10 years of Carrie & Lowell

Some people show levels of creativity that are completely singular and legendary. The people of the past had Mozart, and the people of today have Sufjan Stevens.

Carrie & Lowell was released in 2015 and is his most popular album to date. This album is a portal to the most vulnerable parts of Stevens's life. Its main focus, as the title states, is his mother, Carrie, who passed away from stomach cancer in 2012, and Lowell, who was married to his mother when Stevens was a child. Lowell has had a lasting impact on his life to this day and even goes on to say in the album that the five years in which Lowell was a part of his family were "a season of hope." The album follows his and his mother's complex relationship, as he reveals how she struggled with addiction and often abandoned him as a child. The album feels like a catharsis in a way, as he seeks some reconciliation for the grief he feels.

The album, though covering very intense subject matter, sonically resembles the sound of angels lulling you to sleep. Each track has light strings, and Stevens sings in a soft whisper throughout the whole album. Each time I listen, it almost feels like I am listening to his internal monologue that was never meant to be heard by anyone else. He delivers the most honest and harsh lyrics with such a light tone; if you ignore the lyrics, you might completely miss the sadness that weaves its way through the album. Sufjan Stevens himself says that creating this album helped him "to pursue a sense of peace and serenity in spite of suffering", which is exactly how the album sounds.

Interestingly, the sound of this album is so angelic, as there are many references to a higher power throughout the album. There are both biblical references and references to Greek deities sprinkled throughout the album, showing his contemplation of the existence of a higher power and maybe even the comfort he may find in believing in something beyond human existence.

We are coming up on the 10-year anniversary of this album at the end of the month, but each time I listen to it, I find something new to love. With this album, Sufjan Stevens shows us the beauty of the human experience through his courageous vulnerability.