plucking up a perfectly good song

I consider Sufjan Stevens one of the premier singer/songwriters of the past few years. His music is simultaneously humble but adventurous, familiar but idiosyncratic, accessible but incredibly dense, orchestral but rarely over-the-top. This version of "Chicago" comes from his performance last year on Morning Becomes Eclectic. Removing the orchestral flourishes of the album version, he strips the song to a skeleton of fingerpicked acoustic guitar, fragile vocals, and a little bit of trumpet. It sounds more vulnerable without the myriad layers of instrumentation, but it almost seems to do a better job of conveying the song's nostalgic emotions than it's polished predecessor. I bet there's a simple folk song at the heart of all of his elaborate pop epics.

Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (acoustic on Morning Becomes Eclectic)