History Music / TheAgeOfAdz

Despite the initial mixed response, history has largely [[VindicatedByHistory vindicated]] ''Adz''--especially after Stevens returned to straightforward acoustic folk on 2015's ''Music/CarrieAndLowell'', thus proving that he hadn't abandoned the genre permanently. While some fans never warmed to the unique sound, others now consider ''Adz'' a contender for Stevens' best release, and individual tracks have been [[{{Sampling}} sampled]] by the likes of Music/KendrickLamar and Music/MacMiller and used in--for instance--the 2017 film ''Film/CallMeByYourName''.
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Even more surprisingly, ''Adz'' was a NewSoundAlbum which replaced Stevens' signature banjo-led [[FolkMusic indie folk]] and BaroquePop with dense, manic, and occasionally autotune-inflected [[ElectronicMusic electronica]]. While Stevens had experimented with synth-led music in the past--his second LP, ''Enjoy Your Rabbit'', was an instrumental {{glitch}} album--he'd become best known and loved for what he once referred to as "[[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth strummy-strum acoustic guitar songs]]". The unexpected sonic shift startled fans and critics alike, and to this day ''Adz'' remains one of his most [[BrokenBase divisive]] albums.

In keeping with the album's more-personal-than-usual tone, Stevens' lyrics on ''Adz'' are also more confessional and less story-driven than his earlier work tended to be. Notably, the album includes Stevens' [[EpicRocking longest song]] to date, the 25-minute-plus "Impossible Soul", as well as his [[PrecisionFStrike first ever lyrical use of profanity]]--[[ClusterFBomb many times]]--in "I Want to Be Well".

''The Age of Adz'' ([[NoPronunciationGuide pronounced]] "The Age of '''Odds'''") is the sixth studio LP by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Music/SufjanStevens.

* NoPronunciationGuide: "Adz" is supposed to be pronounced "Odds", though first-time listeners won't realize this until they hear it said aloud in the TitleTrack.

* ObsessionSong: "All for Myself", in which the narrator expresses his desire to have his lover... well, [ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin all for himself.]

* IntercourseWithYou: "All for Myself" ("impressions of the unmade bed / you cradled close to me, close to my ear").

* LoveHurts:
** "I Walked" ("at least I deserve the respect of a kiss goodbye").
** "Bad Communication" ("I'll talk, but I know you won't listen to me").

* ObsessionSong: "All for Myself".

* SongAssociation: While slightly overshadowed by the two film-exclusive tracks Sufjan also contributed to the soundtrack, a lightly-remixed version of "Futile Devices" appears in ''Call Me By Your Name'' and has come to be associated with the film by (especially newer) fans.

Despite the initial mixed response, history has largely [[VindicatedByHistory vindicated]] ''Adz''--especially after Stevens returned to straightforward acoustic folk on 2015's ''Music/CarrieAndLowell'', thus proving that he hadn't abandoned the genre permanently. While some fans never warmed to the unique sound, others now consider ''Adz'' a contender for Stevens' best release, and individual tracks have been [[{{Sampling}} sampled]] by the likes of Music/KendrickLamar and Music/MacMiller.

->''"This is [[AlbumTitleDrop the Age of Adz]], eternal living."''