Sufjan Stevens Albums Ranked

Sufjan Stevens (born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released eight solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Academy Award and Grammy Award nominations. Stevens has released albums of varying styles, from the electronica of Enjoy Your Rabbit and the lo-fi folk of Seven Swans to the symphonic instrumentation of Illinois and Christmas-themed Songs for Christmas. He employs various instruments, often playing many of them himself on the same recording. Stevens’ music is also known for exploring various themes, particularly religion and spirituality. Stevens’ eighth studio album, The Ascension, was released in 2020. Here are all of Sufjan Stevens’ albums ranked.

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10. The Avalanche, 2006

“It opens with the gorgeous title track, which is simple Sufjan-folk, so no problems there, but it quickly snaps the curtains closed on your clear view. Before you know it, “Dear Mr Supercomputer” and “The Vivian Girls…” are blocking your way, like a well-fed baseball-fan, standing up in the row in front of you. You know it’s a hefty album, running an hour and a quarter, so you skip ahead two, three, four songs, and before you know it, you’re heading for the concessions stand for an $8 beer and a hotdog, fed-up with Sufjan’s instrumental diarrhea and lacking the patience to search for any more listenable tracks.”

9. Songs For Christmas, 2006

“Songs for Christmas is the culmination of a series of EPs Sufjan recorded between the years 2001-2006, each of which featured him and a select group of musicians performing a mix of classic Christmas songs (largely of religious bent) and original compositions. Despite Sufjan’s revered status in the music community, his Christmas output remains strangely ignored and under-heard by both critics and fans alike, largely, I would guess, because of its overt Christianity/spirituality, but also because of the traditionally gimmicky status of ‘Christmas music’ in the modern musical canon.”

8. Carrie & Lowell Live, 2017

“The music is constantly overwhelming – sometimes very literally, when there are layers upon layers of melody and instrumentation (Vesuvius); sometimes in an emotional sense, when the music is simple and he can make you cry by singing only a few lines (Futile Devices). It even makes me feel like crying with just a few piano chords and nothing else (Redford). I tend to change my mind after I make superlative statements, but I really think Sufjan Stevens might be my favourite musician of the 21st century.”

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7. The Ascension, 2020

“I’ve never been a huge Sufjan Stevens fanatic but that might change in the future, because, unlike many of the people here, this album just really gets me in a very emotional way. It feels like a shelter or a shield, protecting me from the shitstorm of the outside world that’s affecting me/us even when closing it out the most in the pandemic era. Probably for the first time, I hear some anger and disappointment in Sufjan’s words, and I can absolutely relate to him, even if his voice is more distant than ever, very airy and a bit autotuned, even if he doesn’t want to play video games (which is sad but he sings it with some catchy hooks so I forgive him).”

6. All Delighted People EP, 2010

“On this EP, the listener gets to know about Sufjan’s impeccable domain over the folk genre, as well as his understanding of emotion portrayal trough the stern strings and hovering choirs that are unquestionably his mother tongue. I see nothing in the way of calling this project impeccable: every song is a masterpiece by itself, from the introspective ballads such as tracks 1, 2 and 4 to the second largest epopee that is the title track, accompanied by the absolute tour-de-force of Djohariah.”

5. Michigan, 2003

“Out of Sufjan’s two state themed albums, “Illinois” stands head and shoulders above “Michigan”. However, this is still a very enjoyable album with a few gems. The biggest problem with the album is that many of the cuts here just blend together into a sonically satisfying but melodically tiresome experience. Every few tracks though Sufjan delivers a beautiful tune that keeps me hooked.”

4. Seven Swans, 2004

“Seven Swans is Sufjan Stevens’ simplest, most personal album. Rarely straying from a basic acoustic sound based around banjo or guitar (with some gorgeous organ in the second half), the songs are based on personal episodes and Biblical scripture and stand as a bare, open expression of faith. Sufjan has since said that the positive popular response to the album was somewhat frightening to him, in the amount of his personal thoughts he exposed to the world, particularly given that his usual tendency is to deal in fiction, crafting his songs as short stories or imagined encounters with historical figures.”

3. The Age Of Adz, 2010

“The entire album is familiar old Sufjan. The arrangements are still completely brilliant as they were on Illinois. But I think they work better in the context. While definitely not the shortest, this album has the least amount of songs in the S.S. catalog. Sufjan’s penchant for opulent music is still plainly present here but instead of pushing the listener away, it draws him in. A nice side effect of Sufjan’s change of his modus operandi, this album feels much more personal. Which I still don’t really understand – the electronic blips sound impersonal and cold, at least superficially.”

2. Carrie & Lowell, 2015

“This is just an absolutely intimate album with a beautifully heartbreaking narrative. I’d say it’s flawless, solely because the themes of parental love, loss, and ultimately that mere blip of forgiveness are so subjective. Every time I listen to this album, I draw parallels from my own life and find myself in tears without even realizing it. An experience such as a parent leaving can change you in ways you could never imagine: the constant dwelling, the need for an answer when there is none, the need for validation. Sufjan drove that feeling home in a way that makes the kids who experienced this feel seen.”

1. Illinois, 2005

“My face exploded when I heard this album. So majestic, grand, detailed, ambitious, engaging. The narratives in the songs are incredibly evocative and the arrangements do this amazing ‘classroom symphony’ thing that just gives the album so much pep. Influences are wide (Steve Reich, Neil Young, Belle & Sebastian) but come together to form something truly awe inspiring. Among the greatest albums of the 21st century.”