Listen: Sufjan Stevens' "America"

It's July 4, and singer Sufjan Stevens' grand new song America from his forthcoming album The Ascension couldn't have arrived at a better time. "The dove flew to me like a vision of paranoia," he sings on the 12-minute protest anthem, a symphonic melody that builds into a rousing climactic choral outro, as he finds himself in a quandary, questioning his own beliefs and the system that seeks to trample justice. "I'm ashamed to admit I no longer believe," he confesses. Have it a go below -