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"A Sun Came" is the first solo collection by Sufjan Stevens, former member of the Michigan folk quartet Marzuki. As an ambitious instrumentalist and songwriter, Sufjan mixes noise punk with melodic folk rock to construct an album that resists categorization. Using digital sampling combined with lo-fi analog dubs, the album registers as an alternation between Beck's multi-track pop rock and the melodrama of Jeremy Enigk. (or, say, Nick Drake meets Frank Zappa).

On "A Sun Came", Sufjan sings and plays just about everything, including electric and acoustic guitars, oboe, recorders, wood flute, bass, drums, sitar, banjo and many others. The result is a heavily orchestrated and ambitious 73-minute eclectic rock anthem, with no regard to formula or genre.

There are anachronistic Celtic overtones, catchy rock riffs, and monophonic home recordings of Sufjan singing in his bathroom. The songs are melodic, dissonant, playful and satirical, drawing on varied influences from European folk music to middle eastern melodies to simple rock backbeats. Lyrics borrow from biblical and literary texts, allowing room for nonsense indie rock bantering as well. The album makes equal space for folk-guitar sobriety and amp hiss. The result is something indelibly sincere, technically industrious, and just plain interesting.