For a while, things didn’t look too good.  It’d been five years since Sufjan Stevens released Illinois, the second album in his 50 States project, and fans hadn’t heard any news on the project – or his music-  until sometime in 2009, when Stevens announced he was done with the project.  Let’s be real, we knew he probably wouldn’t keep up with it, but wouldn’t it have been nice to hear a New York or Kansas album?  Even more troubling than the demise of his project was the revelation that Stevens was thinking about quitting.  Publicly questioning the mere purpose of creating music since albums were becoming obsolete due to downloading, Stevens just seemed disillusioned and tired.  Thankfully, he found it within himself to release the All Delighted People EP earlier this year, shortly followed by the announcement that his sixth proper album, The Age of Adz, would be releasing in the fall.  But fans were blindsided once again by Stevens once Adz traveled into ear canals everywhere.  The 50 States project wasn’t the only thing that got left behind this year, as Stevens’ brand of folk is nowhere to be found outside of the deceiving opening track (“Futile Devices”).  Instead, Stevens has rebuilt himself and his music with new themes, glitchy electronics, booming drums, Auto-tune, and more.