SUFJAN STEVENS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: To mark a decade since its original release, Carrie & Lowell returns in expanded double vinyl edition through Asthmatic Kitty, curated and designed by Sufjan Stevens himself. The anniversary release addends 7 unreleased tracks, as well as a full 40-page art book, and a newly unearthed Polaroid cover revealing the album's namesake, handwritten by Sufjan's sister Djamilah. The booklet contains family photos over four generations, as well as Sufjan's own landscape photography taken throughout the American West, all reflecting themes of loss, memory, and place. The second LP compiles forty minutes of bonus material, including demos of 'Death With Dignity' and 'Eugene', atmospheric outtakes of 'Fourth of July' and 'Wallowa Lake Monster', and the original version of 'Mystery of Love', recorded during the album's sessions before its reworking for the infamous Timothee Chalamet actor-debut Call Me By Your Name.

Review: A decade later, this landmark work still cuts like a quiet revelation. Originally released in 2015 by the Michigan-based songwriter, the album marked a sharp return to acoustic intimacy, steeped in grief following the death of his mother. The original recordings are preserved here with their stark, hushed intensity intact: skeletal arrangements cradle whispered meditations on loss and the half-formed memories of childhood. ‘4th of July’ unfurls with ghostly repetition; ‘No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross’ lingers in the air like a last breath; ‘John My Beloved’ feels spoken rather than sung. The second disc brings seven unearthed tracks, mostly stripped-back demos. ‘Eugene’ and ‘The Only Thing’ appear in rawer forms, with faint lyrical shifts and a slightly looser grasp on grief. ‘Wallowa Lake Monster (Version 2)’ stretches toward something more orchestral, while ‘Fourth of July (Version 4)’ swaps hushed devastation for cinematic scope. The inclusion of the original ‘Mystery of Love’ is particularly poignant — recorded during the same sessions but unreleased until now, it’s just voice and guitar, with altered lyrics that render it even more fragile than the version made famous in Call Me By Your Name. The booklet and alternate cover, both assembled by the artist himself, deepen the intimacy further — full of snapshots, sketches and quiet revelations that bring the music’s emotional terrain into sharper, more painful focus.

Review: Sufjan Stevens' sprawling holiday collection, now available in a stunning six-vinyl package, proudly shows the artist's whimsical genius and profound creativity. Picking up from his earlier, ambitious anthology, this collection reimagines classic Christmas songs with playful audacity and emotional depth. Stevens transforms 'Let It Snow!' into a haunting duet that evokes ghostly reflections, while 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' is delivered with a haunting detachment, as if drifting through a dream. Tracks like 'Jingle Bells' and 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' take on a psychedelic twist and 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' evolves into an exhilarating nine-minute drum & bass epic. Amid these reworkings, Stevens also honours timeless hymns with earnest renditions that retain their original charm. The entire collection reflects a joyous spirit that balances the season's commercialism with a genuine sense of hope and connection. From the spirited garage rock of 'Mr Frosty Man' to the ethereal beauty of 'Christmas in the Room', Stevens' originals shine brightly. The grand finale, 'Christmas Unicorn', begins as a playful folk tune before erupting into a euphoric chorus, weaving in echoes of Joy Division. This remarkable anthology is a delightful journey through festive sounds that invites listeners to embrace the joy of the season with open hearts.

Review: Sufjan Stevens is nothing short of an enigma. Capable of shapeshifting in almost unfathomable ways, he's the sort of artist that can release a spellbinding and technically astounding collection of piano duets, written to score a ballet, but give tracks names like 'And I Shall Come To You Like A Stormtrooper In Drag Serving Imperial Realness'. High brow while totally accessible, his back catalogue to date is one for which you'd struggle to find anyone who doesn't appreciate, once they've taken the time to listen. Here we are then, mere months after the aforementioned song and its parent album landed, getting to grips with another very different beast. Javelin certainly shares in the beauty that ran through its predecessor - Reflections - but whereas the last LP was relatively minimalist, here things are often the opposite. Big, rousing, 1960s-70s style pop numbers, soulful journeyman acoustic with backing chorus, theatrical soft rock and plenty more besides.