Let’s face it. Unless your David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust, five years is kind of a long time. And that’s about how long it’s been since we last heard a major formal work from formerly-folky-but-more-recently-just-wonky musical upstart Sufjan Stevens. Sure, dude’s kept busy enough giving away Christmas albums, working on some ballet and film scores, and starting hopelessly indulgent side projects and all that stuff; but I mean, come on. At the end of the day? That’s just some razzle-dazzle art school Christian bullshit, right? Where’s the SERIOUS NEW SUFJAN LP? Am I right?
Well, ask and we shall receive. Stevens has just announced that his new album, which is entitled Carrie & Lowell, will be out March 31 via the good ol’ Athsmatic Kitty label.
Details other than that remain a little scant at the moment, but his press release has anyone who’s ever seen The Beatles’ Get Back documentary resting nervously assured that this album sees him harkening back to his “folk roots” and that the title is in honor of his mother and stepfather. Themes tackled on the album’s 11 tracks apparently span the emotional gamut of “life and death, love and loss, and the artist’s struggle to make sense of the beauty and ugliness of love.” Hmm, just like Ziggy Stardust! Oh, and I guess, according to Pitchfork, Stevens’ collaborators on the album include Casey Foubert, Laura Veirs, Nedelle Torrisi, Sean Carey, Ben Lester, and Thomas Bartlett.” I have no idea who those people are, but maybe you do!
But truly, that’s definitely all I can find. Well, you know, except one of those album trailer thingies featuring misty mountains and arpeggiated acoustic instruments. Sniff… sniff… smells like indie-folk to me!
Carrie & Lowell tracklisting:
01. Death With Dignity
02. Should Have Known Better
03. All of Me Wants All of You
04. Drawn to the Blood
05. Fourth of July
06. The Only Thing
07. Carrie & Lowell
08. Eugene
09. John My Beloved
10. No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross
11. Blue Bucket of Gold
• Sufjan Stevens: http://sufjan.com
• Asthmatic Kitty: http://asthmatickitty.com
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