Happy Sufjan Stevens Day everyone. But is happy really fitting here? I certainly am pleased that my favorite musician has released a new album–an album some would say is his best work ever, and is definitely his most revealing and personal work–but today as I listen in my room on this gloomy Tuesday, I feel drained. Listening to this album is taxing.
Sufjan has been my favorite musician for nearly a decade(which is a good chunk of my life), and I’m unapologetic in my love for him. During my senior year of high school, I performed “Casimir Pulaski Day” before a full auditorium of people who were there to see a Mock Male-Pageant(Mr. Monroe, where all of the “cool” kids lose their dignity on stage for a couple of hours). The reviews were mixed, but I didn’t care. I’ve probably shared more Sufjan on Spotify with love interests than any other artist, and usually, also, to mixed reviews. But Sufjan always has filled me with so much joy, and love, and pleasure. Go listen to “Come On Feel The Illinoise” and you’ll understand why.
But this new album, titled Carrie & Lowell, takes a lot out of me with each listen; from the first listen in my dear friend Alec’s car on our way to Cincinnati, or sharing the album with a lover while we paint each other pictures, I always feel less than whole. And today, on the proper release date, I listened to the record in my room, alone, with the curtains open to reveal a darkened overcast sky. Today, the themes of love and loss and redemption all hit home, and took their toll on me. The album was written about Sufjan’s mother and step-father, for whom the record was named.
Sufjan always has been, and will likely continue to be, my favorite artist, but this new album is wearing me out.
Check out the song “Should Have Known Better” from his new album, Carrie & Lowell.
Midwest Posterity 