# Album of the Week: ‘Silver & Gold’ Box Set by Sufjan Stevens, Volumes 6-10 of ‘Songs For Christmas’

- Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2012/11/album-of-the-week-sufjan-stevens-silver-gold-box-set-volumes-6-10/
- Published: 2012-11-18T22:22:21-05:00
- Author: Max Hammer

**Sufjan Stevens**, the prolific songwriter and musician behind amazing albums like_
[Michigan](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S59RQK?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000S59RQK&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)_,_
[Illnoise](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S56R1I?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000S56R1I&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)_,
and _[The Age of Adz](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0043X7WLA?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0043X7WLA&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)_,
is unlike any other musician of the modern age when it comes to Christmas songs.
With the release Tuesday of yet another box set of Christmas songs, titled _Silver&
Gold_, Stevens has now recorded and released two box sets containing 10 volumes 
of more than 100 songs.

As with the first _[Songs for Christmas](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B000WB2E60?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000WB2E60&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
_box set, some of the songs are Stevens’ original, unique style of Christmas and
holiday songs, while others are cover versions, or renditions, of traditional Christmas
and holiday songs, from “Upon a Midnight Clear,” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”
to “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”

Nearly six years after releasing his now famous (at least in the ‘indie’ world) 
_Songs for Christmas_ box set, the prolific Sufjan Stevens has, together with his
record label, Asthmatic Kitty, has dropped yet another Christmas box-set extravaganza,
_Silver & Gold_. The box set features Vols. 6-10, a compilation of 5 EPs of Christmas
type songs recorded between 2006 and 2010.

Asthmatic Kitty, Stevens’ record label, wrote in a press release: “_Silver & Gold_
is a generous document of five more years of holly-jolly jubilee—Christmas caroling,
sleigh-bell-ringing, collaborative songwriting—undertaken by Sufjan and his various
musical cohorts.” Apparently the EPs were originally intended as holiday gifts for
family and friends, but they were eventually “re-mixed and re-assembled for the 
public.” The box set includes the five EP’s as well as Christmas stickers, lyric
sheets, temporary tattoos, photos and illustrations, liner notes, chord charts, 
a paper ornament, an “apocalyptic pull-out poster.” One of the tracks from the box
set that has had a high circulation is “Mr. Frosty Man.” (Note: Initially, we incorrectly
included a mislabeled song. Apologies.)

[ “Mr. Frosty Man”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/mrfrosty-sufjan.mp3)–**
Sufjan Stevens** from _Songs for Christmas: Silver & Gold (Vols. 6-10)_ ([MP3](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y2JIOE?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009Y2JIOE&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
or [CD](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009KXRW5O?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009KXRW5O&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
editions)

#### Recent Stevens’ Musical Direction Heavily Influences _Silver & Gold_

Interestingly, there are style elements of _BQE_ and _The Age of Adz_ sprinkled 
throughout _Silver & Gold_ on songs like “Particle Physics,” which seems a bit out
of place as do other songs like “Alphabet St.” and “Up On The House Top.” Another
song that sounds like it could have come from _Adz_, at least the first half of 
it, is “Carol of St. Benjamin The Bearded One.” Altogether, the experimentation 
aspects of the box set largely pay off, even with the nearly 13-minute track, “Christmas
Unicorn,” that contains repetitious lyrics and slowly builds up into a crescendo
of sprawling orchestration and glorious choral flourishes. Other examples of tracks
that stem from the Stevens’ electronic interests of recent years include “X-Mas 
Spirit Catcher,” “Christmas Face,” “Happy Karma Christmas,” and “Christmas Woman.”
Yet, in their own way, these songs fit on a Steven’s project, and will be most appreciated
by fans of more recent albums like _BQE_ and _The Age of Adz_.

[“X-Mas Spirit Catcher”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/06.%20X-Mas%20Spirit%20Catcher1.mp3)–**
Sufjan Stevens** from _Songs for Christmas: Silver & Gold (Vols. 6-10)_ ([MP3](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y2JIOE?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009Y2JIOE&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
or [CD](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009KXRW5O?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009KXRW5O&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
editions)

For people who just can’t stand hearing the same old classic Christmas tunes from
Bing Crosby, Elvis, Perry Como, and others, Stevens and his numerous collaborators
offer a terrific collection of alternatives. Many of the renditions of classic Christmas
and holiday songs like “Let It Snow,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” and “Silent Night”
to name a few, are largely family-friendly and stay true to the original, as much
as such repackaged songs can in 2012. In these cases, the results are acceptable(
and we tested it) to all age groups, from the youngest children with the spirit 
of Christmas in their hearts and a twinkle in their eyes to their grandparents who
remember when Christmas was much simpler and innocent many years ago. Stevens and
his back up chorus singers have done a commendable job in preserving, for the most
part, the traditional elements of the classic Christmas and holiday songs, especially
those that are religious in origin.

Related Post:  Team Genius Release New LP, 'Songs of New York,' After Dropping Three
EPs in a Matter of Weeks

[“We Need A Little Christmas”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/05.%20We%20Need%20A%20Little%20Christmas.mp3)–**
Sufjan Stevens** from _Songs for Christmas: Silver & Gold (Vols. 6-10)_ ([MP3](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y2JIOE?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009Y2JIOE&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
or [CD](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009KXRW5O?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009KXRW5O&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
editions)

[“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/02.%20Santa%20Claus%20Is%20Coming%20to%20Town.mp3)–**
Sufjan Stevens** from _Songs for Christmas: Silver & Gold (Vols. 6-10)_

![sufjanxmassongs](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/sufjan-xmas-via-
paste.jpg)

#### Perhaps Too Much Electronic Experimentation for a Christmas Album

On the other hand, there are some traditional Christmas songs that Stevens heavily
experiments with, and not always successfully, such as the semi-chaotic rendition
of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” the heavily electro dance tinged “Do You Hear
What I Hear,” a remixed version of “Jingle Bells,” and the ‘Star Wars’ version, 
practically unlistenable “Joy To The World,” that fail to truly represent the original
compositions, instead opting for complex constructions, a heavy relevance on sound
effects that don’t necessarily work, odd bass-driven, lo-fi segmentation, splices
of dub step and drum machine beats. That said, such forays into the world of unapologetic
electronic experimentation are likely to be main draws of _Silver & Gold_ for fans
of experimental electro and dub-step genres. Still, such songs, which are dispersed
throughout the five discs, do interrupt the flow in spots where the listening experience
is an otherwise family-friendly affair.

_Silver & Gold_ also contains some religious traditional Christmas songs, although
most of them last for less than two minutes. One example is “Hark The Herald Angels
Sing,” on which the well-known chorus is wonderfully executed, and it’s an overall
good rendition, but it also includes some odd instrumentation, and a noticeable 
looseness in the production that is clearly a departure. But the majority of religious
renditions in the box set stay true to tradition, and sound like they would in church,
like “Lift Up Your Heads Ye Mighty Gates,” “Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light,”“
How Shall I Fitly Greet Thee?” and “Ah Holy Jesus,” among others. For the most part,
Stevens plays it safe with the religious songs, perhaps reflecting his religious
convictions, or maybe to avoid any controversies of being sacrilegious, or both.
Therefore, from that perspective, his more faith-based fans will likely be very 
satisfied with the results.

#### The Long Songs on _Silver & Gold_

The 15-minute exploration of various soundscapes on “The Child With the Star on 
His Head” has its moments, but would have been a much more powerful and effective
song were it reduced to half that time. It includes a three-minute jam on electric
guitar, an instrument that is rarely heard on _Silver & Gold_. But large swaths 
of the song quite literally sound like an infant pressing random keys and buttons
on a synthesizer, nothing like an end product, if you will. Stevens’ propensity 
to buck convention is always appreciated, and has worked well for him most of the
time.

Related Post:  Recent Releases by DIY Bands Bearskin, Fire at Night, Vague Fears,
Ryan Stephens, The Molters

Other long songs, that some may discover detract too much from the idea of a cohesive
set, include “Do You Hear What I Hear,” a nine-minute cover that is mostly comprised
of more of Stevens’ avant garde experimentation, which more times than we wish, 
sounds like a first take. One of the sets longest songs, “Christmas Unicorn,” is
largely enjoyable, but, like others, would have benefited greatly from a diet – 
i.e., reduced from just shy of 13 minutes to perhaps eight minutes at the most. 
For example, the seven minute-plus “Barcarola (You Must Be A Christmas Tree),” which
harkens back to the style and sound of Stevens’ earliest albums, including the ‘
states’ LP, _Michigan_ and _Illinois_, would probably not be as good as it is if
it where double the length.

[“Christmas Unicorn”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/09.%20Christmas%20Unicorn.mp3)–**
Sufjan Stevens** from _Songs for Christmas: Silver & Gold (Vols. 6-10)_ ([MP3](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y2JIOE?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009Y2JIOE&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
or [CD](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009KXRW5O?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009KXRW5O&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
editions)

“Sleigh Ride” is one of the most experimental and unfocused tracks in the set. It
starts out straight-forward enough for the first 25 seconds, and then launches into
a 30 second swirl of carnival-like music and vintage video game sound effects before
transforming into a fairly conventional chorus, with the exception of a _ Fifth 
Element_-like operatic overlay. During the last 45 seconds of the two and a half
minute track, it switches up again into a mish-mash of slices consisting of aimless
synth experimentation, ambulance sirens, sci-fi infusions, flashes of church bells
ringing that give way to a group of cheering kids, followed by a few seconds of 
a totally unrelated bass riff (that sounds like a new song starting) before the 
final 45-second sonic acid trip winds down and fades away.

There’s no question that some Sufjan fans (as they are more commonly identified 
as) will be intrigued by the earnest experimentation found throughout the newest
box set, but as a whole, there are about a dozen or more songs that could have been
left off of _Silver & Gold_ to make it more streamlined, but we also understand 
that of 58 tracks, not every one is going to be a ‘keeper.’ More is not always better.

There certainly is not one format, style or approach used for Stevens’ original 
songs, or for the traditional Christmas and holiday songs on _Silver & Gold_. Songs
that seem at first to be out of place on a Christmas-themed project, sometimes rise
to the occasion, or are even a welcome reprieve from the dozens and dozens of Christmas
oriented songs. Such is the case with the enjoyable track “Justice Delivers Its 
Death,” that echoes the box set’s title (“Sliver and gold”) over and over, and yet
also seems out.

Related Post:  Best New Releases for Week of March 13 - The Ting Tings, Tiger! Tiger!,
Tribes, The Decemberists, Drowner, Freshkills, Say Anything

Even though it has a conceptual framework based on “Upon A Midnight Clear,” Stevens’
largely original, new track, “A Midnight Clear” is in every way – except for the
title and a couple of lyrics – completely unlike “Upon A Midnight Clear,” and one
of the most tightly-knit, “everybody-friendly” tracks of the box set. The song starts
out with a mandolin and organ in the background, but soon evolves into uptempo choruses
together with instrumental flourishes – awash in waves of orchestrated melodies 
and choral harmonies contrasted (again typical of Stevens’ work) with vocal dubs,
abrupt progressions and shifts in rhythm and pitch, in addition to Stevens’ signature
propensity to suddenly silence all or most of the instruments right during a driving
groove to quiet things down, perhaps to enhance the spotlight on the lyrics and 
vocals.

[“A Midnight Clear”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/04.%20The%20Midnight%20Clear.mp3)–**
Sufjan Stevens** from _Songs for Christmas: Silver & Gold (Vols. 6-10)_ ([MP3](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y2JIOE?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009Y2JIOE&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
or [CD](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009KXRW5O?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009KXRW5O&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
editions)

Often with Stevens’ compositions (since they are often more than songs), only seconds
after the instruments silence or fade to a whimper, he will suddenly ramp it all
back up again with full-blown engagement of a huge variety of instruments, sound
effects and a nearly endless quest to experiment, which many times works, and sometimes,
not often though, doesn’t.

What would have made _Silver & Gold_ even better would have been to organize the
five discs so that all of Stevens’ original songs were on two or three discs, and
all of the traditional Christmas and holiday songs were grouped together on the 
remaining discs. That would have helped a lot so that when someone wants to listen
to only Stevens’ originals, they would be able to easily. We know that for ourselves,
we would have appreciated that option. Sure, with the MP3 version, we can create
segregate the originals and renditions by creating separate playlists, or ‘weed 
out’ the tracks that we deem not to be ‘keepers,’ but with the CD or vinyl editions,
that is practically impossible.

All things considered, _Silver & Gold_ is a gem, especially, again, for fans of 
Stevens, but also for people that are looking for a comprehensive collection of 
traditional Christmas songs (many with a different approach as only Sufjan Stevens
can offer) and new, original songs of orchestral indie pop, electronic music and
rock songs about Christmas and the holidays. The total collection – featuring more
than 100 songs – is not truly comprehensive without Song for Christmas: Vols. 1 –
5, which is available as [one MP3 download](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B000WB2E60?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000WB2E60&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
for only $17.99 via Amazon (which plays on all MP3 players, iTunes and Apple, Android
and Windows phones) and as a [CD box set](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HLDF0O?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000HLDF0O&linkCode=xm2&tag=indroccaf-20)
for only $14.49. The first five volumes, released in 2006, include many wonderful
original and traditional Christmas and holiday (some less holiday-oriented) songs
from one of indie rock’s most prolific and talented musicians.

**Disclaimer**: _All of the songs in this post are for sampling purposes only and
meant to encourage people to buy the entire box set for their own record collection,
to purchase other great Sufjan Stevens’ albums and to see him live in concert. _