Signal Boost! is our weekly love letter to all fandoms, be it books, podcasts, indie games, Etsy shops, soundtracks, websites, or events. Come see what wonderful, crazy stuff is out there and connect with a community of fans who knows what it’s like to like the wonderful, crazy, and unknown. Signal Boost! airs every week on both YouTube and Alpha. This week we take a deeper dive into Sufjan Stevens – Boosted By Dave Reynolds.
Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens produces music from deep within the cosmos, ethereal sounds that envelop you via your headphones. Think folk music done with a grand, expansive vision of the universe.
Stephens co-founded the record label Asthmatic Kitty, where his music “mixes autobiography, religious fantasy, and regional history to create folk songs of grand proportions.” This epic focus is found in his discography, which include albums about states (Michigan and Illinois) to a collection of biblical songs (Seven Swans).
He continued his exploration of larger topics on his latest project, a collaborative effort with with Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, and James McAlister called Planetarium. The self-titled album from the band was influenced by the solar system, as evidenced by its track listing: Neptune, Jupiter, Black Hole, and 14 other songs are all similarly titled.
Planetarium was featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where they played the song Mercury. The band recently completed a short tour with stops in Paris, New York, and Los Angeles, and although there are no plans to tour outside of our galaxy, Stevens’ music has already taken his audiences beyond the limits of their imagination.
What otherworldly music is currently in your headspace? Tell us in the comments!
Image Credits: Sufjan Stevens
Ruel Gaviola is a writer and educator based in Southern California. He loves board games, books, cooking, traveling, date nights with his wife, and Star Wars. He reviews games and reports news for iSlaytheDragon.com and his name rhymes with Superman’s Kryptonian name. Follow him on Twitter.