Album Review | Sufjan Stevens’ Javelin

by Courtney Lucier

Sufjan Stevens’s latest album, Javelin, is quite an emotional listening experience. Somber and melancholy, with a tinge of nostalgia, the album has a long-solo-car-journey kind of vibe, meant for deep reflection and contemplation as to the actual meaning behind the lyrics. While Stevens is usually known for being quiet about his private life, this time he has let us in on the meaning of his new album: a dedication to his recently deceased partner, Evans Richardson.

“He was an absolute gem of a person, full of life, love, laughter, curiosity, integrity, and joy,” Stevens said in his blog sufjan.com. “He was one of those rare and beautiful ones you find only once in a lifetime – precious, impeccable, and absolutely exceptional in every way.”

Knowing the tragedy behind Stevens’s album makes the songs themselves even more heart-breaking. Now, when re-listening to his song “Evergreen” I become highly aware of the simple and subdued piano complementing tragic, grief-stricken lyrics such as “Goodbye, Evergreen / You know I love you / But everything heaven sent / must burn out in the end.” The lyrics not only emphasize the grief associated with the loss of a loved one, but the aching awareness that all good things never last forever. The song ends with the broken notes of a flute, again emphasizing the heartache Stevens feels for the death of his partner.

Similarly, his song “A Running Start” shows the intimacy Stevens has for his lover, as we see in the chorus when he says: “I know, I know the time has come to ask you for a kiss / Don’t go, my lovely pantomime, receive of me my only wish.” The song consists of calming, meditative guitar chords that ironically sound almost cheerful considering the tragic meaning of the song’s lyrics.

Javelin is remarkably different from Stevens’s other albums in that this is the first time he has explicitly come out about his sexuality to his listeners. While in previous songs such as “Mystery for Love” – featured in the LGBTQ+ movie “Call Me By Your Name” – there were hints to his sexuality, this album is an outright confirmation. His songs are also intriguing in that they highlight the unique duality of his Christian faith (as seen in his 2004 album Seven Swans, specifically in the song “Abraham”) and queer/trans relationships (as seen in another Seven Swans song, “To Be Alone with You,” in which Stevens alludes to a man who has given up everything in his life to ‘be alone’ with him). In his new album Javelin, these Christian and LGBTQ+ themes are suggestive in songs such as “There’s a World,” in which he sings that “All God’s children (All God’s children) in the wind (In the Wind) / Take it in and blow real hard.” Through his songs Stevens crafts an identity in which both his sexuality and his religion are not only compatible but interlinked. His songs simply wouldn’t sound the same without this meshing of identities.

Sufjan Steven’s album is like a javelin itself. Once it’s thrown, the emotional impact of it will spear you right in the heart. Through his songs Stevens shares his love and compassion for his deceased partner Richardson and cries out his grief and despair for the tragedy that befell him. This album will pull you through an emotional roller coaster, one that, while tear-jerking, is a privilege to experience.