Sufjan Stevens – The Greatest Gift

Something Old, Something New

When Sufjan Stevens, eclectic singer-songwriter, released his seventh studio album Carrie & Lowell in March 2015 it was met with critical acclaim. Stevens, whose genre covers indie folk and electronica, was inspired to create the album after the passing of his mother, Carrie. He recalls his childhood and family trips with his mother and stepfather, Lowell Brams, through the album. His mother was bipolar and schizophrenic and also suffered from substance abuse. Carrie & Lowell was a powerful, intimate portrait of a past life, with memories flowing from an artist coping with a devastating loss. It was considered one of the best albums of 2015.

Here, Sufjan Stevens gives us his new mixtape of outtakes from the Carrie & Lowell sessions as well as remixes and demos, aptly titled The Greatest Gift. With four unheard tracks and remixing done by Helado Negro, Doveman and Stevens himself, it makes for an exciting listen and offers some new viewpoints on the renowned album.

The mixtape begins with “Wallowa Lake Monster,” a track that relates mythological imagery to Stevens’s mother’s mental illness. The song is full of references to creatures like the “Demogorgon” and “Charybdis.” In classic Stevens style, it features soft, understated guitar. A heavenly choir section at the end mixes epic chordal movements with slightly somber tones, reflecting the song’s contrast between Stevens’s memories of Oregon, where Wallowa Lake is located, and the darker shadow of his mother’s issues.

The songs included on Carrie & Lowell really benefit from being remixed as they are on this mixtape. “Death with Dignity,” the first track on the 2015 album, receives a subtle addition of soothing melodic synths on its remix by Helado Negro. The extra layers of instrumentation round out the song, never detracting from its original, quiet beauty.

The “Exploding Whale” remix done by Doveman, who produced Carrie & Lowell, is built from a collection of warm synths and bell tones that envelope Stevens’s soft voice. It’s clear how effective the remix is, while it’s hard to imagine how else the track could have been arranged.

Listening to some of the outtakes can leave one wondering why they weren’t kept on the original project. Take the title track, for example — while only being one minute and 51 seconds long, it’s one of the best shows of Stevens’s writing, lyrically and musically. The song’s chorus gives us a clear message, “As you abide in peace / So will your delight increase.”

“The Hidden River of My Life” is another outtake that starts off sounding similar to a lot of the content Stevens has given us previously. However, the track builds to an almost full drum beat, something that wasn’t heard at all on Carrie & Lowell. It’s a refreshing switch in energy.

This mixtape gives listeners a chance at hearing the writing done so well on Carrie & Lowell in a different setting, and it’s evident the appeal it will have. When you take some quality tracks from the cutting room floor, some new remixes and throw in a couple of clean demos recorded on an iPhone, you got one of the best gifts Sufjan Stevens can offer.