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New Sufjan Stevens album - Carrie and Lowell to be released March 31

Posted on 1/12/15 at 9:25 am
Posted by SUB
Member since Jan 2001
Member since Jan 2009
20771 posts
Posted on 1/12/15 at 9:25 am
Just got an email about this. I'm pumped! It's been 5 years since the last release, Age of Adz, which was a big departure from his previous work.

quote:

We're proud to announce that on March 31st (March 30th in the EU) we'll be releasing Carrie & Lowell, a new Sufjan Stevens record.

THESE ARE AGGRESSIVE TIMES. Each morning we awaken to a psychic blitz of breaking news, social outrage, and millions of images and voices shrieking look at me and this onslaught does not cease until late at night when the last glowing screen fades to black. This world demands our attention with one hand and destroys it with the other. That such a noisy age can deliver an album as graceful and honest as Carrie & Lowell should reassure anyone losing faith these days. Let no one say philosophy is dead, for here is a 44-minute meditation on mortality, memory, and faith.

Each track in this collection of eleven songs begins with a fragile melody that gathers steam until it becomes nothing less than a modern hymn. Sufjan recounts the indignities of our world, of technological distraction and sad sex, of an age without either myth or miracle—and this time around, his voice carries the burden of wisdom. Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait. If youth knew, if age could.

Our limited edition first pressing is in clear colored vinyl, which is available for preorder now. It's also available in black vinyl, CD, and digital. The first single, "No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross," arrives mid-February. You can be one of the first to hear it by preordering the album on iTunes or Bandcamp.

Thanks to Pitchfork who premiered the trailer today. We also put the trailer on a little website along with a write-up and pre-order links. Visit the website by clicking below.

Preview and Preorder here
This post was edited on 1/12/15 at 9:27 am
Posted by The Seaward
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2006
11346 posts
Posted on 1/12/15 at 9:56 am to
Neat, 2015 is shaping up to be a really nice year musically. Sounds like this one will be a return to his folk roots.
Posted by SUB
Member since Jan 2001
Member since Jan 2009
20771 posts
Posted on 1/12/15 at 10:06 am to
Yep. That's what the trailer suggests.
Posted by Tiger Ryno
#WoF
Member since Feb 2007
102982 posts
Posted on 1/12/15 at 10:24 am to
Cool
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4634 posts
Posted on 1/12/15 at 10:55 am to
He's not making a lot of progress on his 50 states project. I was really counting on "Arkansaw" coming out after he put out "Lord God Bird."
Posted by SUB
Member since Jan 2001
Member since Jan 2009
20771 posts
Posted on 1/12/15 at 11:21 am to
quote:

He's not making a lot of progress on his 50 states project.


He's said a while back that the 50 states project was a joke, and he had no plans to do an album for every state.
Posted by urinetrouble
Member since Oct 2007
20503 posts
Posted on 1/12/15 at 9:30 pm to
quote:

Age of Adz


I found this one pretty meh. I did enjoy the EP that was released before it.
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4634 posts
Posted on 1/12/15 at 9:33 pm to
quote:

I found this one pretty meh. I did enjoy the EP that was released before it.


I cleared out a room full of stoned jamband friends with "Impossible Soul" from Age of Adz one night. It was awesome.



Posted by TigerRanter
Louisiana
Member since Feb 2005
6703 posts
Posted on 1/13/15 at 7:22 am to
Already pre-ordered the clear vinyl. Psyched! The description leads me to believe that this one will be more like some of his earlier work.
Posted by SUB
Member since Jan 2001
Member since Jan 2009
20771 posts
Posted on 1/13/15 at 8:44 am to
quote:

I cleared out a room full of stoned jamband friends with "Impossible Soul" from Age of Adz one night. It was awesome.


Did they even make it to the auto-tune part? I literally lol'd the first time I listened to that song and heard Sufjan in auto-tune. I'm not a fan of auto-tune, but I actually liked what he did with it.

I like Age of Adz a lot as a whole. It was pretty awesome to get that and All Delighted People in such a short time span. Both albums are polar opposites, but great in their own right. That being said, I still prefer Illinois and Michigain, or even Silver and Gold.
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4634 posts
Posted on 1/13/15 at 8:50 am to
I kept saying, "No.. wait for it... wait for it.. you're really going to like it at the end." But they couldn't wait for it.

The dance party section about halfway through after the auto tune is incredible, imo. Where it hits, "1, 2, 3, 4... 'it's a long life.'" I actually absolutely love that song.

Also, I have some a few Sufjan live shows.. they're pretty damned awesome. I'd love to see him live.
This post was edited on 1/13/15 at 8:51 am
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4634 posts
Posted on 1/13/15 at 9:06 am to
If you've never heard the "50 States" song, it's pretty awesome.
LINK

Super Sexy Woman is also hilariously weird:
LINK
Posted by SUB
Member since Jan 2001
Member since Jan 2009
20771 posts
Posted on 1/13/15 at 9:10 am to
Impossible Soul is in my top 10 of his songs. Along with X-mas Unicorn, haha.

I've seen him live on two occassions. One was for the Adz tour. I was a little disappointed at first because he didn't have the full band (horns, strings, etc), but it was an incredible show. He had some insane setup for visuals and video. It was easily one of the best shows I've been to.

Here's a video of some clips from that tour: LINK

I also saw him for the Christmas tour that he did after Silver and Gold was released. Was a much smaller venue but it was a really fun show.
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4634 posts
Posted on 1/13/15 at 9:22 am to
The Age of Adz tour clips look like such a fun psycho out freak party.
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4634 posts
Posted on 1/26/15 at 11:27 am to
Spring Tour announced:
04/10 Philadelphia, PA @Academy of Music
04/11 New York, NY @ Beacon Theater
04/12 Hartford, CT @ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
04/14 Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium
04/15 Albany, NY @ The Palace Theater
04/16 Cleveland, OH @ Cleveland Performance Arts Center
04/17 Columbus, OH @ Palace Theater
04/18 Indianapolis, IN @ The Murat Theatre
04/20 St. Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House
04/21 Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theater
04/22 Minneapolis, MN @ Northrop Auditorium
04/23 Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
04/24 Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
04/27 Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple
04/28 Grand Rapids, MI @ Covenant Fine Arts Center
04/29 Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
04/30 Montreal, QC @ Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier / Place Des Artes
05/01 Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
05/04 Boston, MA @ Citi Performing Arts Center – Wang Theatre
05/05 Washington, D.C. @ DAR Constitution Hall
05/06 Richmond, VA @ Altria Theater
05/07 Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
05/09 New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre
05/10 Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre
05/11 Houston, TX @ Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
05/12 Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
06/02 San Diego, CA @ Copley Symphony Hall
06/03 Los Angeles, CA @ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
06/05 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
06/08 Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
06/09 Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre
06/10 Seattle, WA @ The Paramount Theatre
Posted by SUB
Member since Jan 2001
Member since Jan 2009
20771 posts
Posted on 1/26/15 at 11:54 am to
Can't wait for the Austin date.
Posted by Meursault
Nashville
Member since Sep 2003
25172 posts
Posted on 1/26/15 at 11:55 am to
quote:

04/20 St. Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House


Nice, I might make the trip for this one! I saw him in New Orleans circa 2005 I think at HOB. If you've never seen his live show I highly recommend that you do.

Edit: 4/20 is a Monday. Nevermind.
This post was edited on 1/26/15 at 11:57 am
Posted by Meursault
Nashville
Member since Sep 2003
25172 posts
Posted on 1/26/15 at 11:57 am to
quote:

I like Age of Adz a lot as a whole. It was pretty awesome to get that and All Delighted People in such a short time span. Both albums are polar opposites, but great in their own right.


I couldn't stomach All Delighted People. I found it un-listenable. That said, Age of Adz was a triumph! It took a little time to grow on me, but it became one of my favorite albums of that year, and one of my top favorite SS albums.
Posted by Galactic Inquisitor
An Incredibly Distant Star
Member since Dec 2013
15169 posts
Posted on 1/26/15 at 12:22 pm to
He is very hit and miss for me.
Posted by SUB
Member since Jan 2001
Member since Jan 2009
20771 posts
Posted on 2/16/15 at 8:33 am to
New song released: LINK

It's pretty slow, but classic sufjan. I hope the whole album isn't as slow as this song. It could work though. I loved Seven Swans.
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