“The BQE,” a Strange and Perfect Muse for Sufjan Stevens

The title of The BQE, Sufjan Stevens’ ambitious new multimedia project, stands for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a poorly planned knot of a roadway built in the 1950s. Stevens’ visual and musical rendering imagines the structure as the triumphant feat of human ingenuity it was intended as.

The BQE is, for one, an orchestral suite, commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music and adapted from a 2007 performance at the Howard Gilman Opera House. Now it’s also the soundtrack to Stevens’ homemade film of the same name.

Of course, the package includes all sorts of eclectic goodies, from View-Master disks to a 40-page color comic book. “Maximum” is the word with Stevens, from his early electronic work to the widely lauded orchestral pop of his 2005 offering, Illinois.

Thus the expressway is a strange but perfect muse for the artist. Throughout seven movements, The BQE weaves a day in the life of the roadway, including a tranquil sunrise (“Movement I: In The Countenance of Kings”) and the whirlpool of exits and interchanges (“Movement III: Linear Tableau with Intersecting Surprise”).

The influences (mostly classical) are countless, but Steve Reich looms large over many of the suite’s best moments. In fact, for the first time in his prolific career, Stevens sounds more like a modern composer than a pop star.

Visually, The BQE is devoted to the bleached, tidy aesthetic of any Wes Anderson film. Like the expressway, the hula-hoop serves as bizarre symbol of futility and frivolity. The result is a vibrant, slightly pretentious ode to urban sprawl; it’s a wholly singular work.

So, the entire affair is something of a red herring, but what isn’t with Stevens? “Movement IV: Traffic Shock,” is the prime example; it pairs 8-bit synthesizers with a chorus of flutes for an unexpected thrill. On the heels of an orchestral reworking of his 2001 electronic album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, it’s clear the artist is arranging his past for the purpose of a new weird future.

Company of Thieves Contest

How would you like to win a signed copy of Ordinary Riches,  the debut lp from Company of Thieves.  All you need to do to enter is leave a comment and let us know what your favorite artist or song that you first heard here on IHYEB.  After one week we will pick one lucky commenter at random to receive the signed cd.

If you are unfamiliar with Company of Thieves check out this great Wes Anderson inspired music video.

or you can go here and watch the video interview we did with them back in February.

A few more details about the contest:

Make sure and leave your e.mail address so that we can contact you if you are the winner.  Also this contest is unfortunatly only open to our U.S. readers.  Sorry if that leaves you out, it doesn’t mean we don’t love you. Good luck. Hope your ears are filled with blood.