Description
Smart R&B makeover for indie hero…he’s certainly been his own man & moved around across all kinds of genres through his nearly 20 year recording career. From folk tinged singer-songwriter to electronica, various collaborations, sometimes a soundtrack… pretty much doing what he wanted when he wanted – before the surprising indie-folk face of 2015’s Carrie & Lowell.
Five years on and, yes, another hard left. The Ascension feels closer to the alt. R&B of How To Dress Well or even Troye Sivan’s more cerebral moments, all blissed-out ballads and lush production before the 80s R&B kicks in – figuring throughout but somehow not overtaking Stevens’ tender vocals. Lyrics are as erudite as fans might expect but while there may be many a deep navel-gaze into the integrity of the human condition and the threat of the 12-minute closing track called ‘America’, this is an unashamedly POP! album with hooks everywhere – Tell Me You Love Me, Video Game and Landslide are all bangers and, well, so are the other 12. A joyous blend of fun and sonic smarts with the talent that Stevens has been peddling for nearly 20 years to glue them together, this feels like a fresh start in a career that didn’t exactly need one. Somehow, a wonderful surprise.
