Sounds Like Sufjan Stevens

Janicka writes:

Should Have Known Better – Sufjan Stevens

Starting this Sufjan intro with a song from his most well-known and beloved album Carrie & Lowell, which recently marked its 10th anniversary. In this song (and really throughout the entire album), he reflects on his relationship with his mother, who abandoned him when he was a child. It’s deeply emotional and personal. In this particular track, you can really see how that childhood trauma shaped him and continues to affect his current relationships.

I recently read a rare interview with him reflecting on Carrie & Lowell a decade later..interestingly, he’s now trying to distance himself from the album, saying the music no longer belongs to him, it belongs to the fans. So even though he created it as a way to process his grief, he’s come to realize that some pain is unsolvable, it doesn’t simply go away, even if you write a thousand albums about it… 

I’ve always been drawn to Sufjan’s music. There’s something about his soft voice and brilliant songwriting that stays with you. I also really admire how versatile and prolific he is as an artist. Over the years he’s written and composed across so many genres – from folk to orchestral works to more experimental pieces. And of course we can’t forget the Christmas albums! He’s a true gem, one worth preserving I’d say 🙂

Andrew writes:

Blue Light – Rose Hotel

So yes – this seems like an apropos place to start ;-p I often associate Sufjan with that acoustic guitar – higher pitched vocal – harmonies and lush textures – and Should Have Known Better is smack bang in the middle of that – it’s just so gentle you don’t even notice the anguish in the lyric ;-p. So yeah – childhood trauma – here we go – it’s true – we spend our lives arguing with our twelve year old self – and yet…

But to kick off I’m focusing more on the music than I am the lyric – might be odd but – there’s a sonic feel that I want to get right. Jordan Reynolds has that ethereal voice, laid over an acoustic strum that Sufjan fans might enjoy. Wonderfully ambiguous lyrics – “control is only a mirage – you know you don’t decide” – and that’s the question isn’t it? Are we nothing but the product of our past or do we have agency – does Sufjan’s childhood determine his future or only influence it? How’s it all going to play out? I guess we’ll find out…

Visions of Gideon – Sufjan Stevens

What a great choice, Andrew! Sufjan’s fans are going to be very happy. I love how atmospheric this song is. Her voice is so gentle, and the guitar matches it perfectly. “Is this only a passing season? Or will you be my only reason?” It feels like she’s indecisive about something, or someone. I love it.

To keep that deeply emotional tone going, I’m choosing “Visions of Gideon” next. We still have Sufjan singing in his whispery, intimate voice, but this time it’s carried by a slow piano melody that runs through the entire track. The song plays during the closing scene of Call me by your name and Sufjan wrote it specifically for that moment, which really shows his strength as a film composer. The first time I heard it, I was in tears. It’s just so beautifully crafted imo. Minimalist, yet more than enough to capture that crashing moment when first love ends.

Organ Variation – Hans Zimmer

Oh I had a lot of fun with this one ;-p. I’ve been listening to visions of gideon all week and while certain tracks were coming into focus – I couldn’t shake the Interstellar soundtrack ;-ppp

There’s something relatable & haunting about the two tracks – and while the Hans Zimmer piece doesn’t have lyrics – I think the sentiment from the previous track bleeds nicely into this one.

See what you think ;-p

Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois – Sufjan Stevens

Oh yes, I’m with you! Both tracks capture that same feeling, and the Interstellar soundtrack is phenomenal.

Now, if we want more musical instruments, historical references, and longer song titles, we go for Sufjan’s Illinois album (full name: Sufjan Stevens invites you to: Come On Feel the Illinoise) 😀 There are so many fan favorites on it, and I can see why.

I’m going with this track, which happens to be the first one on the album. I love how whimsical the sound is, and the soft vocals are just wonderful. I wonder what it reminds you of 🙂

Spies – Coldplay

Concerning the UFO… is such a beautiful track – a mystical track – I mean – I get the alien imagery but it’s so much more than that – and the pianos – those ethereal chords – it feels almost angelic – like the mysteries of the universe are just out of reach but somehow attainable –

And of course I was thinking Bon Iver and yet – the piano was nagging me and my mind went to Chris Martin and Coldplay – and then – for some bizarre reason – ended up on Spies from Parachutes. The transition certainly works and it feels like we’re taking that ethereal optimism and dragging it right down to the dirt of humanity. Very much a Yin to Sufjan’s Yang – you’re up ;-p

A Winner Needs a Wand – Sufjan Stevens

ohhh wonderful choice! I’m a big fan of the Parachutes album, so many beautiful tracks on it. I’m glad you brought it up in connection with Sufjan’s music.

I’m gonna switch it up a bit and pick this quirky song, which is very much on the experimental side. There are lots of instruments layering throughout. I’m particularly drawn to the flute-like passage, it almost makes it feel like a musical fable or something, giving it that folkloric charm.

Lyric-wise we can only speculate who the “winner” is and what the “wand” represents. Some say he might be talking about the pressures of being a musician? I guess it can be interpreted in many ways. I’ve personally always liked the melody, since it’s so… different.

Silent All These Years – Tori Amos

I’m so grateful you agreed to do this list – Sufjan is someone who’s been on my radar but there’s nothing like getting a personal guided tour to his music from a fan – A Winner Needs.. is such a cool track – you’d prob never hear it on commercial radio or on an algo driven feed and yet it has associations firing off left and right – I love the dynamism of the track – so many energies – instrumentations – from pianos to full on rock kit to yes – flutes!

Maybe I should have come back with a Jethro Tull track ;-p – but after getting tricked by a sophomoric Elliott Smith track (who will no doubt appear at some point in this list) – I ended up with Tori Amos. And it’s weird – normally I know the track that’s coming next but in this case it was definitely the artist. Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink were seminal albums for me – I adore her as a musician – as a pianist – but as a lyricist: “Boy you best pray that I bleed soon – how’s that thought for you?” – I mean damn ;-p

Also – the piano transition out of A Winner Needs a Wand makes me grin ;-p

To Be Alone With You – Sufjan Stevens

Nailed it, I love how much thought you put into choosing the right song. Wow Tori Amos…I haven’t listened to her in ages. Her songwriting is really something else! (and yes, I can totally imagine Jethro Tull being a great fit, and you know I adore Elliott)

For this next one I’m leaning into more acoustic guitar and soft vocals. It’s one of my favorites of his, the lyrics are so simple, but you can really feel the emotion behind them. Just a few lines like “I’ve never known a man who loved me” can be so powerful and moving. And I mean, the title itself “To be alone with you” just nails that feeling of wanting to be close. I’d say Seven Swans is an incredibly intimate and reflective album, mostly featuring acoustic guitar and banjo, which…is classic Sufjan haha.

Can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂

She’s Not Dead – Remastered – The London Suede

To Be Alone With You is great – I love how stripped back the track is – two guitars – two vocals – wonderful interplay and harmonies – and lyrically – just wow – you’re so right – how powerful are those words – open to a million different interpretations from religious allegory to love to loss – to – all things human.

While love is the euphoric fuel I live for – it sure seems that as a species we’re super wired for sadness – for loss – for voluntarily choosing “the other” – and just – what is that? Why do we do it? Why do we celebrate it even? Maybe ‘cos in some weird way, it feeeeeeels so good – “I never felt more alive than when I was closest to taking my own life” – I’m not sure if that’s a lyric, but it could be.

I’m coming back with another deliciously depraved Suede track where the protagonists chose to commit suicide while fucking in a car. And while lyrically it’s pretty on the nose – it’s the guitars in the track that give me shivers ;-p You’re up!

Back To Oz – Sufjan Stevens

I love how we were able to link Sufjan with ’90s britpop, makes me so happy! And man, this song is so emotional, especially after I found out it’s based on a true story. What you said about being wired for sadness really resonated with me, it made me wonder why humans are like that, why we sometimes feel the need to fuck up things that work, just to voluntarily sabotage our lives. Well, the best songs definitely come out of tragedy and pain, not the other way around..

While I’m playing She’s Not Dead on repeat, I’m picking the next Sufjan track. This time I’m introducing a track from a collaborative album with Angelo De Augustine, who’s on the same label as Sufjan I believe – Asthmatic Kitty Records, which is actually run by Sufjan’s stepdad. Back to Oz is one of my favorites from this album. I enjoy it both musically and lyrically.

There’s an obvious connection to The Wizard of Oz, and we can assume that Oz symbolizes a place we’d like to return to in our minds, a wish to go back in time, to when life didn’t feel so heavy. But the truth is, we can’t. We can’t escape reality no matter what, so we create a safe space in our heads, somewhere we can escape in the meantime. The music sounds almost ethereal, and I’m really enjoying it every time I listen, especially the chorus, which is sublime. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Love on Demand – Malo’

Back to Oz has a different vibe to the previous Sufjan tracks on the list so far – has that more “produced” vibe – it’s smoother – kinda has Visions of Gideon tones in how easily it goes down – those big harmonies and fuzzed out guitar solo – love it. Don’t read the next sentence if you don’t want a most ridiculous ear worm – and I do – I apologize for this but ;-p – go listen to the chorus again: “Though it wasn’t there – Get it back, get nowhere…” and now go listen to Lizzo’s Good as hell! I know – I’m sorry! ;-p

With that said – just listening to the opening guitar hits and the general groove of Back to Oz had me thinking of Michael Kiwanuka’s Cold Little Heart which in turn had me bouncing to a track that my brother-in-law in Sydney had hipped me too at the beginning of the year – Malo’ is a gigging French musician who typically comes with that upbeat Euro pop sound (that I actually love!) but this track just floored me – and it felt like the perfect groove out of Back to Oz.

Mercury – Bryce Dessner

I’m glad you liked Back to Oz! And OMG, of course I played that Lizzo song afterward hahah! Who would have thought? 😀

That Malo song with Julia Stone is a gem, I love it. Her voice fits it so well. I didn’t even have to translate the lyrics to know what the song is about, it just gives that feeling of conflicted love…that feeling of wanting someone but also being extremely afraid of what’s to come, guarding our emotions while wanting to go all in. Anyway, it reminds me a lot of Cold Little Heart in some parts, so…great pick!

Next I’m going to follow with another deeply emotional Sufjan song, another collab. This is actually another one of my personal favorites. I usually get lost in the second half of the song, just because it’s so atmospheric and hazy, it almost feels meditative. Even though the lyrics “Where do you run? Where do you run to?” speak of despair and feeling stuck, helpless…it’s so good.

Technicolour Beat – Oh Wonder

You’re making a huge Sufjan fan out of me ;-p. I’m beginning to recognize his flow and delivery and I’m so here for it – thank you.

It’s a devastating track – the unravelling of a relationship and the desolation that exists at the end – having lost whole parts of oneself to another entity – feeling used and empty and picked apart – that’s a shitty place to come back from.

So – I’m bringing in a bit of respite ;-p

I’m such a natural optimist – which makes it so brutal when depression kicks in ‘cos it hits me so fucking hard – but I drop anchors in tracks like Technicolor beat – in songs that present the upside of love – the beginning – the relief that maybe it isn’t so bad – maybe people do actually love you and aren’t there to strip you bare.

I love the journey these two went on but have always loved their eponymous debut album.

Lonely Man of Winter – Doveman Mix feat. Melissa Mary Ahern – Sufjan Stevens

Oh Wonder! I haven’t heard this song before, but I have to say it’s such a perfect response to Mercury. It’s incredibly soothing to my ears and as you mentioned it’s uplifting in its own way. I’m also genuinely thrilled that you’re becoming a Sufjan fan, that honestly makes me sooo happy 🙂

Taking this chance I’m going to sneak in a “Christmas” song by Sufjan. This is a fairly new version from 2018, and I absolutely love Melissa’s voice in it, it’s so dreamy. The lyrics “Oh, I would rate the future if I could put a finger on it. But I have no idea if what I want is better than this.” don’t exactly capture the classic festive mood, quite the opposite actually. It might just be the saddest Christmas song I know. It’s so melancholic and beautiful, evoking feelings of uncertainty and doubt about the future..how unpredictable it is and how hard it can be to make decisions that shape it.

So yes, this is me sneakily adding one of his Christmas tracks to our playlist, hope you enjoy it! 🙂 your turn!

I Do Not Care for the Winter Sun – Beach House

Have been loving the Sufjan track (shocker! ;-p) – I did a bit of reading and just – how cool is that release story – Alec Duffy is a legend! As for the track – I love the sonic hints of Christmas – you get that seasonal feel and yet – it’s a Sufjan track so it’s all wrapped up in melancholy and loneliness and just – awesome yuletide angst – I’m so here for it!

There’s a Staves track called Home Alone, Too which fits brilliantly lyrically but the groove / production wasn’t the right so I ended up with a different take on the season from Beach House which I think transitions nicely. If Sufjan is kinda romanticizing the season and using it to highlight how it can exacerbate and amplify emotion – Beach House aren’t taken in. They’re oblivious to the romantic trappings of an idealized “Christmas” – for them it’s never about the external – but always the one you’re with ;-p

you’re up!

For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti – Sufjan Stevens

I love Beach House! This song is beautiful both musically and lyrically, and it’s quite devastating too.

Next I’m going to choose a song from Sufjan’s 2003 album Michigan, one of his “state albums”. Early on, he was joking that he was going to do all 50 states, yet he only finished two.

For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti is again a very personal song, touching on the topic of being abandoned by his mother. So we get family trauma and, of course, some religious themes as well. I’ve always loved this track musically. The intro with the banjo sounds so freaking good in combination with his voice. And then there’s the chorus “I’ll do anything for you,” which slowly changes to “I did everything for you.” I believe everyone can relate to that. We’ve all had a person in our lives we tried to impress or give a part of ourselves to and then it failed. I think it’s a brilliant track. Hope you enjoy it 🙂

Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day

I sat with Widows for quite a while – just the performance of the banjo picking and that deep Appalachian feel – even though the mountains don’t go anywhere near Michigan ;-p – There’s a pithiness to this track – it’s “definite” and clear and yes – melancholic in its acceptance of how life is.

But this time it was the music that hipped me to the next track – it had been nagging me and I couldn’t quite work it out and then – I suddenly knew what the horns were playing. I reckoned it would be a total non-starter and then – oh my god – the transition is a thing of beauty and had me grinning for days ;-p

And of course Billie Jo’s lyrics sit very nicely in a Sufjan world – all alone – all isolated and ambivalent as to what’s to come…

You’re up!

Reflexion – Sufjan Stevens

I really enjoyed your last pick, that crossfade genuinely got me excited! You truly have a great ear. I switched mine to 5 sec too and wow…total game changer.

As we’re getting close to the end (yelp) for my next track I chose a purely instrumental piece written by Sufjan for the Houston Ballet. I wanted to highlight his brilliance as a contemporary classical composer as well. And this piece is absolutely beautiful, so gentle, so reflective.

What I love most is how open it feels. Everyone can find their own meaning in it, the interpretation is entirely personal. For me it represents overcoming hard times, holding on to hope, finding goodness in the world and never losing that spark, never giving up..and believing there’s light at the end of the tunnel. There’s something about the melody that genuinely warms my heart.

I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

Avril 14th – Aphex Twin

Yes – I really enjoyed Reflexion – I’m a sucker for piano works – I’m a pianist myself  and am hoping to getting back to publishing works soon – but this is a lovely piece – and now that I read that it was written for the Houston Ballet it makes even more sense – just beautiful!

So I’m coming back in a similar vein – another artist known for one style who can uncannily turn his hand to solo piano. Aphex Twin is one of those artists that I’d heard of – knowing they were cool and respected in their genre – but hadn’t really listened to – a lot of his tracks are more experimental than accessible – and then he knocks out an album like Drukqs and it has this ridiculously beautiful piece of simplicity on it and I’ve always loved it. Listening to Reflexion had me immediately jumping to Avril 14th – ;-p

So You Are Tired – Sufjan Stevens

You absolutely crushed it with aphex twin! This song has a special place in my heart. 

Some tracks need no explanation and this is one of them, it just feels perfect.

I can’t believe I just added my last song to the playlist. It’s been quite a ride! I felt like picking something from the newest album Javelin from 2023. The title speaks for itself: 2 people, long together but caught in the monotony of daily life, looking for a moment of freedom. Do I even need to say more? Very emotional and introspective, sooo Sufjan-y

Cold Fame – Remastered 2024 – Band Of Skulls

You added the first track to this list on July 26th 2025 – when I was living in Scotland and revelling in a new life.  I added the last track on March 14th  – 7 months later, after finding out we had to return to the States.

It’s taken me another 4 months or so to find the energy to publish – which pretty much brings us to the one year mark in how long it’s taken us to bring this playlist to the world.

And I love it.

Thank you Janicka.

When I’m down – I forget how much I adore this process – how eagerly I look forward to seeing your responses and how stoked I am to sit down and listen to your selections and read your reasons.

And all this for the sheer joy of doing it – no monetization, no agenda – just people showing up genuinely and authentically, for the love of connecting and collaborating.

I’m so grateful.

I am now an official Sufjan Stevens fan – and – if you ever wanted to do a Sufjan List Part 2 – I’d be so up for it ;-p

I’m finishing with one of my favorite melancholic tracks – I probably have it one 10+ playlists on this website – there’s just something so deliciously relaxed and laid back about the track – also contains some of my favorite lyrics – and then there’s the incessant urging of the outro – I have no idea what it means – another wonderfully obscure lyric that can mean a million different things to a million different people – and I love that idea.

Thank you Janicka – see you out in the ether…

Track Listing

• Should Have Known Better -Sufjan Stevens
• Blue Light – Rose Hotel
• Visions of Gideon – Sufjan Stevens
• Organ Variation – Hans Zimmer
• Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois – Sufjan Stevens
• Spies – Coldplay
• A Winner Needs a Wand – Sufjan Stevens
• Silent All These Years – Tori Amos
• To Be Alone With You – Sufjan Stevens
• She’s Not Dead – The London Suede
• Back To Oz – Sufjan Stevens
• Love on Demand – Malo’
• Mercury – Bryce Dessner
• Technicolour Beat – Oh Wonder
• Lonely Man of Winter – Doveman Mix feat. Melissa Mary Ahern – Sufjan Stevens
• I Do Not Care for the Winter Sun – Beach House
• For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti – Sufjan Stevens
• Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day
• Reflexion – Sufjan Stevens
• Avril 14th – Aphex Twin
• So You Are Tired – Sufjan Stevens
• Cold Fame – Remastered 2024 – Band Of Skulls

Playlist image by Garrison Reid from Plano, TX, USA – Sufjan StevensUploaded by mrjohncummings, CC BY 2.0, Link

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