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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Carrie & Lowell

Sufjan Stevens

2015

Carrie & Lowell
Album Summary

This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.

Carrie & Lowell is the seventh studio album by American musician Sufjan Stevens. It was released on March 31, 2015, by Asthmatic Kitty. It was produced by Stevens, and features guest contributions from Thomas Bartlett, Sean Carey, Casey Foubert, Ben Lester, Nedelle Torrisi, and Laura Veirs. Unlike Stevens' previous album, the electronic The Age of Adz (2010), Carrie & Lowell features sparse instrumentation, with critics noting it as reminiscent of the performer's earlier indie folk–inspired material. Lyrically, the album sees him explore the fallout from the 2012 death of his mother Carrie, and the relationship between Stevens and Carrie’s second husband Lowell Brams, who helped Stevens establish Asthmatic Kitty. Carrie & Lowell was supported by the lead singles "No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross" and "Should Have Known Better". The album saw word-of-mouth marketing through its one-week preview on NPR, and after the song "Death with Dignity" featured in the video games Life Is Strange 2 (2018) and The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (2018). Stevens later supported the album through the Carrie & Lowell Tour, which spanned North America, Europe, and Australasia. Carrie & Lowell received immediate widespread critical success, with many labeling it Stevens' best, and it was routinely named among the best albums of 2015 in many publications' year-end lists. Commercially, Carrie & Lowell debuted and peaked at number ten on the US Billboard 200 with 53,000 equivalent album units, of which 51,000 came from pure sales; as of July 2015, the album has sold 105,000 units in the US, with almost half sold on vinyl.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.39

Votes

88

Genres

  • Folk
  • Rock

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Reviews

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May 19 2024
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5

Still have a soft spot of Michigan (and Illinoise) but this is probably the pinnacle of Sufjan's whole deal, so I'm glad someone submitted this. I hope he's doing better. He had a rough 2023.

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May 20 2024
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5

Love this album, and especially the track "No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross". Sufjan's dreamy vocalizations over his sublime melodic rhythms, I could weep.

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May 18 2024
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5

While I like Illinoise a bit more, I think this entry is a fantastic choice as well, with a tight and atmosphere set of tracks.

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Jul 15 2024
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5

This album is my submission. I chose it because Sufjan Stevens has been incredibly influential within the indie scene to the point where his influence can be heard almost everywhere. His music spans folk, electronic, and rock and incorporates elements of theatre and conceptual storytelling. Carrie & Lowell came in the wake of a maximalist electronic album and stands in contrast as a minimalist folk record that still pulses almost imperceptibly with electronic beats. This record came out a decade after ‘Illinois’ and is a testament to Stevens’ ever evolving body of work and the consistency of the quality of that work. The Thematically, it explores the death of his mother and the complicated feelings left in the wake of the death of someone who essentially abandoned him as a child. Here we see some of Stevens’ best and most heartbreaking lyrics. As a trained writer, he expertly explores the winding path of grief marked by memory, self-destruction, and ultimately yearning for a relationship that never was. His use of religious metaphor in particular is resonant.

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May 20 2024
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3

I like Sufjan overall, but only in small doses. 3 stars.

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Jul 08 2024
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5

Own this one on vinyl. Could very well be one of my all-time favorites.

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Jul 26 2024
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5

I love 'Illinois' from the main list. This is excellent too. A lot more sparse and mellow than 'Illinois', with intensely personal (rather than fantastical) themes, this tells raw and specific stories of Stevens' complex relationship with his mother, who Stevens saw only intermittently through her life. It's focus is his grief at her death, and the self-destructive behaviours (mirroring his mother's) that Stevens' grief inspired. Not an easy or comfortable listen, the record takes several listens to reveal its dark beauty. It hits peak sadness on 'Fourth of July', which closes Side 1 and recites a deathbed conversation between Stevens and his mother, tenderly revealing unconditional love and forgiveness. The way the album describes thoughts, ideas, emotions, and events without directly speaking of them is a work of poetic genius and elevates Stevens' songwriting. Rating: 4.5 Playlist track: Should Have Known Better Date listened: 29/07/24

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Sep 24 2024
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5

I started this album in my car without any knowledge of what it was about and was blindsided. This has been a year of upheaval and loss for me and my family and immediately "Death and Dignity" hit me hard and had me a blubbering mess after 30 seconds. This is one of those times I marvel at how an artist can share something so deeply personal and painful with strangers through a work like this. Someone I have never known has reached out to share his deeply personal experience to help me move forward a little bit as I grapple with my own grief. Such a testament to the power of a great artist.

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May 18 2024
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4

Super relaxing and serene. Enjoyed it.

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May 18 2024
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4

Sufjan's voice admits no good material analogy; Carrie & Lowell, though, reflects the age-delicacy of its subject matter. Deeply contemporary as it's deeply Christian, the album is a personal hymnal that demands a kind of community. Its earworms are themes as well as tunes.

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May 20 2024
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1

It's like trance music, for an astral trip ha ha. It's not for me.

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May 20 2024
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1

I don't care how high concept this guy's stuff is. It's just SO BORING. Completely wishy-washy crap. Made 45min feel like 3 hours. At least Soundgarden had a song called Fourth of July that actually ruled. 1/5.

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May 23 2024
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1

Ugh. It was bad and very whiny. I suffered through it.

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Sep 24 2024
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5

Stevens may not be for everyone but he sure is for me. This is lovely and poignant. A new favorite.

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Sep 24 2024
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5

A very gentle sound...maybe almost too soft and sad at times...

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Sep 24 2024
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5

Lovely and sad, a very welcome addition to the wonderful Illinois album.

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May 20 2024
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4

Huge Sufjan Stevens fan going way back and no complaints with this offering. Very understated but of course that suits the material.

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May 22 2024
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4

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Death with dignity, Should have known better, Eugene, Fourth of July

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Sep 04 2024
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4

Musically spare but elegant, with a contemplation of memory, mortality and grief that's almost too hard to take as a listener. This is really beautiful, thanks for sharing it. Fave Songs: Death with Dignity, Should Have Known Better, Eugene, No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross, The Only Thing, Fourth of July

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Sep 11 2024
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4

I listened to this quite a bit in 2015 when it came out, I remember it being among my favorite albums that year. Since then however, I'm not sure if I've revisited it even once. This is an unfortunate result of so much music being available on demand, it's overwhelming and even the best stuff can get lost in the cracks. Anyway, this is a beautiful and terribly sad album and while I'm not a Sufjan Stevens expert or a completist, I think this is him at his best.

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Oct 06 2024
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4

Sufjan is an excellent song writer and musician. The range among his albums is pretty wide and varying to the point where it’s easy for people to have different favorites. Carrie and Lowell is a great album and the category is a bit more sad and darker than what most music is about. Sufjan uses his soft style of singing to really make the album shine. Overall it’s a great album and Sufjan music is impressive. 7.9/10

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Oct 17 2024
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4

Just as worthy of being on this list as illinoise imo. Great songwriting Great singing and a great time to listen to it in mid October. Death with dignity was my fav.

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May 19 2024
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3

I really loved Illinoise, Seven Swans and Michigan back in the day but somehow I've gotten really tired of his waif-like whisper vocals. Despite all the rave reviews, I think that this album was just ok.

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May 20 2024
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3

An even better choice of Sufjan album for the list than the officially selected "Illinois."

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May 26 2024
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3

Gentle modern folk from Sufjan rather than his eclectic gentle pop. Sweet sounding.

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Jun 09 2024
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3

It's fine, but it's just the same song over and over again.

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Jun 14 2024
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3

liked this when it started, however every song is very similar so a bit tired by song 3. Still ethereal and good in smaller doses, best song: Drawn in the blood. 3.1

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Jun 22 2024
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3

Whats the point of singing songs, if theyll never even hear you 2 Ok you need headphones and anc for this one 3

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Jul 13 2024
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3

A softer side of Sufjan compared to the epic ‘Illinoise,’ this LP has some serious chops in the instrumental department with a great mixture of guitar and some low-level synths. I think your mileage on this one depends on how you feel about Sufjan’s vocals (which take up center stage throughout) and more singer-songwriter leaning tracks.

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Sep 11 2024
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3

This is exactly what I expect from Stevens, but it's not nearly as good as Illinois (for me, personally). I can appreciate the deeply cathartic experience Stevens had in creating this album, and his grief does yield beautiful music. I think because of the subject matter, it's an album that doesn't have a lot of re-listen appeal to me. I'm a lyrics first listener, so... I just can't spend all day with someone else's grief when I'm busy with my own. Especially when I'm mourning a parent who was profoundly present in my life and whom I only have happy memories of. Like Nick Cave's grief music, this here is a truly beautiful work of art, but it's inaccessible to me in a way that prevents repeated enjoyment.

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Sep 22 2024
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3

Lovely album for a relaxing evening.

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Jul 28 2024
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2

Indie folk, lo-fi. Muy rollo. Un 2.

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May 26 2024
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1

I honestly don't know how people can listen to this whiney sort of shite!

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