Sufjan Stevens

Sam Ary: Boohoo

• Joseph Harvey +3 — Nothing else here made me feel the slightest thing. This produced tears
• Regina Scime +2
• judd.baker +1 — Absolutely no notes. Went with the obvious choice and you will be rewarded for it
• Claire +1 — No boy has ever been sadder than Sufjan. Impossible not to upvote
• fionmul 0 — 😿
• Edward James 0 — A GOAT, one of the best to ever do it. But even though Sufjan is certified Sad Boi™, this song is not the one I would choose and I’m going to be honest I can’t articulate why.
• ared56 -1
• [DELETED] -1
• SamRobertsND -1 — Sufjan rose from rags to riches by embodying the emotivism and sensitivity that women narcissistically wish men had. However a fruit with a banjo does not sad boy summer make.

judd.baker: I’m told there have been popes from here

• Joseph Harvey +2 — Incredible song and bang on for theme and current moment
• shea nowicki +1
• fionmul 0 — edward? i totally thought this was gonna be the one you hear a lot on reels i’m dumb for that
• Edward James 0 — I feel dirty not voting for this, but I have to be true to my heart for this round and others compelled me more at this particular moment

• fionmul 0 — I see the vision but idk if this would ever make me choke up
• Edward James 0 — Doesn’t do it for me, sorry.
• Claire 0 — Even if it’s not a song that’s been submitted before, Sufjan feels obvious and a bit tired for this round, sorry (and to be clear I LOVE him and this song and album)
• Brad Stalcup -1 — Too hard to decipher. Sorry.

• Edward James +1 — Already submitted in past leagues, which biased me. Maybe this was Brad, and because of this possibility, I give it one vote.
• Sam Ary +1
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Can’t not vote for Sufjan. This just sounds so vulnerable and raw like everything on this album.
• Regina Scime +1
• judd.baker +1 — Excellent
• fionmul 0 — Sufjan/this song is just sorta too predictable to me at this point for this theme
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Perhaps this is anathema in this group, but i've never quite got the hype for Sufjan Stevens. This is no exception.
• Claire 0 — Fiona has the receipts but I told her before this round that if somebody submitted Sufjan it would be the first time in music league history that I didn’t vote for him. I just feel like it’s too easy. Also despite the line “we’re all gonna die,” I feel like this song is more properly about the experience of his mother’s death rather than reflecting on his own mortality

shea nowicki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne_Gacy

• judd.baker +1 — Hard song to listen to. But it absolutely deserves a vote.
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Absolute masterpiece. The closing line is haunting
• Claire +1 — Would deserve an upvote based purely on the song’s merits. Sufjan in his troubadour element, somehow telling a gruesome and devastating story with compelling beauty. But that aside, I think I’d upvote anyway purely on principle as a way of taking a stand after last league’s Sufjan hate
• SamRobertsND 0 — Peter: "Musically good, definitely about killing someone." An utterly amazing song. As I said in chat, I had this in mind for a Flannery O'Connor round. Monster as mirror. Gut wrenching and convicting. It devastates me every time I listen to it.
• fionmul 0 — i liked this. not to be the stereotype of myself, but i would love Lizzy to cover it
• Edward James 0 — Bold move to write a song like this, have to respect it. But for the round, I am partial to songs actually about killing.
• ared56 -1

Joseph Harvey: Any Sufjan hate will be met with swift and exacting retribution.

• shea nowicki +1 — Sufjan never misses. Slow, contemplative, pained.... this has it all. Very slay pick.
• Sam Ary +1
• Claire +1 — At this point I feel like a broken record but Sufjan really is just a master songwriter and this is one of his best. In the midst of grief and utter desolation and self destruction he still can’t escape the specter of the cross.
• judd.baker +1 — This whole album is very crying out from the depths, and this is an excellent pick from it.
• fionmul 0 — Come at me then; I actually do not like his voice here and do not like the song.
• Edward James 0 — I like this a lot, but again it seems to be a bit of a sad story song more so than a despair song to me.
• SamRobertsND 0 — Meh

• Brad Stalcup +1
• Edward James +1 — I think it's easier to find a vibe fit or a weird story, but it's a lot harder and more meaningful to find a real deep fit with a theme in O'Connor stories. This one nails it with the visionary imagery all leading up the line "He will take you. If you run, he will chase you."
• shea nowicki +1 — I loved this Sufjan moment I got to have on the South Shore line into Chicago. His sound is perfectly on brand Flannery, so too the religious & lyrical turns. Thank you for this.
• judd.baker +1 — Spooky, murky Christ images will always get my vote in a category like this.
• Claire +1 — I feel like a broken record for voting for Sufjan every single time he’s submitted, but this is a really good read of the theme imo. Little boy sees a fire in the backyard and it turns into this wild spiritual revelation. Is he delusional? Is it really a vision from God? Unclear. But he clearly was deeply impacted by it. That’s a Flannery O’Connor moment for sure
• fionmul 0 — I hate his voice here personally
• Corey -1