Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens

The Avalanche (Asthmatic Kitty)

Saul Bellow wrote, "I feel that art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos," which is an appropriate metaphor for what Sufjan Stevens has accomplished on this "outtakes and extras" follow-up to last year's unspeakably excellent Illinois. An avalanche is the epitome of chaos, but when it's over, there's silence and an eerie peace, much like this Avalanche, which is all over the place musically but never loses the singer-songwriter's jaw-dropping vision. From the gentle sway of the opening title track, the force of nature gets off to a quiet start, but by the time we get to "The Perpetual Self," with its infectious boom-crash chorus, we're riding alongside Stevens like Slim Pickens astride a warhead. The marching-band intro to "Adlai Stevenson," a joyful paean to the former Illinois governor and failed presidential hopeful, is a stroke of genius that harks back to the less plugged-in time of the great orator's era. The stillness comes, appropriately, with the ethereal music-box send-off, "The Undivided Self," which swirls slowly into a kernel of pure sound before chiming out altogether, yet lingering in the air before dissipating altogether. Stillness in the midst of chaos. Simply breathtaking.