This has to be one of Sufjan's weakest albums. Sufjan's only been especially good when he's showcasing his skill at composition and orchestration as in Illinois, The BQE, and The Age of Adz. This just exposes the weaknesses in his voice and electronic music talents. The people who like Carrie and Lowell buy too much into the narrative of the album and their relationship to Sufjan as a singer.
>people like things I don't like and that makes me upset
>>60282595
Great argument.
Average Sufjan fag everyone.
>>60282606
That was your argument, dumbfuck
>>60282690
>>60282690
That's not my argument because that's not what this post is about. This post is about C&L.
>>60282485
the narrative of this album doesn't suit heavy composition and was mostly just him putting down what he was going through immediately after his mom's death. if that idea doesn't grab you, then it doesn't work.
there's nothing extraordinary about the musicianship past the writing, but given what he was writing about, nothing else would've worked.
OFFICIAL SUFJAN STEVENS POWER RANKINGS
>C&L
>Age of Adz = Illinois
>Michigan = All Delighted People
>Seven Swans
>Enjoy Your Rabbit
>A Sun Came
Its just a weaker retreat of seven swans. The echo effect ruins it.
>>60283440
put C&L below Age of Adz=Illinois and this is the truth
>>60282485
Meh. I like it - also, I don't see anything bad about buying the narrative of an album. Is music purer (and therefore better) if you distance yourself from its narrative and the artist?
Not sure I think so.
>>60283654
Growing attached to the artist themselves is acceptable for your personally liking the album but makes it impossible for you to justify any objective quality in it.
>>60282690
Lel
>>60282485
it's k
>>60282485
I agree. Other than a few standout tracks, the album is pretty mediocre instrumentally and lyrically. Pretty disappointing.
>>60283358
Because people have become acquainted with the orchestral and ambitious Sufjan, they falsely equate grandiosity with quality when it comes to judging his music. A mark of an exceptional musician is knowing when to pull back, and he did just that on C&L. Regardless of your opinion of the newest record, I think that most people can agree that the typical Sufjan trademark would not have worked.
It's not his best but it's still great, stop being mean OP. Rude.
>>60282485
c&l is the best sufjan album by far, most of the rest of his discography is just shitty melodies covered by mediocre arrangements
It's def. a personal record, but musically it doesn't stand out. I can understand why people like and dislike it. Just because he took a different approach instead of using an orchestra or even in some tracks more than one or two instruments doesn't mean it is a bad record.
Nah.
I'll admit that it isn't his best and a bit overrated but his ability as a songwriter is pretty much at an all time high on there. It has some of the best melodies he's ever worked with and you can really see how his lyrical content has matured and developed. I'll admit that otherwise it was a bit underwhelming, but he obviously wasn't even trying to "out do" his previous works. Just making an extremely personal album in the only way he seems fit, and that's fine.
Liking it doesn't mean you "buy too much" into the narrative. Sufjan just is and has always been an extremely emotionally communicative musician, which is a vital quality for most musicians to have, and with the more intimate instrumentation those qualities really shine through on this album.
So yeah, not his best but it's still a pretty great album.
