The BQE

What if Miles Davis had experimented with acid jazz? Or if Beethoven had written an entire symphony for the pan flute? What if Jimmy Page decided he'd gotten too good at this guitar thing and went on to only ever play the pipe organ? That's kind of what Sufjan's foray into soundtrack music feels like. The BQE is Stevens' soundtrack to his movie of the same title. From what Pitchfork describes the film as,"an audiovisual three-ring circus, with 16-millimeter video screening images of the roadway while costumed female hula hoopers gyrated in the foreground," I can't imagine how this dull piece of work fits into it. Yes, it's excellent soundtrack music. Yes, it's technically proficient. Yes, it's great background noise. "Party in the USA" is great prepubescent girl music but I don't want to listen to a Miley Cyrus record. It's not what I want to hear Sufjan produce. He has an extremely rare gift with words. This is the man that wrote a song that made you feel as depraved as a man who killed little boys in a clown costume, and he's writing orchestra music? Is Paul Simon remembered for his experiment with African music in Graceland? (No really, is he? Cause I pretty much only remember him for getting "Mrs. Robinson" stuck in my head for weeks at a time.) Sufjan- I love you. I want to support you in everything that you do. But you're really pushing my luck. Between Run Rabbit Run, this, and your music for insomniacs CD with your Step-dad I really don't know what to do with you. I could have excused one or two, especially if there was a Rhode Island or a Two Turtle Doves CD to look forward to.

I guess we just have to deal with the fact that Sufjan is too creatively endowed to be restrained to silly words and wish him the best in his pursuit of musical satisfaction.