Carrie & Lowell

How can an album with such nonsensical lyrics affect me so strongly?

Carrie and Lowell Such a long time ago Like a dead horse Meadowlark drive your arrow

Season of hope, after the flood, Valentine spurn my sorrow Head on the floorboards, covered in blood, Drunk as a horsefly Climb on the mattress pad Twist my arm

etc, etc.

What on earth is he talking about? Why do I care so much?

Sufjan Stevens has had a bizarre career. Until Carrie & Lowell, his songs were baroque, excessive, and cute. Think horns, choirs, charming lyrics about travelling cross country and talking to people in small towns. Something about his style reminded me of Wes Anderson. He became embraced by the hipster community. Then, someone conducted a survey which suggested that the people who listened to his music were the most intelligent in America. People began to resent him. He came out as Christian, and people began to dislike him even more. His musical career entered a decline. His previous album (his only one since 2010) was a collection of Christmas songs. He seemed to have fallen over the cliff of irrelevance.

And then...this album. When it came out, I didn’t listen to it for almost a month because I was so sure that it would be bad. Instead, when I started playing it, I became so emotional that I had to turn if off and go on a walk. I ended up finishing it lying on a bench on the Oval. When I left Denver to begin work in August, this is the album that I listened to the night before.

I am not sure why this album affects me so strongly. Many of its themes don’t resonate with me at all, or shouldn’t, anyway. But Sufjan sounds so hauntingly sincere here. The choirs are gone; so are the horns. It’s just him, his guitar, and some stunning atmospherics. People have been comparing this album to Bon Iver, but the atmospherics here are way better. Listen to “Should Have Known Better” and consider the moment when the atmospherics flip on at the 2:38 mark. Bon Iver has never done anything like that as far as I know.

Promise me to not to listen to this album on your birthday or if you’re feeling depressed, but also promise me to listen to it, because this is a masterpiece. Try “Should Have Known Better” or “The Only Thing” or “Carrie & Lowell” or “Drawn to the Blood.” Really, though, even more than the other albums on this list, this album should be listened straight through. Sufjan is telling a story here, and although I’m not quite sure what the story is, it feels critical to get the whole thing right.