Sixteen Years On, Sufjan Stevens Still Rewards Patience on The Age of Adz

Sufjan Stevens built The Age of Adz as a bridge between pop and something stranger, and mostly it works. This is a record about memory, technology, and the space between what we feel and what we can say. It runs 74 minutes across 11 tracks, and its longest song runs nearly half an hour longer than any other on it.

Opening With Futile Devices

The record starts with “Futile Devices,” a brief opener that sets the tone before moving straight into “Too Much,” the album’s first real statement. The song builds from quiet piano into a full band swell, and Stevens sings about excess and longing with a voice that strains to reach the chorus. It’s a strong start, and it tells you exactly what kind of record this is going to be.

“Age of Adz” follows, a title track that runs over eight minutes and leans heavily on electronics and spoken-word passages. It’s the kind of song that rewards patience — the middle section is dense and atmospheric, and the final stretch resolves into something closer to a pop melody. It doesn’t quite land the way the shorter tracks do, but it earns its length through texture rather than pure hooks.

The Middle Stretch

“I Walked” is a slow, reflective ballad about movement and distance, and it’s one of the record’s quieter successes. “Now That I’m Older” picks up the pace with a more straightforward rock arrangement, though the lyrics stay personal and abstract. “Get Real Get Right” is the closest the album comes to a conventional anthem, with a driving rhythm and a chorus that feels almost celebratory.

Then comes “Bad Communication,” a short instrumental interlude that functions as a palate cleanser. It’s pleasant but forgettable, a breather before the record’s second major shift.

Vesuvius Through All for Myself

“Vesuvius” is the centerpiece of the middle portion. It’s a song about destruction and renewal, and Stevens layers vocal harmonies over a piano-led arrangement that builds to a climax. It’s ambitious and mostly successful, though the lyrics occasionally lapse into abstraction.

“All for Myself” closes the middle stretch on a more intimate note, a gentle acoustic meditation that serves as a counterpoint to the album’s larger ambitions. It’s a welcome breather, though it doesn’t push the record forward in the way some of the other tracks do.

The Long Closer

“I Want to Be Well” is a six-minute return to form, with a steady rhythm and a chorus that lands with real weight. It’s one of the strongest songs here, and it shows Stevens at his most direct.

Then comes “Impossible Soul,” the record’s closing statement and its longest track by far. It runs over 25 minutes, and it’s the kind of song that either sinks or swims entirely on its own terms. The first half is a patient build, with Stevens singing about love and loss over sparse instrumentation. The second half shifts into something more chaotic, with layered vocals and a driving rhythm that feels almost cathartic. It’s a bold choice, and it pays off more often than it doesn’t.

What Works and What Doesn’t

The record’s strengths are its ambition and its willingness to let songs breathe. Stevens isn’t afraid of long instrumental passages or of letting a melody resolve slowly. The best moments — “Vesuvius,” “I Want to Be Well,” “Get Real Get Right” — are genuinely affecting, and they anchor a record that sometimes struggles to find focus.

The weaker tracks — “Bad Communication,” the second half of “Age of Adz” — feel like filler rather than essential pieces of the puzzle. They’re competent, but they don’t add much beyond padding the runtime.

Track	Length	Strength
Futile Devices	2:11	Opening statement
Too Much	6:44	Ambitious, effective
Age of Adz	8:00	Dense, uneven
I Walked	5:01	Quietly successful
Now That I’m Older	4:56	Solid, not revelatory
Get Real Get Right	5:10	Best chorus on the record
Bad Communication	2:24	Pleasant filler
Vesuvius	5:26	Centerpiece
All for Myself	2:55	Gentle contrast
I Want to Be Well	6:27	Strong closer
Impossible Soul	25:35	Bold, mixed results

Verdict

The Age of Adz is a record that wants to be both intimate and sprawling, and it mostly succeeds at both. The shorter tracks are sharp and focused, while the longer ones give Stevens room to explore. The flaws are real — the filler tracks and the occasional dip in lyrical clarity — but they’re outweighed by the highs.

This is a record that rewards attention, even when it demands patience.

The recordThe Age of Adz Sufjan Stevens11 tracks · 75 min