The Age of Adz (pronounced Odds) is an upcoming album by Sufjan Stevens to be released October 12, 2010, by Asthmatic Kitty Records. It is Stevens' first song-based full length album in five years. According to Asthmatic Kitty, the album will feature a heavy use of electronics, augmented by heavy orchestration and will not have any conceptual underpinning. The album's title is a reference to the apocalyptic artwork of schizophrenic artist Royal Robertson. <Wikipedia>.
The Age of Adz (pronounced “odds”) differs from Stevens’ previous works in its lack of conceptual underpinnings. The album relinquishes the songwriter’s former story-telling techniques for more basic proclamations unhindered by concepts: there are few narrative conceits or character sketches, no historical panoramas, no civic gestures, no scene, setting, conflict, resolution or denouement. Rather, the themes developed here are neither historical nor polemical, but rather personal and primal: love, sex, death, disease, illness, anxiety and suicide all figure in the songwriting.
The title The Age of Adz is a reference to the apocalyptic art of Royal Robertson (1930—1997), a Louisiana-based sign-maker (and self-proclaimed prophet) who suffered from schizophrenia. Robertson’s work depicts his vivid dreams and visions of space aliens, futuristic automobiles, eccentric monsters and signs of the Last Judgment. Portions of Stevens’ album use Robertson’s work as an idealistic springboard and a selection of Robertson’s drawings (his primary media were poster board, magic marker, and glitter) appear throughout the album art.
Sufjan Stevens
