The Word On... Sufjan stevens, The BQE

Friday 23 October 2009 00:00 BST
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"Sufjan's first foray into the classical realm... 'The BQE' is a great addition to the his catalogue, not simply for its novelty, but for its quality as well. It isn't likely to satiate fans' hunger for a true 'Illinoise' follow-up, however." - creative deconstruction.com

"Other than a few unfortunate moments, and the lack of Stevens' vocal input – one can't help but miss his delicate voice and wistful wordplay – 'The BQE' is a lushly extravagant score that merges quite easily into his grand catalogue." - Ryan Helfand, musicomh.com

"There are moments throughout – especially the wing-fluttering woodwind and strings that punctuate the entire record – that are quintessentially Sufjan Stevens, but this is still miles away from records like 'Seven Swans' and his two State records." - bbc.co.uk/music

"It works best on a purely musical level: as with most of Stevens' albums, 'The BQE' is best listened to in complete ignorance of the track titles, packaging, or even professed subject matter. The music speaks best when it speaks for itself." - dustedmagazine.com

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