There are some things in life that feel almost too precious to experience. They offer moments of such clarity that you are tempted to shield yourself from their candour lest you break the spell in some way. ‘Javelin’, the latest record from Sufjan Stevens, is one of them.
Upon the album's release, Stevens dedicated it to his late partner, Evans Richardson, who died in April at the age of 43. His message was truly heartbreaking, but also illuminating. It provided a new perspective on the themes contained within ‘Javelin’, a work that confirms his place among his generation's most generous songwriters.
Loss and longing trapeze across the album as Stevens questions his own worth, his impact on others and his capacity for love. And while almost everything on the record was self-recorded, there is no sense of timidity.
On Will Anybody Ever Love Me? he sets out his stall with just his voice and an acoustic guitar. But layer upon layer of instrumentation is added until there is a communal fervour in its closing stages, and the love Stevens seeks seems well within reach.
Everything That Rises utilises a similar technique, veering from a soft finger-picked ballad to a full-bodied crescendo and then back again as we are reminded that the thoughts that plague us in our quieter moments are universal.
Stevens’ 2015 LP ‘Carrie & Lowell’ might be the closest sonic touchpoint for ‘Javelin’ in his discography, but as a whole this is altogether grander and more accessible. Even Shit Talk, with its eight minute run time, is a joyous celebration of the fact that all fights can be forgiven.
In catapulting himself and his experiences into his songs, Stevens brands them with such a sense of familiarity that you want to keep them as your own. Knowing that this record was crafted in the throes of grief and that he was not only willing to channel these songs, but share them, makes them all the more astounding.
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