Sufjan Stevens
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LOUDROCK CANNIBAL CORPSE STIFF AT #1 RETAILUSHER SEATED AT TOP SPOT RPMSQUAREPUSHER STILL AT #1 ISSUE NO. 860 • APRIL 12, 2004 • WWW.CMJ.COM CMJSPOTLIGHT REVIEW SUFJAN MODEST MOUSE GOOD NEWS FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BAD NEWS STEVENS SAYS STUFF TV ON THE RADIO SURROUNDING BRAND NEW #1 AT TOP 200 TOLD YA SO! SEVEN SWANS FINAL SAY KEMADO'S DRAGON, JEFF KAYE TELLS ALL NEWS TO US This just in... iPod popular! More "news" inside! DEERHOOF CORE RADIO'S GOT MILK COUNTER CULTURE: IS APPLETON IMPORTS THINKING OF GETTING INTO APPLETON EXPORTS? ONCMJ AIR Tell us what you think of the music featured on CMJ On Air Vol. 003 and listen win prizes such as MP3 players, CMJ subscriptions, CMJ Music Marathon vote Registrations & more. Everyone Wins Something. win! Go to www.cmj.com/onair for more information With CMJ On Air, music industry professionals: GET INSIGHT! GET AIRPLAY! GET EXPOSED! • Exclusive “slice-able and dice-able” CMJ Jury • The six songs with the highest CMJ Jury results • One free 1/2 page 4-color ad in CMJ New Music Report (issue market research offering valuable feedback from will receive airplay on the weekly CMJ New Music and placement cannot be guaranteed and are provided space permitting – run of book). up to thousands of CMJ’s tastemakers and gatekeepers Report radio program (airing on Sirius Satellite Radio representing a variety of core music industry sectors. (and syndicated to college radio stations across the • One free interactive ad (including album cover, song-title, contact country beginning Autumn 2003.) • One month of CMJ Industry Area data services. information and hyperlink) on the CMJ On Air splash page and on cmj.com. • Music appearing on CMJ On Air will also be • Learn About Radio: Each CMJ On Air volume programmed on Radio CMJ, which reaches a potential • Music appearing on each CMJ On Air volume will also be includes airchecks from influential, cutting-edge of 40 million listeners via Spinner.com and AOL Ver. 9. radio broadcasters. featured on CMJ’s Music On Hold system. BOOKING NOW Vol.004 Deadline: April 9 GET ON CMJ ON AIR: Hits the Street: May 2004 For more information on CMJ On Air please visit www.cmj.com/onair or email Mike Boyle at [email protected]. CMJ Editorial Director Scott Frampton EDITORIAL NEWS TO US e Editor ISSUE 860 Apple Computer Elvis Costello, a.k.a., Mr. Diana Steve Ciabattoni has delayed the international Krall, has signed with Simon And Retail Editor release of its iPod mini, citing a Schuster to write two books. One Gerry Hart stronger demand than expected. called How to Play the Guitar, Sing Associate Editors The mini (a junior 4 gigabyte ver- Loudly and Impress Girls...or Boys Nicole Keiper sion of the 15-40 gig iPods, appar- will provide insights on music mak- Tom Mallon ently created because the original ing while the other will be a sort of Christopher R. Weingarten was a scale-tipping 5.6 ounces… memoir using his lyrics as reference Loud Rock Editor ooof!) was due for wide-spread point. Finally, you’ll be able to con- Amy Sciarretto release in April, but the $249 slim- vince your annoying friend Alison Jazz Editor line jukebox has been pushed to that the song has absolutely nothing to do with her. Tad Hendrickson July to accommodate more than e Producer Rick Rubin is mulling YOU ARE JUST SOOOO CUTE! IPOD MINI RPM Editor 100,000 preorders. e a peace-centric compilation fea- However, France and Germany Justin Kleinfeld If the idea of supersizing your turing tracks from Johnny Cash, later cited Sheryl Crow’s defiant Retail Marketing Director iPod is more appealing than Red Hot Chili Peppers and others. “No War” guitar strap as the rea- Vanessa Bolger downsizing your iPod, you’ll soon able to find something at the bot- Rubin was motivated after the son for staying home. Retail Assistant Editor tom of your Happy Meal besides a 2003 Grammys where he claims e Among the shows the reunited Kory Grow grease stain. Sony’s forthcoming artists were discouraged from American Music Club will per- Contributing Writer Connect online music store is set speaking out against the Iraq war. form will be the 10th Anniversary Brad Filicky to hook up with McDonalds to benefit for the Sweet Relief Interns give away MP3 downloads. Foundation (www.sweetrelief.org) Brad Angle McDonalds will purchase tracks on April 5 in West Hollywood. Traci Reed at a discount and give them away Sweet Relief provides financial Kristin Schall to customers who order specific assistance to musicians for med- Vicki Siolos items off the menu. Hot Fiona ical expenses including alternative Apple Turnover anyone? The therapies (that’s medical marijua- partnership follows the last round na, Cypress Hill!) Jesse Harris, CUSTOMER SERVICE of RIAA lawsuits, which saw the Paula Cole and Concrete Blonde Fulfillment/Business Services arrest of the elusive Hamburgler. are also scheduled to perform. e Manager “Downloading music is illegal,” A year after his arrest for the Brett McNamara said Mayor McCheese, sitting 1993 murder of Gits frontwoman next to his Playland’s urine- Mia Zapata, Jesus C. Mezquia was Customer Service Coordinator More than 600 fans trudged to Easy soaked ball pit. “Musicians lose found guilty of first-degree murder Jason Glastetter Street Records on a rainy Seattle money every day and we at and now awaits sentencing. afternoon to party with Glaswegian e Van Halen announced that it ART McDonalds would never support (we love to say “Glaswegian”) Art Director the idea of someone not getting a Interpol-via-Dismemberment-Plan will do a two-month summer tour, Darcy Doyle fair wage for their hard work!” dance-brooders Franz Ferdinand. reuniting with former vocalist Before the McP3s combine the joy The band did a raucous 45-minute Sammy Hagar; Lone Gary Cherone of music with the fear of mad cow PUBLISHING set which, according to Easy Street fan cries a silent tear. disease, the RIAA will have to deal CEO & Publisher operations manager Bob Major, e The eighth album in 20 years with a virus of its own. RIAA.com Robert K. Haber “had them dancing in the aisles and from sludge stalwarts Neurosis is was victim to the MyDoom.F screaming for more. The in-store Chief Operating Officer set for a June 29 release. Eight virus, causing the site to shut became a venue last night.” Sadly, Jay B. Ziskrout albums in 20 years? They release an down. Man, and you’d think filing the Dennis Franz in-store across the Vice President & General Manager lawsuits against bored, tech-savvy street was vastly under-attended and album about as often as they Mike Boyle college kids would have no reper- plagued by hairy man ass. change chords! (See, they play Director Of Sales cussions! really slow… sigh.) – CW & SC Jon Rayvid SUFJAN STEVENS 6 REVIEWS CONTENTS Around the same time CIRCULATION he was completing 10 RADIO 200 Distribution & Fulfillment Michigan, a masterful indie-tone-poem to his 14 CORE RADIO/ADDS [email protected] home state, Sufjan 917.606.1908 15 RETAIL Stevens had another batch of swan songs 20 GENRE FOCUS CMJ NETWORK, INC. that stirred his soul Robert K. Haber just as deeply. PAGE 4 23 RAM Joanne Abbot Green 27 FINAL SAY 3 CMJ APRIL 12, 2004 Bringing It All Back INTERVIEW BY STEVE CIABATTONIHome • PHOTOS BY DENNY RENSHAW After two records that blended everything from hushed acoustics the music teacher told my mom that if I music. I think you could say the same for any to electronics to middle-eastern played the oboe I’d be the only oboist and I kind of sub-genre like gay rock. I have no flourishes, Stevens made his bold- would get all the solos. It’s the most difficult interest and no skill in proselytizing or evan- instrument to play. My sister took piano les- gelizing or indoctrinating anyone. And that’s est statement with 2003’s sons on this really old upright, really elabo- not my calling and that’s not my role, and I Michigan, an indie rock-Pet rate. It still had the ivory on the keys and find the methods of that to be really offen- Sounds love-letter to his home everything. And so she would practice that sive and I think so many religions have been everyday and I would just listen to her play. misrepresented through offensive measures. state. Stevens hinted he’d work up And I found it so much more romantic and an album for all 50 states, but emotional than the oboe. You know, the It’s as delicate as mixing politics into a oboe is really kind of an uptight instrument. record. instead, his latest, Seven Swans The piano just filled the house and the oboe Yeah. I mean, look at a band like Stereolab. (Sounds Familyre), does some- emptied the house. Everyone ran out. So I Early on, when they were very known for thing different than go around the think I started really listening to what she being politically very Marxist, and having a was doing and she was playing really simple platform. Yet their music was very palatable, country: It heads inward and gets Bach minuets and then when she would very accessible, and very groovy, and very intimate. With help from Daniel leave I would go into the living room and interesting, and musically very sophisticated. sort of try to play what she did just by listen- So I think people are able to listen to that Smith (Danielson Famile) and a ing.