Sufjan Stevens is special. He is not unique, he is special. He is all the more special because
there are so many artists doing more or less exactly what he is doing. But they
are not special. They are faceless and ordinary. Sufjan is different.
Carrie & Lowell is his best album since Illinois.
I guess it’s all
about the charm, which might sound like vague praise, but then what else can I say?
His melodies are lovely but not especially striking (“John My Beloved” is in
fact a bit of a drag) and his arrangements are simple and stripped-down (“Come On! Feel The Illinois!” is a thing of the past). His voice is so
brittle it threatens to fall apart any second. His lyrics are haunting yet
painfully sentimental.
But there is this
natural charm. Not even charisma – charm. Low-key charm. Carrie & Lowell is a record to live
with.
