Here is the latest batch of reviews of the Lonely Man Of Winter listening parties.

The Lonely Man of Winter: The 405

Alec has no immediate plans of publicly releasing the song, us privileged elite of uber-hip individuals(!) are four of the few who will be able to cherish Sufjan’s haunting, cold-weather carol… I hope Alec never publicly releases the song…ever…and if it’s any consolation to the crybaby Sufjan fans: if you’ve heard one Sufjan Steven’s song, you’ve heard them all…EXCEPT FOR THIS GORGEOUS ONE.

Sufjan And Strangers: Sarah Nelson Wright

I have to admit I was not particularly moved by the notion that the internet’s openness had somehow demeaned the value of music… We then listened to the song on headphones twice and concluded by snapping a group picture… It was a beautiful song. As one attendee put it, “book Sufjan.”

B-SIDE HIGH – story of a secret sufjan stevens song soiree: Maha Is A State Of Mind

I wonder what everyone else is thinking as they listen and my thoughts are idly carried away with the looping guitar, with each broken chord building, I find myself torn between surprise and falling into the beauty of the song, it is gorgeous. It is sombre, it is reflective, it is poignant. I was expecting cutting-room-floor. But there is no Christmas gimmick, no half-hearted D, Am, Cmaj7 and sleigh bells twinkle in later to whisper to me that the magic is ending.

Of course, there have been critics of this approach; far flung fans who may never hear the song, bloggers with envy… I might have said the same if I hadn’t been fortunate enough to attend a listening session… The evening was priceless; and my advice to those who are still sore, for everything else there’s mastercard.

A Special Sufjan Afternoon: Stupidfresh

While I was listening to it for the second time, I thought, “How cool! The baby can supposedly hear things now and is going to hear this song, too.” Then I realized that the baby probably wouldn’t hear it because it was in my headphones. After the song was over, I sheepishly asked the favor to play the song one more time while the headphones were on my belly. Alec happily agreed, and the baby got a listening party all to itself!

Review – Sufjan Stevens – The Lonely Man Of Winter: One for The Good Days

In one word: Blissful.

The tune begins in book Sufjan fashion and never strays, only in that Sufjan himself sings a number of harmonic backing vocals, a rarity if my memory of his catalogue serves me correct. A solo piano steps into frame and is quickly joined by a pair of lovely “Casimir Pulaski/The Predatory Wasp…” styled acoustic guitars… The song continues to dense up and subsequently loosen itself in cycles, with vocals, guitar and piano trading stereo field positions, like snowflakes slaloming to the ground.The song concludes with a beautiful solo piano outro, a chance for Sufjan to show off the fact that he is not only a prolific lyricist but also a competent and talented composer/musician.

February 28th, 2009 one good naysayer

Entry Filed under: Listening Parties, Songwriting