Rabbit are not quite as quality filled, in my opinion), but even I did not expect the effect this cd would have on me. Being an older music fan, longer songs have always appealed to me (yeah, my prog love is showing), and this cd is stuffed with them. But, they never wear on me, I never grow bored...I just want to put on the headphones and tune the world out. I have listened to his cd so many times since buying it, I cannot even begin to count...sometimes several times in a row.
An added bonus is having my 10 year old daughter, after overhearing it in my studio, becoming just as attached to the cd as I am (and even branching out into Simon and Garfunkel because of the repeated homage in one of the songs). After exposing her to more Stevens, she is probably the only 10 year old repeatedly listening to a beautiful song about a serial killer (John Wayne Gacey, from the Illinois album). Is that a good thing? I think it is.
This is the music I want to soothe me on my deathbed.
An added bonus is having my 10 year old daughter, after overhearing it in my studio, becoming just as attached to the cd as I am (and even branching out into Simon and Garfunkel because of the repeated homage in one of the songs). After exposing her to more Stevens, she is probably the only 10 year old repeatedly listening to a beautiful song about a serial killer (John Wayne Gacey, from the Illinois album). Is that a good thing? I think it is.
This is the music I want to soothe me on my deathbed.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Evan Staley
Format:MP3 Music
I like Sufjan a lot. His lyrics have such a wonderful way of drawing me into intimate stories before yanking me back out to take a look at my own life, America, God, and much more. His music, as he describes it, is often the perfect combination of high art and low art, merging the warmth of folk music with the grandiose of a symphony orchestra. When these elements are at full effect as they are throughout much of Illinois, Michigan, and Seven Swans, he hits me like few others can.
Then there are moments where his ambitions seem to run off and leave me in the cold emotionally. Long, flute-heavy instrumentals, while still technically impressive, never connect for me the same way he does in simpler moments like his astounding Casimir Pulaski Day.
As you might expect, this EP (which only maybe qualifies as such based on its hour-long run time) leans a little more toward the latter style. The title tracks are a suitably epic ode to the apocalypse, which I can't claim to have fully absorbed yet. The Owl and the Tanager is a gorgeous piano-driven song, and the closing track a 17 minute guitar song for single mothers. The point is, this is some eccentric and wildly creative stuff. Fortunately for fans, it's also really really good once you take the time to get into it.
I'd also highly recommend streaming it off his site at [...] before buying it. Enjoy!
Then there are moments where his ambitions seem to run off and leave me in the cold emotionally. Long, flute-heavy instrumentals, while still technically impressive, never connect for me the same way he does in simpler moments like his astounding Casimir Pulaski Day.
As you might expect, this EP (which only maybe qualifies as such based on its hour-long run time) leans a little more toward the latter style. The title tracks are a suitably epic ode to the apocalypse, which I can't claim to have fully absorbed yet. The Owl and the Tanager is a gorgeous piano-driven song, and the closing track a 17 minute guitar song for single mothers. The point is, this is some eccentric and wildly creative stuff. Fortunately for fans, it's also really really good once you take the time to get into it.
I'd also highly recommend streaming it off his site at [...] before buying it. Enjoy!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By T. Cook
Format:Audio CD
i know. who cares about my personal listening history with sufjan stevens...? somehow, it seems relevant to me. i bought "seven swans" upon its release all those years ago. i played it; i liked it. i liked some of it a lot. i was not driven to purchase his other releases. what did i care about michigan and illinois(e)? then i saw that some magazine had rated "the age of adz" as the album of the year. i was curious. i bought it. i thought, "this guy is either a genius or the biggest show-off of all time." after a few more listens, i was flabbergasted and was forcing people to listen. i had to know if others heard what i heard....if they would be as overwhelmed as i was... needless to say, it didn't take me long to go out and get "illinoise", "michigan", "enjoy your rabbit", "the avalanche", "a sun came", and, finally, "all delighted people." (i have the christmas set on order.) (the "bqe" will be next. somehow i know it.)
i see the number of reviews some of sufjan stevens' albums have received, and i was shocked to see how few reviews have been written about "all delighted people."
i know i've played it fifty times in the past few weeks. i wonder if people are avoiding it because of it being labelled an ep. it's over an hour of incredible, intense, beautiful, heart-crushing, unbelievable music. i think, with this one, i've answered my own question. he may be a show-off....he MAY be, but, without a doubt, something is going on here. this man is shocking in his ambition...and he pulls it all off. i am astonished; i find myself listening in disbelief. occasionally i have flashes of certain phases of todd rundgren; at other times, i am reminded of van dyke parks' "song cycle," but, ultimately, this is music that, as far as i know, could only have been created by sufjan stevens.
i haven't been this musically obsessed in a long time, and it feels really good. :-)
throughout this intense avalanche of his music, "all delighted people" seems to be my favorite. i wonder how different the listening experience would have been if i had listened to each one upon its release instead of bombarding myself with all of it pretty much all at once. for one thing, i might be less exhausted from the intensity.
i vote "genius."
i see the number of reviews some of sufjan stevens' albums have received, and i was shocked to see how few reviews have been written about "all delighted people."
i know i've played it fifty times in the past few weeks. i wonder if people are avoiding it because of it being labelled an ep. it's over an hour of incredible, intense, beautiful, heart-crushing, unbelievable music. i think, with this one, i've answered my own question. he may be a show-off....he MAY be, but, without a doubt, something is going on here. this man is shocking in his ambition...and he pulls it all off. i am astonished; i find myself listening in disbelief. occasionally i have flashes of certain phases of todd rundgren; at other times, i am reminded of van dyke parks' "song cycle," but, ultimately, this is music that, as far as i know, could only have been created by sufjan stevens.
i haven't been this musically obsessed in a long time, and it feels really good. :-)
throughout this intense avalanche of his music, "all delighted people" seems to be my favorite. i wonder how different the listening experience would have been if i had listened to each one upon its release instead of bombarding myself with all of it pretty much all at once. for one thing, i might be less exhausted from the intensity.
i vote "genius."
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything I expected
This was on my friends wishlist and they were super excited when they received it because they had been waiting for it for a long time.
Published 5 months ago by Alexa
5.0 out of 5 stars
Touched by God
I don't know if Sufjan is/is not Christian or if he is/is not gay (seems everyone wonders about this), I could care less. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Jessica Van Doren
4.0 out of 5 stars
incredible material
I am a Sufjan Stevens addict and this album did not disappoint me. Just for Djohariah, the 17 min-long piece of electric riffs and soul singing, it is worth buying the album. Read more
Published 19 months ago by P. Berard
5.0 out of 5 stars
DELIGHTED I AM
Leading up to Sufjan Stevens, 'The Age of Adz (pronounced The age of odds)' All delighted people is a musical master piece. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Jesse
3.0 out of 5 stars
For Sufjan junkies only
After Michigan and Illinois, Sufjan Stevens set the bar of expectations ridiculously high. They were two of the most significant collections an American artist has produced over... Read more
Published 21 months ago by G. Brozeit
5.0 out of 5 stars
The great Sufjan Stevens album after Illinoise
This is the greatest album that I listened in 2011. It's a preparation for The Age of Adz, that ends with a great piece of musical art: Djoriah.
Published 23 months ago by Thiago B. Santos
3.0 out of 5 stars
ok
Not Sufjan's best work, but at the time of purchase I needed some new music from him. Little did I know he would turn around and come out with the masterpiece: Age of Ads. Read more
Published on April 22, 2011 by KL
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sufjan's hour long EP---AMAZING
I dont always enjoy everything that Sufjan performs, and I'm STILL not on board with the ADZ album, cos of the electronica is harsh, and not the most original sound right now... Read more
Published on March 3, 2011 by W. T. Hoffman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Its a full meal!!!
For an ep this packs a wallop. It's a full meal. I've been listening to it all day on a constant rotation and I have yet to tire of it. Read more
Published on January 11, 2011 by Jetrocket
4.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant when he doesn't overdo it
I bought this ep because I buy pretty much everything Sufjan Stevens does - I always find him brilliant, sometimes moving, sometimes (rarely) boring. Read more
Published on December 18, 2010 by Afterthoughts
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