{"id":39771,"date":"2006-05-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-05-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/greetings-from-michigan-the-great-lakes-state\/"},"modified":"2006-05-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-05-25T00:00:00","slug":"greetings-from-michigan-the-great-lakes-state","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/greetings-from-michigan-the-great-lakes-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lakes State"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Note to Sufjan Stevens: If you’re going to record an
\nalbum about my home state, you’d better make it good, since
\nMichigan has a rich history of musical talent.<\/p>\n

I was intrigued when Stevens, who is from Michigan,
\ndecided to record a 15-track collection devoted to his and my home
\nstate. It’s his third disc and the first of his ambitious 50-state
\nproject (to date, he’s only written about two states). After all,
\ncould Stevens sum up the rich diversity and history of the state in
\njust one disc?<\/p>\n

Turns out he can, but this music is so rustic and
\nlow-key that one would think Michigan is the most depressed state
\nin the union. Instead of celebrating the state, Stevens writes odes
\nto the unemployed in Flint, the homeless in Muskegon and the widows
\nin Paradise (a tiny Upper Peninsula town).<\/p>\n

Most of the disc has a backwoods folk appeal, using
\nrustic guitars, woodwinds, light backup singers and banjo, most of
\nwhich Stevens plays himself. Michigan has an interesting folk music
\nscene, which Stevens taps into here, and the end result is often
\nhaunting, depressing and complex, equal parts love letter and
\nmournful elegy.<\/p>\n

Stevens mainly focuses on how great Michigan used to
\nbe and how it can achieve greatness again. The opener “Flint (For
\nThe Unemployed And Underpaid)” is a stark piano ballad about the
\nformerly great city (“Since the first of June \/ Lost my job and
\nlost my room \/ I pretend to try \/ Even if I tried alone”). “All
\nGood Naysayers” is a bit perkier but the lyrics make no sense,
\nwhile “For The Widows…” is an ode to widows in Paradise and
\nfathers in Ypsilanti (no, I don’t know why either). Stevens uses
\nonly a banjo and some horns on this one, beneath lyrics like “Is
\nthere some idea to replace my life \/ Like a father to impress \/
\nLike a mother’s mourning dress \/ If you ever make a mess, I’ll do
\nanything for you.”<\/p>\n

The sadness is made worse by Steven’s hushed, smoky
\nvoice, which makes the occasional bright spots that much better, as
\non the love letter “Say Yes! To Michigan,” a slogan the state
\nadopted in the 80s. “Still, I never meant to go away \/ I was raised
\nin this place \/ Still I often think of going back \/ To the farms,”
\nhe says, sounding like he means it. “Tahquamenon Falls” is a nice
\ninstrumental piece as well, using bells and other percussion to
\ncreate the mood.<\/p>\n

“The Upper Peninsula” sounds good but the lyrics
\ndon’t fit the song, singing about the despondency of a family with
\nno money or hope, while “Holland” is a pleasant acoustic piece
\nabout a teenage summer. “Romulus” has a slight John Mayer feel but
\nthe lyrics are a sad “ode” to Stevens’ mother (“We saw her once
\nlast fall \/ Our grandpa died in a hospital gown \/ She didn’t seem
\nto care \/ She smoked in her room and colored her hair \/ I was
\nashamed, I was ashamed of her.”<\/p>\n

The emotional and lyrical centerpiece here is
\n“Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head,” an eight-minute elegy about the
\nonce-proud Motown. Opening with horns and bells, the song shifts
\ninto a swinging folk sound, while Stevens alternates between
\nlamenting the city (“Once a great place \/ Now a prison”) and
\nrattling off a list of fond memories while overdubbed vocals
\nquietly back him up. The piece closes with a church organ solo and
\na sustained single synthesizer note.<\/p>\n

Some of the tracks don’t have anything to do with
\nMichigan, so Stevens just inserts random cities in the titles,
\nwhile the closing “Vito’s Ordination Song” sounds like an ode to a
\nbrother or son. The bonus track “Marching Band” sounds like the
\nrest of the disc and is nothing special.<\/p>\n

With this release, Stevens shows his idiosyncratic
\nlyrics and debt to folk music, as well as effectively professes
\nlove for his home state. But the lyrics are too obtuse or sad to
\nreally resonate at times, and set to the somewhat happy music are
\neven more cryptic. The project sounds more like Stevens is getting
\nmemories and personal demons off his back while letting the rest of
\nthe state knows he cares about it, but in doing so he fails to
\ninclude the positive side and the rich history (both musical and
\notherwise) Michigan is known for.<\/p>\n

Still, for a haunting indie-folk sound that most
\nartists aren’t making anymore, you can’t go wrong with Stevens.
\nJust avoid listening to it on a rainy day, and believe me when I
\nsay Michigan is not nearly as bleak and depressed as Stevens thinks
\nit is.<\/p>\n

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