A Beginner's Mind

I love love love love love Sufjan, but this album has never really sunk into me or stayed with me. It's fine, but it's no Michigan, Chicago, or Carrie and Lowell (or BQE, for that matter)

Good collaboration album of Sufjan Stevens with Angelo De Augustine with beautiful songs. The result is more a Sufjan album (compositions), but it certainly has a Angelo vibe also. It fits and the guys give each other the space they need. It seems like they've had a good time creating it. And no.. it won't mention the album cover.

Prefer the more instrumental-backed Sufjan of 'Illinoise' than the ambient wash here. There are some absolutely beautiful chord progressions and synths going on here (a complement to Steven's light, airy delivery), but 45-odd minutes of minimal drums or any other grounding instrumentals means this LP feels /too/ ethereal and ambient without much to grab onto. Giving this a 3 instead of a 2 as it's technically well-done and has some great songwriting, but again just feels too nebulous a listening experience to leave an overwhelming impact.

Big Sufjan fan going way back, especially after seeing him live at one of Justin Vernon's short-lived Eaux Claires music festivals. This doesn't top any my list of his work and collaborations but is still great.

Beautifully sad

Another really great album from Sufjan Stevens. Really enjoyed it!

I *really* disliked that other Angelo de Augustine album that came up on this, so I was surprised by how much I liked this. If I remember right, my problem was a vocal delivery thing, so he's probably helped in that regard by having a partner on the thing. I feel like Sufjan Stevens is one of those where I'm going to have to do a deep-dive listen to a bunch of his stuff in a row someday

Sufjan Stevens continues to find ways to haunt us with his sad boy tunes.

A cool concept album collaboration between two singer songwriters. Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine stayed in a cabin for a month, watched movies and wrote and recorded songs inspired by what they'd watched. The result is a lovely, breezy and etherial album. Really folky in places, but listen carefully and there's some interesting Sufjanny instrumentation going on in the background. The stand-out track is 'Back to Oz', which is top-tier Sufjan. Nothing else reaches those heights, but there are some lovely other tracks, including the two songs credited solely to Stevens. A really nice addition to the the Sufjan discography and great to hear him back in singer songwriter mode.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Lady Macbeth in chains, Reach out, Back to Oz, You give death a bad name

Hell yeah, great pick! Sufjan and Angelo are a perfect pairing. Was an album of the year for me in 2021, still holds up. Favorites are "Olympus" and good god, man, "(This is) The Thing."

I think this is my favorite sufjan album now. The other person he made it with really seemed to turn his sound into something I personally enjoy even more than his normal stuff. More Elliott smith and slightly less folk.

A lot more stripped back than some Sufjan, but very beautiful. Not peak, but still great.

Lovely and life-affirming from the first note, this is beautifully/gently vibesy and cerebrally dreamy in the extreme and an epic sort of statement by a major, major talent. The lilting, sneaky-intense “Back to Oz” is top cut. One’s reminded of the need to go both deeper and wider in the extensive discography, though it’s safe to say that it might be a little samey, having heard a good bit of it already. Overall, this is a great add — thanks for sharing/nominating. Would be a strong add to list proper.

More Sufjan ❤️

Beautiful sounds. First time I heard this artist. Will listen again

Another delightful little Sufjan album, this time with Asthmatic Kitty labelmate Angelo de Augustine (whose 2019 release Tomb was a gorgeous highlight of these user-submitted albums). I feel like I enjoy Sufjan’s music most when it’s either extravagant like on Illinois or stripped-back and intimate like the intensely personal Carrie and Lowell. This is not really either of those things but it’s still very nice, a welcome return from the trilogy of ambient albums Stevens released just before this which really weren’t my thing The concept is fun - each song being inspired by a movie the pair watched together in a cabin. It’s a real eclectic mix of movies as well from All About Eve to Point Break to Hellraiser III. There’s also a song about Night of the Living Dead that plays off a Bon Jovi interpolation - weird shit but somehow works The songs are delicate and witty in classic Stevens fashion, and the pair blend together really well. Not as emotional or exciting as some of their earlier work but still a pretty lovely outing

Enjoyed this.

'In the review for [*A Beginner's Mind* in] AllMusic, critic Mark Demming felt that the album was "intelligent and well-crafted, and will appeal to fans of either Stevens' or De Augustine's recent work" but also that it was "less distinct than the music they create on their own." ' I concur. Demming kind of forgot to mention one thing (at least in that quote, I haven't read the whole review): this collection of quiet tunes also often sounds more sweet than twee, and it's most of all gorgeously recorded and performed. But he's right overall. It's probably a notch under *Tomb* or *Carrie And Lowell*. In keeping with my review of that De Augustine album placed in this user's list, I will keep things short for once. "Reach Out", the soulful and somewhat groovy "Back To Oz", and "Olympus" are standout tracks, and so are many songs on the second side, actually (don't miss them), including the generally barebones and yet always wondrous "This Is (The Thing)", "It's Your Own Body And Mind" and "Lost In The World". That second side incidentally sees Stevens and De Augustine go more on their separate ways songwriting-wise, and I think the results consequentially come off as stronger there. So, beyond its initial premise as a collaborative effort -- inspired by a topsy-turvy list of films both singer-songwriters watched together in a cabin in upstate New York -- this is, simply put, a good record and a pleasant listen. Thanks for suggesting it. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5). ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 38 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 46 (including this one? Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 94 ---- Émile, as-tu lu ma dernière réponse sous la review de "Chet" ?

Oh so this is the album with that other guy whose album is also on this list. This album didn't do much for me, like the other one. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Had heard this one a few times before. I think Sufjan has better albums, but this one is still solid. Album cover throws me off every time though still. 7/10

Well, isn't this lovely. Breezy but melancholy chamber pop that is highly listenable, with an intriguing concept. The slow moving pace wore thin with me somewhere on the back half and I had to roll my eyes at some of those lyrics, but overall this was still a really nice listen. Thanks for sharing it. Fave Songs: Back to Oz, Reach Out, The Pillar of Souls, Murder and Crime, Cimmerian Shade, Fictional California

Sufjan is on my list with Springsteen and Radiohead where every one of their albums is going to end up on this list and I don’t quite care about any of them. Breathy chamber folk doesn’t do it for me, congrats if it does it for you

Kinda thought this would be here all-ready. Allright album, don't know why he had to whisper the whole thing tho 3

This was pretty nice, though it sort of blended into the background for me. 3 stars.

As a concept this album is really cool. Making songs about movies instead of making songs for movies. However as far as sufjan albums go this one is pretty much middle of the road. It’s not as melancholy as his other work due to the collaboration with Augustine. I’d say that makes the album still very enjoyable in its own sense but it impacts Sufjan’s overall typical sound in albums. Still a good album that I’d listen to again. 6.7/10

OK, it's pretty. But we already had Sufjan on the main list and also on the user suggested list. Nothing here struck me as different enough or exceptional enough to merit yet another entry.

Very camping and relaxing music, but after a while it's pretty much all of the same

Sufjan is my dad

Pretty standard Sufjan. His writing is great but it all starts blending together. A couple tracks usually stand out but this record didn't hit it for me like some of his others.

A bit too mellow for me

Interesting to see a co-production (literally) between two good artists, who sound like they had a blast making the album. However, some of the tracks were probably more fun to write and record than to listen to, and a few others don't live long in the memory. A good nomination, which is maybe not quite as good as Illinois, and (in my opinion) not worthy of taking its spot in the book.

I don't really know Angelo but Sufjan is one of my faves.... You can hear it's a collaboration- a mish mash of different things, some familiar and others new. It's more Sufjan I feel and listening again it's beginning to stick in my mind.

My top-rated review on here is a one-star write-up of Sufjan Stevens' "Illinois," which made me wish I was deaf. But this is better! At least there's some variety and the other guy adds some-much needed depth.

Stevens has a tendency for self-indulgence which can make his albums a bit of a chore, but it seems having a collaborator helped quite a bit.

Real nice

Nice songs but just drifted into background music.

One of his worst albums. Still like a strong 3/5 though, so just goes to show how much of a juggernaut this dude is when it comes to indie folk.

Nice but didn’t grip me

Illinoise was the first album I ever had. A 5 star. This one is not his 2nd best

Stundtals ganska skönt album.

Snow is falling all around me. Children playing, having fun. It's the season, love and understanding - Merry Christmas everyone!

Indie folk, chamber folk. Aburrido. Un 2.

I’ve heard better Sufjan Stevens albums than this one. By the sixth track, it started to wear thin. The overall sound feels overly dreamy—soft textures and airy arrangements dominate—but it lacks any real punch or dynamic contrast to keep things engaging. Combined with the persistent high-pitched, almost whiny vocal tone, the experience became monotonous and, frankly, not something I’d want to revisit.

nice, not for me

Gah fuck this guy. Pretentious wank. 2/5.

I'm usually pretty accepting of this as I've definitely enjoyed some of Sufjan's work... however this just meanders a bit too much and doesn't click for me and keep me engaged. His subtle kind of waifish voice makes a lot of the tracks feel the same. There is some promise in Back to Oz, Olympus and Fictional California, but even that is just okay. Everything else is a bit boring.

Twee overload

OK, so Sufjan Stevens is in the main list, and has 2 (to my knowledge) recommendations in the user list. I think he's perfectly adequately represented in the main list. The two user recommendations are significantly worse than the main entry, and neither of them do anything sufficiently different to justify inclusion. Soz.

A Beginner's Mind is more evidence I don't get on with Sufjan Stevens. He's too sad, too dreamy and mellow, undeniably pretty music to listen to but it doesn't move me in the slightest. A twee 2/5 is all I can offer, I don't need to listen to any more of his work. I won't ignore Angelo De Augustine either, we had a user submitted album of his in April and I said "it's a bit dreary and while I can appreciate some of the musicality, he sings in such a high register that it grates a lot really early on, just not for me", which totally fits the bill here too.

Quite boring. I enjoyed the one picked from the original list much more. Honestly, I'll not get what it's about Sufjan Stevens.

I couldn’t get into this one.

It’s a pretty album. I loved the other Sufjan Stevens album on the list and hated the other De Augustine album, so I think it splits the middle for me. I’ll rate it down a star for it being derivative of itself.

Aunque no está del todo mal, parece demasiado repetitivo, un tanto soso y sin mucha más complejidad que ser tranquilo y relajante. Parece un poco básico

Please, we don’t need anymore of these. If you like this artist then you will seek out more, and if you don’t then one album was enough. So dull, I was pining for the distortion pedal….