The Welcome Wagon have always been the nicotine gum to my Sufjan craving, keeping me suitably satisfied from one Sufjan release to the next. Sufjan’s fingerprints are all over most WW tracks though they look like his pre-evolution fingerprints, those of a Sufjan still interested in folk. That said, Sufjan produced and played, you know, all the instruments etc on the last Welcome Wagon record but on Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, their second full-length, we see Sufjan deeper in the shadows on banjo, piano and in the (yesssssss) choir. Welcome Wagon’s standing lineup consists of Reverend Thomas Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique. While their probably won’t be any White Stripes antics there’s a genuine output that I like to think is a product of an obviously gentle connection between husband and wife. Look at me getting all soppy over this. Shucks. Listen to this, then apply your ears to But For You Who Fear My Name, still my favourite of their songs in anticipation of the next release.

When the Welcome Wagon released Welcome to the Welcome Wagon they received critical welcome. Pastor Thomas Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique make very accessible, particularly religious Sufjanesque folk music. Sufjan himself produced, arranged and performed on the record so it should be no suprise that it sounds as it sounds. Here’s my favourite track from the record

The Welcome Wagon – But For You Who Fear My Name

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This week the pair released four (semi) new songs for download over itunes with the proceeds going to Freeset, a fair-trade business in India that helps women escape the sex trade in Kolkata so that’s two reasons you should download these tracks.

The Welcome Wagon – I Am Not Skilled To Understand

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Someone recently asked me if I posted about anything but Sufjan anymore and I said, “no.” In an effort to prove that true, here is yet ANOTHER song from Sufjan, this time featuring the vocals of Vesper Stamper. Another new song. For a guy who claimed to be on the verge of calling it quits (someone find me a link to this interview please) he’s had a damn prolific year. An EP, a full length, a Christmas record and now this, a Christmas single recorded for the folks over at Sounds Familyre Records. You can pick up the entire ‘A Familyre Christmas Volume 3′ for free over here.

Give this song the time it needs to ruminate, I’m in love with it. A sort of dirty interformat love between an organism and an mp3. It’s rare enough in nature but right now you’re seeing it in full effect on your computer screen. Let’s hope it doesn’t get messy. As is often the case with Sufjan, if you don’t listen to the full four minutes of this track you won’t hear what you need to hear.

Sufjan Stevens & Vesper Stamper – Up On The Housetop

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[FREE DOWNLOAD]

Up on the housetop, reindeer pause
Out jumps good ol’ Santa Claus
Down through the chimney with lots of toys
All for the little ones, Christmas joys

Merry Christmas.

I have to be quick because I need to be at work in less time than it’ll take me to get this posted so here’s the short summary. Sufjan has five discs worth of Christmas songs, each recorded year by year. He’s just released a brand new Christmas album (he’s had a productive year huh?) that he’s made in collaboration with the Dessner brothers from the National. At the moment I don’t think it can be purchased but you can stream it in it’s entirety right here. Heck, I haven’t even had time to listen to it again so if it’s rubbish (impossible) then I’m sorry (improbable). Go.

[EDIT: This is no longer available. Apologies.]

If you’d like to download his 42 other Christmas tracks for only $12 then click here. I recommend having a listen to Holy, Holy, Holy at the very least.

Today was a special day in Sydney. It was one that saw many celebrating the successful acquisition of tickets to see Sufjan Stevens or losing their mind with rage. Both of these outcomes became manifest at roughly 9:03am on facebook and looked a little something like this:

and this:

One way or another we’re seeing exclamation marks. That’s the sort of passion that the good Sufjan Stevens inspires. He’s been called the best song-writer of the past decade at some point, by someone, which is the sort of high praise that isn’t lazily dished out. After several conference calls Stevens and I decided that the best date for his Sydney festival show would be the 27th of January, dead on my the night of my birthday. We hope that works for you. Anyway, the essence of this message is a big
congratulations to those who scored tickets and even bigger condolences to those who didn’t. Four years ago I saw Sufjan play the State Theatre and it’s stuck with me as one of the best live sets I’ve ever seen.

I understand that there might be a few of you out there that have read through this angry that I’m demanding you know who Sufjan is. If you haven’t heard him, then I’m more than excited to be the conduit through which you’ll receive some life changing sounds.

Sufjan Stevens – For The Widows In Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti

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This is the track that best sums up my experience of Sufjan in both name and sound. The both have changed enormously since this song was put to record seven years ago but you’ll find that out if you’d kindly listen to the track immediately below.

Sufjan Stevens – I Want To Be Well

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This is my favourite from Sufjan’s recently released Age of Adz. You MUST listen to this at a loud volume and you MUST listen the whole way through so you can get to the ending which will toss you about like an emotional hurricane. Sometimes hurricanes get sad. Sometimes they get thoughtful and introspective. Hurricanes are people too.