A few months ago, I wrote a little bit about about how Sufjan’s song similarity worked with his prolific output to put me off to his new matierial. It was entitled “The Avalanche of Sufjan Stevens.” After hearing “Majesty Snowbird,” it looks like that mini-article is no longer relevant. This is a new Sufjan Stevens.

MP3: Sufjan Stevens - Majesty Snowbird (live)
Songs like this are the reason mediocre writers like me get to trot out words like “grandiose,” “sweeping,” or “majestic” (fitting, no?) to explain that feeling that tingle that moves along the back of your neck when you listen to it. This isn’t your standard four-minute Sufjan guitar/banjo narrative, sung in half-whispered vocals. This epic work builds from the gentle piano melody into a emotionally stirring arrangement of strings and horns, over which Sufjan sings his majestic tale.

Check out a nice live video of “Majesty Snowbird” on Youtube