Besides a boost for his career and his record company, Sufjan Stevens unleashed a new genre with Illinoise (2005). He may have stopped making almost cinematic-sounding pop music himself (for a while), his label Asthmatic Kitty still regularly releases finely orchestrated pop records. My Brightest Diamond is the band of singer, writer and multi-instrumentalist Shara Worden. This actually makes her
… the female counterpart of Stevens. She played in the ensemble that Illinoise performed on stages all over the world and started her own band around the same time. All Things Will Unwind is her third album and offers a mix of cheerful chamber pop, cabaret and singer / songwriter music. Some passages sound like Joni Mitchell singing the soundtrack to a new Disney cartoon. Beautiful according to some, too sweet for others. The fact is that All Things Will Unwind occupies a special place in the musical landscape. While this kind of baroque music was hip and relevant in 2005, it is now more food for gourmets. In addition, no album in 2011 sounds like this CD, not with the exception of Stevens' most contemporary records. (JE)more
