Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell
8.8/10
Welcome back Sufjan Stevens! It's been a while since 5 years since Sufjan released his last album The Age of Adz, and he is finally back with some brand new material. In his career, Sufjan Stevens has ventured into many different musical explorations. It is really hard to tag his music as anything in particular, but I think Folk, Art-Rock, Baroque Pop, and Indie are some pretty accurate representations. Regardless, I think Sufjan Stevens is a marvelous composer. He has arranged music ranging from softly somber, to exquisitely celebratory, and yet everything he does still is true to himself. While I am not a diehard fan of Sufjan, and I do not often listen to his music, I still have a great appreciation for the work he has done throughout his career. He has crafted many great albums through the years, so it comes to no surprise that Carrie & Lowell continues the tradition. The album is a sentimental, quiet record dealing with the harsh truths of reality. This album is absolutely soul-crushing. You can hear every ounce of emotion Sufjan poured into this thing. This album was inspired by the passing of Sufjan's mother Carrie. You can hear personal anecdotes all over this thing, and it kind of feels like Sufjan is returning home. He is reflecting on his childhood and adulthood, and he is speaking very close to his heart. Often times the best way to fully embrace going home is to return back to your roots. This album shows Sufjan dropping all the excess instrumentation for simple, minimalistic at home music. I have to say that it works just fine.
While I am a fan of his flashy, more extravagant music, I cannot bash him for this. This record is personal. He did not do this record for the music necessarily, but he did it to feel the presence of a lost one once again. It's really beautiful actually. The album starts out with three really nice tracks in a row. Death With Dignity is kind of a microcosm of the record itself. It is a pretty acoustic tune that really highlights the vocal talents of Sufjan. It's also a pretty catchy way to start a record. While this track is not one of my favorites, it does draw me in right away. Should Have Known Better is by far the catchiest tune on here. It's a somber song that features Sufjan singing about his remorse and regret about mistakes he has made in life. This track is so simple, but effective. All of Me Wants All of You is another particularly gripping song. Sufjan sings of companionship and love on this track. The way he does it though is not self righteous. He just simply comes off as a lonely man who might need some help. I think that all of us have been there at some point of our life. Fourth of July is another great track. It features some great lyrics and very engaging chorus. John My Beloved is another favorite of my mine because of just how thought provoking it is. This song is long, it has no chorus, and it has little to nothing happening instrumentally, but still it grips you. Sufjan's lyrics continue this theme of loss and grief, but not in an in your face way. Overall the album is definitely beatiful, but it is definitely not without its flaws. One thing that I dislike about the album is that the songs blend into each other too much. A lot of these songs sound so similar and some of them are so minimalistic that it doesn't always have me on my toes. Also I feel like it is too long. I know Sufjan had a lot to say, but on a record with this little happening in the background, I think that it was not appropriate to have that many 4-5 minute songs. Other than that, I do not really have much to say. This record was filled with emotions, and it definitely lived up to the hype. I think it is not without its flaws, but what is so bad about that? This record is so human, and after all, humans have flaws.
Check out this album if you love Sufjan, if you don't this probably will not sway your mind. The album connected with me, and I cannot wait to listen to it more.
MUST LISTENS-Should Have Known Better, All of Me Wants All of You, Eugene, John My Beloved
SKIPS-None (If I had to pick one "The Only Thing")
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