Sufjan Stevens has always made no secret of his Christian faith when writing music, yet Seven Swans stands out as his most directly religious work to date. Particularly striking are its final two tracks — two anthems depicting Christ returning to bring justice and triumph over evil — which speak directly to his listeners’ hearts.
Michigan and Enjoy Your Rabbit were known for their rich arrangements and textures; here they have been pared back for an album that seems more stripped back.
Key of A Major
Seven Swans is an intimate, minimalist album from Sufjan Stevens that removes many of the instruments typically associated with his other work, creating more intimate songs characterized by banjo and acoustic guitar accompaniments. Additionally, Seven Swans features a deeper thematic focus than previous releases; drawing inspiration from religion while telling biblical tales like Abraham’s tale of sacrifice.
This album’s chords were constructed through harmonization of scales, a process involving adding notes separated by third intervals – something we explored further in the Chords section of Theory. As a result, all major and minor degrees from A natural minor scale are represented herein.
BPM of 47
Sufjan Stevens followed up his release of Michigan by toning down his sound for Seven Swans, an album not part of the 50 States series. Filled with lush acoustic compositions and banjo solos, Seven Swans was recorded and produced by Daniel Smith of avant-garde band Danielson Famile.
Seven Swans is Stevens’s most spiritual album to date. Many songs from Seven Swans feature Biblical stories like Abraham’s test of faith or Christ’s transfiguration; its title track features an atmospheric banjo melody with references to Revelation from the Book of Revelation for an unforgettable sound that stands out among countless acoustic folk records.
Capo on the 1st fret
A capo is best used on the first fret of a guitar to alter its key by one whole step (or semitone). So if your chords are in G, placing one here would cause them to be transformed into A chords instead.
Sufjan Stevens has long explored Michigan culture; on Seven Swans he returns to what may have been his initial love in spiritual terms: God. Religious themes can be found throughout this record including songs about Abraham and Christ’s Transfiguration.
Stevens offers a refreshing alternative with this album of banjo-driven tunes.
G
After debuting Michigan as the inaugural installment in his state-inspired albums series, Sufjan Stevens ventured off on an unexpected path with Seven Swans – still exploring American experience while also touching upon religious themes.
Stevens does not shy away from discussing his Christianity on songs like “Abraham” and “Seven Swans”. He recounts biblical tales such as Abraham being ordered to sacrifice his son before an angel intervened to prevent this tragedy from taking place.
Even with such serious subject matter, many of the songs are quite beautiful and minimalistic, featuring an acoustic guitar or banjo along with soft vocals to give a welcoming feeling to this record.
Am
Sufjan’s stripped down music still retains an intimate sound thanks to banjo and acoustic guitar playback on certain songs from Michigan and Enjoy Your Rabbit, lending these tracks an earthy quality that brings an indie-folk edge.
Seven Swans features more of a religious theme than his other albums, with song titles often alluding to biblical stories such as Abraham and the Transfiguration. Still, this album can be appreciated by people of all beliefs; its soothing acoustic guitar and banjo melodies provide soothing comfort even without believing in god; while its lyrics explore everything from biblical tales to human interactions.
D
Sufjan Stevens’ hushed finger-picking and light piano create an atmosphere that suggests one is wandering slowly through a forest, as individual trees gently shift in front of your eyes. Biblical references relating to Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac are made without forcing the issue.
It may look difficult, but actually this chord’s notation is quite simple to interpret: It is simply a minor seventh flat five chord with its fifth note extended (i.e. a regular seventh chord that features an inverted fifth note).
A chord’s main characteristics include its special musical emphasis and its beginning/ending notes being highlighted more or less strongly than usual. Experiment with this chord to find ways to emphasize it more strongly through starting and ending notes or other means.