Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs
Seven Swans isn’t just one of my favorite Sufjan Stevens albums (up there with Illinois and Carrie & Lowell), it’s one of my favorite albums period. It’s hard to come across another recording that’s as reflective, spiritual, melodic and deeply personal. As the opener, “All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands” became an altar call for a new, pioneering musical expression.
The unique sound of “All the Trees” and the entire Seven Swans album is a musical paradox. It takes the banjo — an instrument typically used to accentuate energy, fast tempos and a sense of celebration — and turns it on his head. Sufjan used his slow, meandering banjo strums to create an aura of meditative reflection and slow down the tempo to a near halt. It’s not just about a spiritual experience. It’s a spiritual experience in itself. The banjo seems to capture murmurs straight from the heart.
““I am joining all my thoughts to you. And I'm preparing every part for you.”