A Sun Came
| A Sun Came | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover to the initial release | ||||
| Studio album by Sufjan Stevens | ||||
| Released | June 13, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1998 ("Joy! Joy! Joy!" – 2001, "You Are the Rake" – 2004) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 72:18 / 78:43 (reissue) | |||
| Label | Asthmatic Kitty | |||
| Producer | Sufjan Stevens | |||
| Sufjan Stevens chronology | ||||
| ||||
| 2004 reissue cover | ||||
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A Sun Came is the debut folk rock album by Sufjan Stevens, released in 2000 on Asthmatic Kitty. It was reissued four years later. Among Stevens' back catalog, A Sun Came is notable for being recorded on four-track.
Thematic elements
As noted in AllMusic review of the album, the album explores many types of ethnic music from throughout the globe, ranging from Celtic, Indian, Middle Eastern, Moroccan, Far Eastern and American folk music. The record as a whole was dubbed indie folk,[1] indie rock,[2] Celtic folk, Celtic rock,[3] alternative rock,[4] and lo-fi[5] by different professional music critics.
Stevens himself has described the album's sound as incorporating "traditional pop music, medieval instrumentation with Middle Eastern inflections, tape loops, digital samples, literary vocals, manic percussion, woodwinds, sitar, amp distortion and Arabic chants."[6]
Like many Stevens's albums that would follow, A Sun Came features a multitude of instruments ranging from banjo, sitar, oboe and xylophone. In total the album features Stevens playing fourteen instruments.[7]
Recording
Stevens originally recorded the bulk of the album in Holland, Michigan in 1998, with some post-editing performed at Hope College Recording Arts Center—the short track "Godzuki" was recorded by his siblings in 1981 and recorded by their stepfather Lowell Brams. "Joy! Joy! Joy!" was recorded for the 2001 re-release and "You Are the Rake"—a reworking of "Rake"—was recorded for the 2004 re-release.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Pitchfork | (6.0/10.0) [9](re-release) |
Track listing
All tracks written by Sufjan Stevens.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Are What You Say" | 5:20 |
| 2. | "A Winner Needs a Wand" | 5:44 |
| 3. | "Rake" | 2:48 |
| 4. | "Siamese Twins" | 0:15 |
| 5. | "Demetrius" | 6:01 |
| 6. | "Dumb I Sound" | 5:48 |
| 7. | "Wordsworth's Ridge" | 4:54 |
| 8. | "Belly Button" | 0:09 |
| 9. | "Rice Pudding" | 2:24 |
| 10. | "A Loverless Bed (Without Remission)" | 6:17 |
| 11. | "Godzuki" | 0:36 |
| 12. | "Super Sexy Woman" | 2:42 |
| 13. | "The Oracle Said Wander" | 5:39 |
| 14. | "Happy Birthday" | 2:45 |
| 15. | "Jason" | 6:10 |
| 16. | "Kill" | 4:26 |
| 17. | "Ya Leil" | 5:38 |
| 18. | "A Sun Came" | 2:11 |
| 19. | "Satan's Saxophones" | 2:31 |
Total length: |
72:18 | |
| Reissue Bonus Tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 20. | "Joy! Joy! Joy!" | 3:23 |
| 21. | "You Are the Rake" | 3:02 |
Total length: |
78:43 | |
Personnel
- Sufjan Stevens – oboe, English horn, piano, electric organ, electric piano, banjo, acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, recorders, wood flute and whistles, drum kit, percussion, shakers, sleigh bells, tambourine, cymbal, singing, layout, art design, arrangement, mixing, production
- John Baker at Maja Audio Group – remastering (2004 edition)
- Stephen Halker – paintings
- Katrina Kerns – vocals on "You Are the Rake"
- Jesse Koskey – drum beats on "Rice Pudding" and "A Loverless Bed (Without Remission)"
- Leah Michaelson – photography
- Matt Morgan – guitar solo on "Demetrius" and "The Oracle Said Wander"
- Megan Smith – vocals on "You Are the Rake"
- Shannon Stephens – vocals on "A Winner Needs a Wand"
- Djohariah Stevens – performance on "Godzuki"
- Marzuki Stevens – guitar on "A Loverless Bed (Without Remission)", percussion on "Super Sexy Woman", tenor saxophone on "Satan's Saxophones", and performance on "Godzuki"
- Ghadeer Yasser – vocals on "Demetrius" and "Ya Leil"
References
- ↑ "Sufjan Stevens Run Rabbit Run + The BQE (CD/DVD)". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ↑ "Sufjan Stevens A Sun Came". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ↑ "Sufjan Stevens A Sun Came". Exclaim!. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ↑ "Sufjan Stevens Enjoy Your Rabbit". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ↑ "Sufjan Stevens The BQE [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ↑ asthmatickitty.com Archived July 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ www.pitchforkmedia.com
- ↑ AllMusic review
- ↑ Pitchfork review