Sufjan Stevens has affirmed that he “shame” of ‘Carrie & Lowell’, his acclaimed album of 2015, and that he “regrets” having written it. Detroit’s singer -songwriter believes that he used the creation of ‘Carrie & Lowell to convey a “manipulat” and “self -centered” vision of his relationship with his mother, who left his family when Sufjan was very young and died in 2012.
“I think this album is proof of an artistic and creative failure on my part,” said the artist to NPR. «I tried to find meaning to something that does not have it. I was being manipulative, egocentric, solipsist and using hatred towards myself. I felt that the approach I had always had towards my work – that of creating beauty from chaos – was failing. It was very frustrating. And for the first time I realized that not everything can be sublimated in art, that some things simply remain unsolved, or are insoluble. I think I was actually frustrated for trying to make sense of the experience of duel through the songs ».
Sufjan adds that he feels “ashamed” by ‘Carrie & Lowell’ because he thinks he planned conjectures on his mother in the songs: «I feel that I do not have any authority over my mother or about his experience or death. All I can do is speculate and the ability to use my imagination and my own sadness, but I did not solve anything trying to make sense of everything.
Stevens offers a similar explanation about ‘Carrie & Lowell’ in a text published in the reissue of the album: «The creation of (‘Carrie & Lowell’) was painful, humiliating and a complete distortion of bad intentions. My pain was manifested as self -esteem and misery. Every song I tried to write became a gun directed against me, an accusation of ignorance, guilt, resentment and misappropriation ».
‘Carrie & Lowell’ was chosen the best 2015 album in Jnesaispop. These days we are reviewing Stevens’ discography for his 50th birthday.
