Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens's 1999 debut album gets bumped up from lo- to mid-fi here, thanks to a 2004 remastering by the Asthmatic Kitty label. For the Sufjan novice, this is a fine place to start, as it features a wide arrays of sounds, including post-prog wooden flutes and recorders, flanged vocals, fuzz guitar, and even quirky sing-alongs (a trademark of Stevens's future frequent collaborator Brother Danielson).
Gentle piano and acoustic guitar refrains take the sting out of this all-over-the-music-map travelling, soothing the soul on "Dumb I Sound", "Wordsworth's Ridge", and the title track. "A Loverless Bed (W/out Remission)" is so sweet that its wah-wah guitar would sound at home on Tommy James & the Shondells' "Crimson & Clover". "Kill" is softer than an Elliott Smith tune, and Stevens earns his banjo wings on "Happy Birthday". Goofball hijinks like "Super Sexy Woman", "Jason", and the dissonant "Satan's Saxophones" recall early Beck, and help make this sprawling epic of an album sound deceptively cheeky at first, but rest assured, a wondrous and emotionally moving world reveals itself on repeat listens. For fans, the blend of beauty and noise on bonus track "Joy! Joy! Joy!" alone is worth making the upgrade.
