Here we are again. This time it’s the penultimate Convocations album called Celebrations. At times, it reminds a bit of Radiohead’s Kid A album. Other times, it sounds like a Brian Eno ambient record. There is a calmness about the smooth synth pads employed. Occasionally, you get some tinky winky sounds with delay like on track V.

Back in 2006, Sufjan released a 5-disc box set called Songs for Christmas that is always a great go-to for when Christmas music is needed. I think this Convocations collection is similar to that but for ambient electronic instrumental music. Music to chill to, if you will (and you should).

More than anything, the music explores the angst and tensions of the last year with the global pandemic. Sometimes you need to read between the lines. OK, most of the time, you need to read between the lines, because there are no lyrics. But there is definitely an enjoyable time to be had here amongst the chaos, joy, and hope. You can commiserate or you can just fade away from whatever is bothering you. This is Sufjan’s gift to you.

Next time, we will dive into Incantations and shed a tear for losing the one-album-release-a-week security I was starting to grow fond of.