Brooklyn-based string quartet Osso performed a selection of songs from their album Run Rabbit Run at 21c last night. The album is a re-envisioning of Sufjan's obscure second album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, an advent garde instrumental electronica project which has eluded the mainstream success of his other albums. If it sounds just crazy enough to work, it's because it does. The exceptional musicianship and clever arranging of each song captured my attention immediately and almost made me forget that Sufjan didn't show up like he was suppose it. The chaotic dissonance of "Year of the Monkey" was a befitting foil to the delicate aura of "Year of Our Lord". "Year of the Dragon" was as imaginative as it was energetic and "Year of the Boar" was a compelling climax to the set. Osso's musical flexibility was beautifully demonstrated by the accompaniment of opener DM Stith.
The BQE was a fascinating but frustrating film. Visually and musically it encapsulated Sufjan's meticulous attention to detail in the midst of lavish grandeur. The continual use of mirrored images towards the end felt repetitive, but the rather absurd (and completely unexpected) electronic overture reminded me why I feel in love with Sufjan's music in the first place.
However, many fans will be left hypothesizing about how many states he could have covered in the year and a half he spent on this film.
1 comment:
"..almost made me forget that Sufjan didn't show up like he was supposed to..." Don't be such a Bitterworth, Butter. :) jk.
Did you see the shoes on wires shots? Ahhh...Sufjan and his sneakers.
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