Sufjan Stevens -- Carrie & Lowell

Something about the warmer weather that (usually) comes around this time of year makes me change my taste in music. Instead of the more intellectual jazz, classical and hip hop music I spend most of the winter months listening to, I tend to opt for more emotive songs with simpler structures. One can often hear me blasting vapid, obnoxious party music over the summer, or jamming to mellow folk tunes. Well, it just so happens that tomorrow is the warmest day of the year thus far, so that means I am mid-transformation as we speak. Luckily, indie folk artist Sufjan Stevens released his newest LP, "Carrie & Lowell" this week, so I have something to indulge my sentimental side.

Sufjan Stevens is somewhat of an interesting figure in the music industry. I would describe him as a less-boring version of Iron & Wine, and I mean that as a huge compliment. His first release, 2003's "Michigan" was an epic album that told tales of many different towns in the artist's home state. Next, he released "Seven Swans", which contained a large amount of Abrahamic imagery. This is very noteworthy, since indie music today is almost entirely secular. Stevens has been releasing a steady stream of music ever since, and has worked on other projects too, such as the score to the movie "Little Miss Sunshine". 

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"Carrie & Lowell" is as solid as the oaks in whatever mystical forest Stevens was born in. While it is not as experimental as some of his other releases, there is something beautiful about the glum simplicity of this album. Other reviewers have even described "Carrie" as "Simply Sufjan". The lyrics are just as melancholy as Stevens' others, but this time they seem more genuine for some reason. Something about the morose emptiness of each track on this record adds to Stevens' credibility as a sad dude. Despite this, his vocal delivery is nowhere near dramatic. His voice is very barren throughout the record, making him sound broken down.  Even the use of sparse electronics helps add to the chilly and impersonal (but very personal) feel of this album.

My favorite part of "Carrie & Lowell" is actually the intro, "Death With Dignity". It's a ballsy move to begin by talking about death, but Stevens owns it with this haunting track. In it, Stevens talks about how "every road leads to an end", and how he'll never see his mother again. The track ends with a haunting chorus of wails and hums that are filtered so perfectly that they sound like the ambiance of the forest. My only complaint with this record is that, after this song, most of the other sound the same.

Overall, this is a very skillfully made album that will make you nostalgic over things that haven't even happened to you. Such is a Sufjan Stevens record.

SCORE: 4.2/5

HIGHLIGHT: "Death With Dignity"