My Two Cents: Avalanche

After two spins of Sufjan Stevens' The Avalanche:
If there's anyone who can release 21 outtakes as a respectable record, it's Sufjan. He's the most ambitious, prolific writer I've had the privilege of (briefly) knowing, much less not knowing. That said, if you have an interest in acquainting yourself with Stevens' work, let me recommend that you begin with another one of his albums (with the exception of Enjoy Your Rabbit). Seven Swans is probably my favorite, but it's much more stripped down than his critically acclaimed Michigan and Illinois projects. After Seven Swans, I like A Sun Came best, the disc I bought in '99 at Jacob's Ladder, the music store I worked at across the street from Hope College, where Sufjan and I once shared an advanced poetry class.