Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell Vinyl LP

I had skimmed the reviews here on Amazon suggesting that this is an album that deserves to be listened to straight through with your full attention. Despite them, I first put on the album as background music while I worked. I managed to get through the first couple songs that way, just a sweet, mellow soundtrack to what I was doing. By the third song, I couldn't help but pay attention. By the sixth song, I had tears in my eyes.Since that first listen a few days ago, I have not been able to shake this album. I rushed to get tickets to the tour which is about to pass through my town.It's a little weird to recommend this album to other people because it's really not... fun, and it's a little hard for me to pin down why I can't stop coming back to it. It's pretty bleak all around with an unapologetic honesty. It feels extremely personal, so much so that I admire Sufjan Stevens' bravery in being willing to open up so much to us strangers about his grief over his mother's death and the dark period in his life that accompanied it. As much as the album seems to be so much a window into Sufjan's own singular experiences, it also puts an emphasis on the uncomfortable truth that like Sufjan's mother and someday like Sufjan himself, "we're all going to die." It's something we all have to come to terms with; we knew it before we listened to this album and it will still be there when we put the album away. Even if Carrie & Lowell does little to soften the blow, it at least offers us company. Though the songs are quiet and bare, the vulnerable quality of their delivery and the heaviness of their subjects makes the entire album feel like something much bigger than it is.

Let me start by saying this. I'm a 40 year old guy, that would name most of his favorite albums from the 90’s with a few 80’s and 2000’s peppered in there. I don’t get the chance to listen to as much anymore, and not as much strikes a chord with me as it used to. BUT – then I heard this album. I have always respected Sufjan, and was hit and miss on his work in the past. But this album hit me like a ton of bricks. I don’t really know how to explain it. But it is masterful in its execution. No song is that different than the next when you really think about it. They are all very soft, beautiful, steady voiced songs that almost flow as one complete work. I think that it makes the subtle shifts of mood and tone within songs and from song to song, take real meaning. I have yet to make it through the album without holding back tears. It is incredibly honest and intricately written. All of Me Wants all of You, Fourth of July, and Blue Bucket of Gold, just wreck me. Anyone who has lost anyone will be able to take some heartbreaking solace in this album.

As a huge music lover, honestly, while I liked Sufjan's work, I had not really connected with more than a few songs and liked him well in general.I listened to this when it was on NPR's First Listen. I could not get over it, stop listening to it. IT IS AN AMAZING, RAW, HEARTGRIPPING ALBUM. I like a LOT of music. This one is the first album in a long time, that in my mind, qualifies as a masterpiece. Definitely one of my favorite all time albums.The vulnerability in this album is breathtaking. I honestly feel like this album is a service to all of us humans. We will all experience grief in this lifetime and I know I will return again and again to this album to keep me company in the depths of the worst of it and transport me to shore as well.There are a few songs that I cannot listen to without tearing up. "Should Have Known Better" is a killer.An aside, live, this show blew me away too. But no big surprise.Thank you, Sufjan!

Such a joy to listen to!

Sufjan has been a favorite of mine for over a decade now. Carrie & Lowell takes a turn away from the tone of his previous albums. The lighthearted, sometimes manically happy interludes that peppered his albums is nowhere to be found here. There are no dramatic tonal shifts in his songs anymore. Written in the wake of his mother's death, this is definitely his heaviest album. Sufjan's talents as a lyricist are showcased here. He still manages to make all of his songs feel oddly personal. I have a difficult time articulating how I appreciate his talent. Beautiful album. I highly recommend reading an interview he did with Pitchfork, titled "True Myth: A Conversation with Sufjan Stevens" for an in depth look at the meaning behind this album.

I was so looking forward to this album which means I was doomed to be let down. Sufjan is in a lo-fi vibe throughout but I'd personally prefer to have more variety in the form of guitars and drums. Maybe next time, fingers crossedTHAT was my initial review (3 stars) BUT I was wrong.This album is a grower. While a bit of variety would have been nice, it really does stand together as a solid, coherent piece of artistry. Delicate, sensitive songs of loss and longing. I've benefited from seeing Sufjan play the album live - where he introduces more drama via a full band - yet without sacrificing the lo fi vibe of the album. He's an incredible songwriter and musician and this is truly a great album.

This album is incredible. I had only heard one or two songs by Sufjan before listening to "Fourth of July" off of this album and I was hooked. I think music, as with anything in life, is a lot about timing, and this album was perfect timing for me when I found it. I would highly recommend that everyone listens to this, the mood and the feel are just so melancholic and amazing. On vinyl it's even better, album of course came in great condition and has a wonderful sound. Please everyone listen to this album and then go listen to a whole bunch of other stuff by Sufjan Stevens because his music has a way of engraining itself within your soul and never leaving your side.