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Musician Sufjan Stevens made a name for himself by promising to release an album themed after every one of the contiguous United States. While so far we've only seen the wonderful and artfully crafted albums Illinoise and Michigan, Stevens has been busy creating music that is wistful and drifting. He's releasing a new box set next month called Silver & Gold.
In conjunction with the release of Silver & Gold. Stevens has paired up with Claymation animator Lee Hardcastle for a holiday themed video for his new track "Mr. Frosty Man." And by holiday I mean a sweet, bloody and zombie filled mash-up of Halloween and Christmas, with some obvious nods to Ash from Army of Darkness. As it says on Hardcastle's site, he makes claymation videos that are not for children, and while this one fits that mold, the older kids should still get a kick out of it. It's the most disturbing claymation music video I've seen since last years "All Your Light" from Portugal the Man, the animation of which was also done by Hardcastle.
As for the track itself, "Mr. Frosty Man" does not sound like traditional Sufjan Stevens. Though that in itself sounds like the traditional Sufjan Stevens. I've always liked the music that Stevens puts out, knowing that he's usually responsible for playing every instrument and mixing all the tracks. His compositions are sometimes strange, always different and lyrically intelligent. So in that regard, "Mr. Frosty Man" is a perfect Sufjan Stevens track. Enjoy!
Warning: video contains claymation blood and guts. Not suitable for young children and Gumby.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/fDDAybCe1uI
