LimeWire Music Blog

Time was, Sufjan Stevens was one of the most prolific songwriters out there. Heck, do you remember when he promised to put out an album dedicated to each of the 50 states? He was even composing odes to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. And now…well…do you remember the last time Sufjan put out a regular full-length?

Now, an interview in Exclaim! makes us wonder whether we can ever expect another significant contribution from Stevens. He tells the interviewer:

“I definitely feel like ‘What is the point? What’s the point of making music anymore?’ I feel that the album no longer has a stronghold or has any real bearing anymore. The physical format itself is obsolete; the CD is obsolete and the LP is kinda nostalgic. So, I think the album is suffering and that’s how I’ve always created — I work with these conceptual albums in the long-form. And I’m wondering, what’s the value of my work once these forms are obsolete and everyone’s just downloading music? And I’m starting to get sick of my conceptual ideas. I’m tired of these grand, epic endeavors and wanting to just make music for the joy of making music and having it be immediate and nothing to do with the industry itself, which, y’know is suffering right now of course.”

Stevens also said that his lack of output is the result of a “creative crisis”:

“I’m wondering what am I doing? What is a song even? I’m questioning, what’s the point of a song? Is a song antiquated? Does it have any power any more? The format itself — a narrative song with accompaniment — is really beyond me now.”

Oh man. Honestly, I can see what Stevens is saying. The music world is certainly changing. But I think this is an opportunity for ingenuity, and an independent artist with his talent and popularity can almost certainly still make a go of it. People — especially those who consider themselves Sufjan Stevens fans — are still listening to albums. So, to me, this is more about a personal crisis than an environmental one. Either way, I feel for Sufjan and hope he’s able to come through it.

[via Drowned in Sound]