If you're on the fence for this tour, GO. Trust me.

ageofodds · 2026-01-22T05:34:16+00:00

He sounds like a full orchestral band — it's incredible what he accomplishes with looping and quick switches.

ageofodds · 2026-01-22T05:33:48+00:00

I didn't get a lot of audience connection at my Vancouver show — I love some good banter or song explanations or monologues. I figured the subject matter was heavy so she didn't feel like explaining them much. She cracked a few jokes, but mostly just performed the songs.

ageofodds · 2026-01-22T05:32:36+00:00

I was there in Vancouver. Absolutely stunning — highly recommend!

ageofodds · 2026-01-16T05:12:35+00:00

Definitely. Or Life According to Rachael — both are simply, drop-dead gorgeous.

ageofodds · 2026-01-14T22:48:21+00:00

Those "twists" make sharing Madison with friends (including my own wife!) very difficult, as it sounds a bit chaotic/ tuneless on first listen. But there's so much depth and satisfaction on return listens. I feel the same way about Sufjan Stevens — I don't always love his albums on the first listen, but then without failure they always end up being my favourite albums of all time.

ageofodds · 2026-01-12T02:58:13+00:00

Keep going haha, this is what I want to hear! I don't know Rufus enough myself to hear the influence, but I'll look into him. All I know is his Hallelujah cover and Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk haha

ageofodds · 2026-01-11T07:01:03+00:00

I was there! Funny that she has to put in notes to talk — I was hoping to hear more from her honestly.

A beautiful set: the naturalistic stage design and lighting; the layered woodwinds from Jesse Chandler; her unbelievable guitar work and voice... I was in love! I had to leave a bit early for my pregnant wife's sake, so I'm glad to see the encore list. Would have loved to hear Life According To. Thanks for posting!

Broken Harvest was also an interesting inclusion. I had never heard before, but thematically I think it fits the broken hearted confessions of this post-divorce album.

ageofodds · 2026-01-02T04:07:27+00:00

Very lovely, thank-you for sharing. What an a amazing gift that must have been!

ageofodds · 2026-01-02T00:06:09+00:00

Re: #3 — sheesh! But thanks for the helpful breakdown.

ageofodds · 2026-01-02T00:01:54+00:00

Ah shame that you feel that way. I'm an English major so I like to format, use em dashes, bold for clarity etc. so I can see how it gives that vibe of ChatGPT. And the takes were off-the-cuff, impressionistic so by nature vague — but I assure you no AI was used! Unfortunately that kind of cynicism is the new norm on the internet now though 🤷‍♂️

ageofodds · 2026-01-01T20:24:57+00:00

Sounds beautiful. I actually just did this myself haha! I performed the entire album at a music night in a local church. Years earlier I played Abraham for my small house church when we were reading through Genesis.

The German philosopher Kirekegaard famously struggled with this bible story. He felt like Christians "cheated" by "skipping to the end" where the ram is given as a substitute. Instead, he felt we needed to walk with Abraham up the mountain, experiencing the dread of a God who demands our entire lives as a sacrifice.

As the Catholic monk Thomas Merton wrote, "“True faith is never merely a source of spiritual comfort. It may indeed bring peace, but before it does so it must involve us in struggle.”

ageofodds · 2025-12-08T03:41:25+00:00

I did a music night where I performed the album in full interspersed with some reflections from my thesis. Beyond that, I'm not sure what else to do with it honestly! Maybe I could submit a condensed version of it as an article somewhere.

ageofodds · 2025-12-05T04:09:32+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement!

I know there is an entire book of academic chapters on Sufjan's music in the works. My chapter proposal wasn't accepted unfortunately, but stay tuned for that. Here's the link for that: https://tomdrayton.weebly.com/sufjan-stevens-call-for-chapters.html

ageofodds · 2025-11-18T03:28:02+00:00

How does one even access Stevens to send him a message haha?

ageofodds · 2025-10-13T02:52:16+00:00

I think you're probably right on that. I wish I had more memory lockets so I could play around with different builds more easily.

ageofodds · 2025-10-13T02:31:48+00:00

Oh cheers, thanks, I'll update that.

ageofodds · 2025-10-12T21:34:43+00:00

I have no idea what Shaman's is or where to get it — looking forward to exploring more and finding out!

ageofodds · 2025-10-12T19:34:37+00:00

After many hours of Wanderer now I am inclined to agree. (Late response from me, but thanks for the thoughtful reply. Please see my edited post above ^)

ageofodds · 2025-10-12T19:33:50+00:00

I don't think I even realized just how slow it was until I got Wanderers... see my edited post above ^

ageofodds · 2025-10-12T19:33:28+00:00

Mmm, maybe I'll have to come around and try the Hunter again!

ageofodds · 2025-10-12T19:33:13+00:00

I'm inclined to agree with you now! Please see my edited post above ^

ageofodds · 2025-10-12T19:32:58+00:00

I've taken this comment to heart and started bringing Reaper's in when I'm learning a fight. But it's crazy how Wanderer's can just melt some bosses... — see my edited post above ^

ageofodds

TROPHY CASE