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Sufjan Stevens

"Harsh Noise" (live video)

BY Alex HudsonPublished Jun 12, 2015

These days, Sufjan Stevens is emphasizing his beautiful folk leanings with his album Carrie & Lowell. On the other hand, we can also get a taste of a very different side of the ambitious songwriter thanks to the emergence of a 2012 performance piece called "Harsh Noise."

Just as the title indicates, "Harsh Noise" is, well, a harsh noise piece, which was performed live in Brooklyn. In the video, Sufjan conjures up freaky synth abstractions while some on-stage collaborators provide jarring strings, guitar and gutteral shouts.

Watch the video below [via Pitchfork].

This performance was part of a show called "One Night Stand" in which collaborators like Stevens, Bryce Dessner (of the National), Jessie Stein (of the Luyas), Mauro Remiddi (a.k.a. Porcelain Raft) brought together all-new material just for the occasion. The show has now been turned into an album and is being sold through a crowdfunding campaign. The event was produced by Gaspar Claus and more editions of "One Night Stand" could be in the works.

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