Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.
Out of the pandemic came Sufjan Stevens’ most prolific recording era. Everything that has happened in the world, in many ways, left him speechless, which led to a comprehensive instrumental project. Convocations is 49 tracks long, representing the five stages of grief. There’s a lot to sink your teeth into there – and a lot to reflect on. But the Meditation series is my favorite because it suited the ambient music approach so well — and I’m especially drawn to “Meditation VI”.
Without any vocals and lyrics, “Meditation VI” and the entire Convocations project takes out one of Sufjan's strengths: storytelling. But in doing so, he invites the listener to explore his emotions — and helps us to examine our own. Like a space-age hymn, “Meditation VI” ushers us into the presence of something far greater than ourselves. It’s the kind of recording that feels like it needs a visual to accompany it. And then we realize that the whole point is Sufjan is inviting his listeners to discover that image on their own.
