Sufjan Stevens has been known to hit venues with cheerleaders and hula-hooping ravers in tow. However, on Monday night, the indie rock troubadour performed at New York's Bowery Ballroom sans costumes, letting his new material take center stage. The Brooklyn-based artist announced he was debuting fresh tracks during the second gig of his four-night stand in New York with labelmates Cryptacize. The first was titled 'Impossible Soul,' an echoing, lilting ballad with an '80s-style wailing guitar solo and frantic horns.

During the performance, the singer also revisited classics from 'Illinois,' 'Michigan' and 'Seven Swans' and charmed the audience by announcing the title of each song followed with the phrase "by Sufjan Stevens." The frontman surrounded himself with a rotating ensemble of backing musicians throughout the night, at times packing the compact stage with 10 extra people. The light-hearted set was marked with plenty of self-deprecating remarks, like "This song is a bit long so feel free to get a drink."

There was even a bizarre performance art piece before the first encore. A young woman in plastic glasses, a neck brace and a fanny pack pretended to be an obsessive fan crashing the stage. She recited a love poem that elicited some chuckles from the crowd -- "You had me at 'Who are you and why are you still here?'" was one of the lines -- but listeners were relieved when Stevens finally reappeared.

"We appreciate your open heart and open ears," the singer told the audience. The band closed the set with another new track entitled 'There's Too Much Love,' a muscular tune punctuated with breathy synths ... by Sufjan Stevens.