Sufjan Stevens has always spoken right to my soul, but his latest album Carrie and Lowell is off the charts heartbreakingly beautiful. His whimsical, gentle, melody along with his heartbreaking, sad lyrics create feelings of nostalgia and longing for a better time. It is interesting to me that this album comes so late in his musical career. He has brought us albums like The Age of Adz and Illinois that are hypnotic and electric and then gives us this album that brings us intimately, right into his childhood. My favorite track from the album is Blue Bucket of Gold. It begins with a soft piano and Sufjan asking “Friend, why don’t you love me?” but it’s the hook that gets me every time. The lyrics read “Raise your right hand, tell me you want me in your life. Or raise your red flag, right when I want you in my life.” heartbreaking right? Speaking with Pitchfork about his new album Sufjan stated, "With this record, I needed to extract myself out of this environment of make-believe. It’s something that was necessary for me to do in the wake of my mother’s death—to pursue a sense of peace and serenity in spite of suffering. It’s not really trying to say anything new, or prove anything, or innovate. It feels artless, which is a good thing. This is not my art project; this is my life." Additional tracks I would recommend are Eugene, Fourth of July, and John My Beloved. I also made a playlist of my favorite Sufjan Stevens' songs including lots from his new album. Check it out in the link below!
https://open.spotify.com/user/1220901858/playlist/7hebAcXSOIikXZnUj7jFbP
-Kate
