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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting, adventurous debut, March 16, 2005
I picked up this CD after falling in love with Greetings from Michigan and found it to be a completely different, and quite interesting, recording. With a slightly more "rock" vibe than some of Sufjan's later CDs, A Sun Came! paints with a broad palate of musical textures; several of the songs can easily stand alone as mini-epics (esp. "We Are What You Say" and "A Winner Needs A Wand"). Being Sufjan's first CD, he especially deserves a lot of credit for his eclectic arrangements and instrumentation.
On a side note, I noticed an occasional pre-Mellow Gold Beck feel on some of the songs such as "Demetrius" and "Super Sexy Woman," largely due to the scratchy, atonal guitars and falsetto harmonies. Additionally, A Sun Came! also features short snippets of strange dialogue between songs and a couple noise excursions ("Rice Pudding" "Satan's Saxophones") akin to some of Beck's work before cleaning up his act. As a result, the album is a push-and-pull between astounding creative originality and somewhat derivative noise experiments. Overall, it is definatly essential listening for fans of Sufjan--and I'd also recommend fans of Beck's early work to check it out.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Debut albums aren't supposed to be THIS good ..., December 2, 2004
There's a reason why some people throw their lives into indie music - it's because mainstream music tends to offer very few new ideas. Soon, one becomes enraptured in the lush history of bands like Pavement, the Flaming Lips, and even more obscure acts like Oval and nostalgic lost acts like the Flying Machine. Yet, then comes across one artist that just throws everything into perspective all over again.
And Sufjan Stevens does just that.
In the course of 4 short albums, he's proven that he is a new undaunted master of folk music, but transcends convention time and time again. While "Michigan" and "Seven Swans" are both albums of lush, sweet beauty (and depression as well, to be fair), nothing comes to match his powerful, dirty, experimental yet still resoundingly sound debut album, "A Sun Came."
He throws in childish voice-altered interludes here and there (which actually BLATANTLY RECALL those on Beck's "Stereopathic Soul Manure" LP), adding to the odd whimsy of the album. Yes, he does add some blatant throwaway tracks ("Satan's Saxophones" and "Rice Pudding"), which are just experimental instrumental noodling. The interludes aren't all that bad - they use absurdist humor to break up the dramtic flow and serve as well-placed "restart" buttons for the listener. Because sometimes they're needed ...
... simply because you are overwhelmed by the music. Layers upon layers of acoustic guitars, woodwinds, panpipes, and countless other instruments are mixed together in a startling array of melody. Best example of this is "A Winner Needs a Wand" - pianos lead to a dark acoustic melody, which in turn leads to flutes and pipes blaring in during the chorus, a stream of voices near the climax and a near heavy-metal guitar outro - and it all makes sense. The sweet "lost tape" sound of "Happy Birthday" proves to be almost heartbreaking each time you listen. The mostly instrumental "Wordsmith's Ridge" could easily be used for the emotional climax of some unmade film, and the blissfully irrelevant and stupidly fun "Super Sexy Woman" shows that it's not full-on seriousness all the time.
Sufjan gets most interesting when he experiments within the confines of conventional melody. As a matter of fact, "Demetrius" and "The Oracle Said Wander" sound almost EXACTLY like Pavement B-sides. The distorted vocals and propulsive drums of "Jason" create a haunting effect. And, best of all, the song that sounds like NOTHING else on the album (though only available on the re-release) is a little ditty called "Joy! Joy! Joy!" - it's a melodious electro-stomp of a number that's as excitable and state-of-the-art as any dance song out there but still bounded in Sufjan's simple vocals and human warmth.
All of this goes before mentioning his lyrics, which go from absurd to profoundly meaningful in a heartbeat. If you need further proof of his lyrical brilliance, simply listen to "Rake."
Even with the few failed experiments, the seemingly inappropiate humor, and attempts to jump all over the place, this album is in a class by itself - it's a powerful, haunting, infinitely repeatable album that reveals more with each listen. It may be a bit inaccessible at first, but, given time, this can grow to be an all-time favorite.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential for Sufjan Fans, July 30, 2004
I recently saw Sufjan Stevens perform live in Portland. I was so thrilled to learn that his lush vocals are strong and not reliant on studio help. I had already grown quite fond of "Michigan" and "Seven Swans" and was unsure of what to expect from this first / rereleased album but my expectations were high.
The album starts out strong - the first three tracks are highly enjoyable. There is a celtic feel throughout many of the tracks which is enjoyable and ties many of the tracks together. I find the skits somewhat bothersome and rather unecessary, but I am able to look past it and enjoy the rest of the tracks.
More than half the tracks are 5 Star worthy, which makes this album essential for any fan of Sufjan.
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~ Sufjan Stevens
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by Sufjan Stevens 
