As many may already know, Sufjan Stevens released the song “Wallowa Lake Monster,” from his upcoming mixtape, The Greatest Gift Mixtape, in September. The song is a Carrie & Lowell outtake, and offers all of the amazing musical talent that has become synonymous with Sufjan Stevens. Both the lyrics and the melody work together to produce not only a phenomenal song, but a perfectly crafted story. The lyrics paint a hauntingly beautiful picture of a lake, while the melody rises and falls to physically match the emotion of the scene.
There is an understated simplicity to the way that each of the instruments work together to bring forth the fullness that comes to life within the song. Sufjan has an amazing talent for starting a song with a soft introduction, and then widening the introduction to introduce a world of sound. The brass and strings mesh perfectly with the harmonies in the background, to match the evocative lyrics without overpowering them. Needless to say, if you haven’t already, you should definitely check out “Wallowa Lake Monster.”
The mixtape was originally supposed to release on October 20th, but has now been postponed to November 24th. As disappointed as I am that I have to be deprived of Sufjan’s most recent display of genius for another month; if his most recent song is any indication of what the album will be like, then it will definitely be worth the wait.
Listen to “Wallowa Lake Monster,” below.
