One of my favorite albums of all time. Every song on this album is excellent and it only affirmed my deep crush on Sufjan Stevens.
Nov 25, 2024
Related Recs
šµ
Iām ready to bring this album back into rotation. Itās been my evening go-to recently, a perfect springtime listen - toss it on for the end of day unwind. Take out your sudoku notebook and bang one out while Sufjan lulls you down with Should Have Known Better (but not the same song of that name mentioned in the Sam Buck rec - 2 for 2 on that song šÆ).
May 3, 2022
this album has carried me through the hardest of times since it came out in 2015. I turn 21 tomorrow, will be celebrating at the same places Sufjan sings about in his music (Oregon W). Everyone should already know this album, but if you donāt, listen and be prepared for the most personal and devastating feelings to come up. Donāt fret, youāll finish it with a glimpse of hope and a want for more.
My Top Three:
ā¢Drawn To The Blood
ā¢The Only Thing
ā¢John My Beloved
Mar 4, 2025
šµ
I love when you can tell that an album is something special right out the gate. After eight (!) years of experimentation post Carrie & Lowell it feels like he's returning to his quite & intimate roots once again.
I remember being in college when Carrie & Lowell came out, back when I was sponging up decades of classics and listening to anything Pitchfork told me to. Obviously a little cringe to look back on, but I think it's actually good to have that phase at some point. Just don't stay that way forever. Find your shit.
This is the type of music I normally reach for- something sparse and a bit sad- and I like that Sufjan adds these euphoric moments of instrumentation to break up the record & make it feel less intensely sad.
Oct 13, 2023
Top Recs from @zenlikeme
š¦
Iām not a parent and do not plan to be. Kids can wear me out fast with their high energy and noise level; it leaves me very over-stimulated. But itās pretty extreme when people say they āhate kidsā and I often feel itās a reflection of their childhood and beliefs around how kids āshould be.ā That they were expected to be quiet, obedient, and out of the way by their parents when they were little.
Itās fucking hard to be a kid. Youāre dealing with a rapidly-changing body and underdeveloped brain, managed by flawed adults who are enforcing boundaries that you do not understand. Itās confusing and hard to manage your feelings and honestly just a lot.
People are impatient with kids when theyāre brand new to the world and figuring it all out, and this is a time kids need a friend the most. Children can also be teachers to adults with how they are less habituated to the world. They teach us how to be free and open-hearted and silly and imaginative.
A good practice is to be kinder and gentler with kids. If that feels difficult, start with gentleness toward your inner child. Maybe thatās the child in your life that needs your attention and kindness most.
2d ago
I meant to post this yesterday. Absolutely beautiful morning for walk.
This morning is also beautiful but in a spring rain kind of way.
Mar 23, 2025
ā§ļø
Prescriptive gender is a prison. Rather than gender being a form of self-expression, gender is treated as a pass/fail test for how well you can conform to cultural expectations.
Since I was young, I remember feeling a great deal of pressure to conform to these expectations around what āmenā are meant to be. You like sports, cars, womanizing, aggression, and not having feelings. I felt so distant from this ideal. I was sensitive and shy, and I preferred spending my time being creative in some way
For a long time, I felt like I was failing at ābeing a man.ā In many ways I was! Because I didnāt need toĀ bea man. All I needed to be was myself.
Itās taken me a long time to separate myself from prescriptive gender, sharpening in on which aspects of masculine energy I identify with and which I donāt. Iām not done yet. Maybe I will never fully be. The self continues to evolve over time, and I suspect aspects of my gender will too.
Mar 15, 2025