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Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell Album FLAC

Sufjan Stevens Asthmatic Kitty Records 2015

Performer: Sufjan Stevens
Album: Carrie & Lowell
Label: Asthmatic Kitty Records
Catalog #: AKR099
MP3: 2343 mb | FLAC: 2971 mb
Released: 31 Mar 2015
Country: US
Rating: 4.5/5
Votes: 115
Category: Folk and World

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell Album FLAC

Tracklist

1	All Of Me Wants All Of You	3:41
2	Eugene	2:26
3	No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross	2:38
4	Should Have Known Better	5:05
5	The Only Thing	4:41
6	Carrie & Lowell	3:14
7	Drawn To The Blood	3:16
8	Blue Bucket Of Gold	4:43
9	Death With Dignity	3:59
10	Fourth of July	4:38
11	John My Beloved	5:06

Versions

Category	Artist	Title (Format)	Label	Category	Country	Year
AKR099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(LP, Album)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR099	US	2015
AKR 099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(CD, Album, RE)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR 099	US	Unknown
AKR 099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(CD, Album, RE, RP)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR 099	US	Unknown
AKR 099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(CD, Album)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR 099	US	2015
AKR099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(Cass, Album, Gre)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR099	US	2015

Category	Artist	Title (Format)	Label	Category	Country	Year
AKR 099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(CD, Album, RE)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR 099	US	Unknown
AKR 099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(CD, Album, RE, RP)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR 099	US	Unknown
AKR099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(Cass, Album, Cle)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR099	US	2015
AKR 099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(CD, Album)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR 099	US	2015
AKR099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(Cass, Album, Gre)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR099	US	2015

Category	Artist	Title (Format)	Label	Category	Country	Year
AKR099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(LP, Album)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR099	US	2015
AKR 099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(CD, Album, RE)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR 099	US	Unknown
AKR 099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(CD, Album, RE, RP)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR 099	US	Unknown
AKR099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(Cass, Album, Cle)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR099	US	2015
AKR 099	Sufjan Stevens	Carrie & Lowell ‎(CD, Album)	Asthmatic Kitty Records	AKR 099	US	2015

Credits

Engineer, Recorded By – Brian Joseph, Chad Copelin, Jarod Evans, Tucker Martine
Mixed By – Pat Dillet, Sufjan Stevens, Thomas Bartlett
Performer – Ben Lester, Casey Foubert, Laura Veirs, Nedelle Torrisi, Sean Carey , Sufjan Stevens, Thomas Bartlett
Written-By – Sufjan Stevens

Notes

500 tour-exclusive clear tapes sold in 2015.

Includes a card with an mp3 download code

All songs by Sufjan Stevens © New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
©&℗ Asthmatic Kitty Records P.O. Box 1282 Lander, WY 82520.Includes printed inner sleeve with lyrics and credits on one side and a photo on the other.
Includes a postcard with an mp3 download code

All songs by Sufjan Stevens © New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
©&℗ Asthmatic Kitty Records P.O. Box 1282 Lander, WY 82520.Promo version
Released in a cardboard sleeve.

Barcodes

Barcode (Sticker, Scanned): 656605609911
Rights Society: ASCAP
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout etched): AKR099A BONATI MASTERING NYC 23413.1
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout etched): AKR099 B BONATI MASTERING NYC 23413.2

Companies

Phonographic Copyright (p) – Asthmatic Kitty Records
Copyright (c) – Asthmatic Kitty Records
Copyright (c) – New Jerusalem Music
Recorded At – Flora Recording & Playback
Recorded At – Black Watch, Norman, OK
Recorded At – April Base
Lacquer Cut At – Bonati Mastering
Pressed By – Erika Records, Inc.

Video

Info

Carrie & Lowell 9. Sufjan Stevens - The Only Thing. Hes since drained his music of all that, but Carrie & Lowell isnt a return to the tentative woodsy footprints of 2004s Seven Swans. subikat bruh i am crying Favorite track: The Only Thing. Official full album stream of Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens, released 31 March 2015 1. Many songs were inspired by the passing of his mother, Carrie, in 2012, as well as his stepfather, Lowell. To favorites 8 Download album. No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross 11. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell 2015. Eugene 6. Songs in album Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell 2015. When Stevens whispers in multi-tracked harmony over the albums title track-an impressionistic portrait of his mother and stepfather that. Should Have Known Better 3. John My Beloved 10. The album was released to high critical acclaim, with many critics calling it Stevens' best. No longer triumphant, he sounds ragged, hoarse, done for. another showing of sufjan's phenomenal storytelling. Stevens released a live version of the album and a mixtape of outtakes and remixes in 2017. Fourth of July 7. Carrie & Lowell was widely deemed one of the best albums of 2015. The album was given a one-week preview on NPR. Sufjan Stevens - Death With Dignity. Using delicate fingerpicking and breathy vocals, songs like Eugene, The Only Thing, and the Simon & Garfunkel-influenced No Shade in the Shadow of The Cross are gorgeous reflections on childhood. this album is special. Carrie & Lowell. Carrie & Lowell Q&A. Формируйте собственную коллекцию записей Sufjan. Carrie & Lowell since its release has gained universal acclaim, with many critics calling it Stevens finest work yet. Carrie & Lowell Live - Sufjan Stevens. The Age of Adz is Sufjan dialed up to his highest saturation, all horns and squiggles and squeals, all orchestral electropop crescendo. Unlike Stevens's previous studio album, the electronic The Age of Adz, Carrie & Lowell is sparsely instrumental and marks a return to the performer's indie folk roots. The album was released to high critical acclaim, with many critics calling it Stevens' best. Listen album. Sufjan Stevens. Carrie & Lowell is the 7th Studio Album, by Singer-Songwriter Sufjan Stevens. Sufjan Stevens - All Of Me Wants All Of You. another showing of sufjan's phenomenal storytelling. Sufjan Stevens - Eugene. Drawn to the Blood 5. Sufjan Stevens - Drawn To The Blood. Favorite track: John My Beloved. Carrie & Lowell is the seventh studio album by American musician Sufjan Stevens, released through Asthmatic Kitty on March 31, 2015. Death with Dignity 2. The album was released to high critical acclaim, with many critics calling it one of Stevens's best. Sparsely instrumental, Stevens marks a return to his indie folk roots. MalikVW This album has not only beautiful melodies, eloquent writing, But most importantly It changed me after listening to it. On his seventh album, Carrie & Lowell, Stevens struggles to keep his voice from breaking. Stevens last released an album in 2010, at the peak of trans-genre maximalism - it was the same year Kanye West put out My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy. Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better. Unlike Stevens's previous studio album, the electronic The Age of Adz, Carrie & Lowell is sparsely instrumental and marks a return to the performer's indie folk roots. All Of Me Wants All Of You 4. Indie Folk. The Only Thing 8. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie &. rin took me a long, long time picking a favourite track. Its an album holl. Лента с персональными рекомендациями и музыкальными новинками, радио, подборки на любой вкус, удобное управление своей. The album was released to high critical acclaim, with many critics calling it one of Stevens's best. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth Of July

Jairani

My pressing is fine. No issues at all. A miracle?

Arryar

I bought my copy of Carrie & Lowell at the Sydney show of Sufjan Stevens' 2016 Australian tour. The first few times I played my copy it wasn't a great experience - the disc was dirty and on playback you could hear a ton of crackling and pops. It was disappointing. I knew I had to clean the disc so I bought some record cleaner spray and that helped slightly but it didn't do much. Next step was acquiring a Project Spin Clean which I have used religiously to clean all my vinyl new and existing before playback. The SpinClean helped clean it up significantly and placing the disc in a Mobile Fidelity Anti-Static sleeve helped in addition.Each time I playback the record now you can hear less and less of the surface noise. Is it a miracle? Possibly. I'd say 95% of the pops and crackles have gone and you only hear one occasionally.If you still have a copy of the album in your collection then it is worth trying to clean it using a record cleaning system (if you have access to one) and placing it in an anti-static sleeve (if you haven't done this already). I am probably one of the people who got lucky with their copy in the end.

Swift Summer

I've got a new stylus after the first listening of this. Floor noise is absurd and distortion in side B is alien. Too bad

Nuadador

I have three copies including two of this pressing and one of the clear. All are horrid and I have serious doubts that there are more than a VERY few decent pressings of this one out there. I have a high resolution system and a Hannl RCM. No amount of cleaning even begins to improve these copies. Pure shit. The album itself is a masterpiece. This was a true lost opportunity.

Gavinrage

Unlistenable. Overwhelming surface noise and distortion throughout. The worst-sounding record in my collection. Such a pity as this is one of my favourite albums and it could sound phenomenal on vinyl.

Shadowredeemer

My pressing is pretty nice. Quiet, pops and clicks present but not distracting. Not much background rumble and hiss either. Some hiss definitely exists in the source tape, as between a couple tracks the hiss drops out.

Anarawield

Mine sounds great , how it should , I have a decent set of vinyl lugs on me , here’s my honest assessment , vinyl 7.5 out of 10 - lp12 at120eb cart marantz 6906 , project phono se box , as for cd same ish , but missing the vinyl , you know what I mean,, sound , streamed through Apple TV via same marantz slightly inferior to both previous , note vinyl was hand cleaned with eBay spray and micro fibre cloth , hope this helps anyone , thereby i defo reccomend vinyl for this amazing album .

Coiwield

Marantz 6006 that was my mistake adding word now for 10 atleast rule on posts silly really

Phobism

Mine is very listenable, i gave it 2 spin-cleans and a record doctor V wash.It had lots of static before i washed it and also the surface is not pristine shiny (there are some blurred places).However the sound is definitely very good, no distortion or sibilance, no loud pops, only very few crackles that are not noticeable in full length play.I agree that some pressings are dead quiet, however all my records that have more than 40 minutes on one record have some crackles.So far i noticed crackles only on 2 songs for less than 2 seconds each.My material is REGA RP8 with AT33PTG/II cart (microline) and ARIA phonostage.Yes i have better pressed records, yes it is a shame most Asthmatic Kitty records or not the best-pressed records, however it is a decent listening experience with very few surface noise. I am quite sure i would not hear any with my HANA SL shibata stylus.

Grinin

Agree , totally totally totally totally totally 10 words reply shizzle etc

Super P

Thanks for the thoughts, and for picking up the record. Glad you're enjoying it. And you have a great setup! :) - John at AKR

felt boot

I was expecting the worst after reading reviews here but my copy sounds fine! A little bit of crackle but nothing that spoils the music. Gave it a hand clean before playing though because the record looked pretty dirty. Beautiful album anyway really nice to have it on Vinyl! :)

Jox

Great album, sooo bad pressing. asthmatickittyrec : your excuse of 'this not being a record for absolutely fidelity' is not valid. The clicks and pops are due to bad pressing, not because the recording production wasn't high fidelity, otherwise the songs would have those hundreds of clicks and pops when streamed lossless via Tidal as well. Ofcourse there is always some surface noise on vinyl records, but this amount is unacceptable, it's just faulty product and you should get your money back from the record pressing company and do a new run with quality pressing plant, this album deserves it.

Ance

I'm sorry, but certainly the same pressing machine can produce varying degrees of quality. The quality of the vinyl material and temperature consistency during the press are just a couple of factors. In my two copies there are signs of these two issues. Anyway despite these more subtle lack of quality issues observed, there are the more obvious ones, seriously both copies I purchased looked as thought the operator dropped the vinyl and before picking it up accidentally stepped on it.As for the theory of some resonance or noise caused by source material sounds, I simply can't buy it. These are pressing quality issues, no question about it.I appreciate your responses here and I sense you are genuine, but please understand these comments are very valid, and are voiced only because of the love of the music and dissatisfaction with the quality of the record.

Hystana

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I don't want to directly counter a customer but...you're just plain wrong here. Pressing vinyl is a massively different audio process than Tidal. With all due respect, to pretend like lossless is anything like vinyl is ignoring the nature of the medium.We released Angelo De Augstine's "Tomb" earlier this year and pressed it on the same machines at IRP that have been pressing C&L for the last year. Angelo's record sounds amazing on vinyl. In fact, I dare you to find a better sounding vinyl record out there from the last few years. And I'll be the first to admit that C&L doesn't sound as clean and clear on vinyl as it does digitally or on CD.So how can the exact same machines produce one record that sounds amazing, and the next not as much?Here's my current working theory, after talking to dozens of engineers and vinyl professionals who press tens if not hundreds of thousands of records a year. C&L has a ton of backgound low-level mid-range noise (hiss, air conditioners, white noise, etc). All of that all gets cut into the grooves on the vinyl. You can actually see this with a high powered microscope if you like. C&L grooves are just...jagged. Now, I don't know the exact reason and this is a theory in progress, but our guess is that this mid-range noise means the grooves are bouncing around the needle in small ways, almost all the time. Add that this record pushes some of the more dynamic songs into the inner grooves, and I think this is why C&L just sounds worse, and why it will always sound worse no matter where we press.Which isn't to say we aren't trying to achieve better quality. More to come on that later. So, again. If you're looking for fidelity, the lossless versions will always be the better option for you. My goal here is to have a conversation; not to get into a vinyl flame war, or counter you, but to explain and continue to talk. I appreciate this community a lot! Y'all keep us honest.- John at AKR

Whitemaster

I would pay $$$ if this music received the pressing it deserves... Hey AKR, how about a special run at RTI or QRP? As of now my two copies are poop.

MarF

That's not a bad idea, but I am 95% certain it will sound no different. This record sounds the way it sounds because of the dynamics and length. I've never used QRP, but I have used RTI. They're great, but they made some duds as well. Vinyl is an imperfect art, and somehow this album channels the topic, the imperfection of loss, into the imperfection of sound. I know that sounds trite, but we've done everything we can to make this record sound as good as it can. But yes! We'll look into an RTI pressing at some point!

Vivados

Thanks, John at AKR for the response. My copy too is not 100% pristine, but I enjoy this record and its intimacy and it gets lots of spins...

Whitebeard

Thanks for the comment bruindude. I haven't listened to this record in a long time, and I put it on the other night. What an album. If it ever bothers you too much don't hesitate to reach out to us. We stand behind our vinyl for sure. It's a $15 circle of PVC, but it's a really important $15 circle of PVC.

Gadar

amazing album a lot of surface noise i do not mind

Snowskin

Long time lurker, first (ok, second) time poster. This is John at AKR. I'm happy to answer any questions here about the pressing or the process. I want you to know that we appreciate all of you. I'm not proud of some of the manufacturing issues we experienced with our first few runs, and we have subsequently moved almost all of our pressing from that original plant to IRP in Jersey. But honestly our pressings up to that point, as many have pointed out, were fine - and those were on that same manufacturer. There was no way to do anything differently. THat's why we've always replaced vinyl upon request. We stand behind our vinyl. This is more my personal take, but frankly this is not an album that aspires to fidelity. Some of these tracks are literally straight from an iPhone. We knew that putting this to vinyl was risky because Blue Bucket, the most dynamic song on a very quiet record, pushed the maximum amount of play on vinyl and was placed in the inner groves. We took that risk, and I'm sorry that some of you folks here aren't happy that we did. It was take that risk, or not press to vinyl. For my part, I'm happy it exists on vinyl. It's a special record for me. But it's not the record I play for a system to sound good. It's a record I play when I want to feel something. If you're looking for an AKR release, I'd point to Linda Perhac's record which was pressed at the same manufacturer and sounds absolutely fantastic.Let me know if I can answer any questions.

Kashicage

Sorry for the late reply! I forgot all about this post! LOLList of really bad pressings from IRP:"Villains" - Queens of the Stone Age"My Woman" - Angel OlsenDead Can Dance reissues (4AD)Tom Waits reissues (Anti-)"No Shape" by Perfume Genius"Hell-On" by Neko Case"OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017" by Radiohead"Turn Out the Lights" by Julien Baker"Grace" by Lizz Wright"Music for the Age of Miracles" by The ClienteleThese were all terrible pressings I had to send back, all with extreme amounts of surface noise. That being said, I did finally buy some recent pressings from them that were quite good, so maybe they are getting their act together.In my experience, as a frequent vinyl buyer, the best modern pressings come from Record Industry, which is based in The Netherlands. They press a lot for Rhino/Warner and they press all the Music on Vinyl reissues (btw i'm not actually the CEO of MOV; it's just a joke name after another user accused me of being their CEO because i like their releases so much). They really seem to get it right. I also find that the new Precision Record Pressing company in Canada is doing a good job (they are partially owned by the Czech pressing company GZ Media). RTI - very good pressings with the occasional dud. QRP - a bit overrated, some very good, some very bad. Same experience with Pallas. MPO, Optimal - generally good pressings. GZ (they also press for Pirates Press) - Good pressings, but they use a different vinyl compound which seems to be prone to scratches based on the inner sleeve (those cardboard or glossy ones especially). Gotta Groove Records - some ok, some very bad pressings. Third Man Records - only had two pressings from there so far but both were good.Erika, Memphis Record Pressing, Rainbo Records, United Record Pressing - bad bad bad. I avoid purchasing anything pressed at these places.Anyway, I understand you were trying to keep "Carrie and Lowell" to a single disc and at a lower price point. It was surprising to get a new release LP for just $14.99. That being said, this is such a good album I would gladly pay $30+ for a deluxe set pressed at RTI or Record Industry or one of the better plants, and I hope one day you guys will do a nice reissue like that. Sadly I don't listen to the copy I have because it sounds so bad! :-(

blac wolf

Quick extra comment: "Piano and a Microphone 1983" does sound great. But it's just 34 minutes long. C&L is 43 minutes, which (as you can see on the record itself) really pushes the side length into some dangerous territory for fidelity. The only way to improve the sound on C&L would be to nix a song. Early on, during pressing conversations, Sufjan and I discussed pulling a song from the vinyl. Both of us instead decided to keep the full album on the vinyl and risk lower fidelity. (Yes, we could have gone with a 2xLP, but it was important to make this an affordable product for folks. This is not an album that strives for high production fidelity. It's about authenticity; the sound of the air conditioner in the background, the use of actual iPhone demos as underlying tracks, the raw emotionality of the record. I believe that keeping this as a single LP helped it achieve a different level of prominence in ways that a more expensive 2xLP would not.)

Dagdalas

Could you be specific as to which releases from IRP? We've had great luck with them so far.We also had great luck with Erika up until Carrie & Lowell. When our luck ended, we moved. We welcome *any* insight, but in the industry It's not hard to find complaints about every pressing plant. Thanks for your thoughts. Really appreciate them.

skyjettttt

Thanks for this post, however I should mention that IRP is even worse than Erika Records. They are a terrible pressing plant. I’ve had to return most records I’ve purchased that were pressed there due to excessive noise, off-centre, non-fill/stitching or various other flaws (like debris pressed into the vinyl). Given that this is such an important release, I don’t know why you guys didn’t have it pressed at a more competent facility to begin with.I was reminded of this release today when I was listening to my vinyl copy of “Piano and a Microphone 1983”by Prince. That album is basically a demo that was recorded very lo-fi (direct to a cassette tape) and yet it sounds fantastic on vinyl. The mastering engineer/cutting engineer/pressing plant all took care with this record. (Cut by Chris Bellman and pressed by Optimal in Germany in case you were wondering). I do think more could have been done with “Carrie and Lowell”, it just needed to be handled by more competent people. Hopefully one day it will be revisited. I certainly do not mind paying more for a better product.

Cia

Yup... Terrible pressing! Everyone was complaining about a moon shaped pool, but this tops that... Must have been work experience week at the pressing plant! Shocking... Not recommended, shame as the songs are lovely, and if the interference wasn't there, the mastering sounds great! I'll continue to clean, see if I can improve, shouldn't have to do that with a new record though hey!

Beazezius

We didn't have a lot of luck on our first pressing. Newer pressings, I think, have been better. Feel free to email us at info at asthmatickitty dot com and we'll get a better copy out to you! Sorry for the trouble. - John at AKR

Iaran

yeah no this pressing really is not good, I bought it at his show back in 2015 and as soon as i played it, there was a lot of nice and it would skip a lot... not good

Zetadda

Yikes. I feel like a doof. I've always rated based on how great the music was. Didn't ever think about the quality of pressings.

Purestone

Then why did you rate it 5 stars? The rating system is meant to rate the quality of the physical media, not how much the album is enjoyed.

Fenius

Got mine new from a 2nd and Charles... it sounds good enough, if a little noisy on some tracks, but the real bothersome thing is that both sides were scuffed, even sealed in a seemingly unharmed sleeve. So, be aware.

Bine

My copy from Barnes & Nobles is pretty horrendous. 2 cleanings improved it somewhat, but it's still pretty bad. Under all that noise, the mastering is actually pretty decent. I love this record so much, I may try another copy. It's pretty cheap at around $17. Who knows, I might get lucky.

Umsida

A lot of marks on the vinyl + small warping.Fortunatzly it does not affect playing, no distortion or pops/clicks.I was afraid after reading comments here and seeing the lp, but was releaved upon listening.I took 5 minutes cleaning it toroughly though, might have helped !

Ytli

Well, this is a surprise.My copy straight from Amazon sounded phenomenal. As in, super quiet, with little to no crackle, surface noise et. al.Very surprising due to the reviews I read on here before giving this pressing a go. Sadly luck of the draw, I guess :/

Lcena

Amazing music but easily the worst record I own! Straight out of the package and the amount of surface noise is unbelieveable, the record is unbelievably warped but by the sounds of it everyone else has the same issue, dissapointed to say the least as the music is so good!

Wishamac

So Initially my copy seemed to have excessive b/g noise and crackle... but then I cleaned it properly .. twice ... and found out it is actually fine. I don't normally have to deep clean new vinyl - however - this certainly isn't the only record where I have had to.Perhaps if some of you with noisy copies can rescue them with a proper deep clean?Asides from all that - this is a beautiful album that (after cleaning) sounds very good.

Dianazius

WIsh I checked the review section before buying.. I also have a terrible copy, lots of noise and pretty low volume.Guess I'll see if I can trade it at the store.

Thoginn

I got a quiet one, some light crackles here and there, but nothing awful, just ordinary business these days. Better than average even considering the music itself is very delicate and quiet.

ℳy★†ỦrÑ★ Wiℓℒ★₡oℳ€★TøØ

Very glad I didn't buy this after reading the comments. There needs to be a pressing quality review on Discogs.

ChallengeMine

One of the worst records in my collection, really bothers me to say that considering it was a gift from my friend. Incredibly warped and such an extensive amount of surface noise.Edit: Emailed Asthmatic Kitty about my pressing issues sent me a new copy, not warped at all and sounds much better.

Buriwield

I guess I lucked out (relatively speaking). Side One is pretty quiet, but Side Two has a few noisy spots; however not a deal breaker. This record sounds great on vinyl. It's some of the most moving music Ive heard in a while; and has made me search out his earlier catalog.

tref

The amount of surface noise on this pressing is really ridiculous. We all expect some pop and crackle, but this ruins the album.

Swordsong

There wasn't any noise on my copy, but then, I used a low-end system. There was, however, a substantial amount of dust and dirt on the record when I pulled it out of the sleeve. Normally I grade unplayed records as Mint, but this was only a Very Good right out of the box.

Quinthy

Awful pressing-- I have tried four copies and own two- a black and a clear vinyl copy-- both are equally horrid. I've spoken to the label and they defend their pressing-- it is indefensible and ruined an album many consider a masterpiece. I have other vinyls by Mr. Stevens and they are better-- but they are all in the "so-so" category of vinyl quality-- as in CHEAP. Even the limited edition colored vinyl of Illinois and it is barely tolerable-- and it was not cheap. This label-- Asthmatic Kitty would do well by listening to the feedback from so many corners of the Internet-- YOUR VINYL SUCKS-- why not DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BESIDES MAKE EXCUSES for crap quality? ANd do not use the excuse you're trying to keep prices down-- this in not the download version, it's your damn premium version and it deserves a quality pressing. Probably have to wait for Light In The Attic or some other reissue label to do it right as this label either DOES NOT CARE or DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO BRING A QUALITY PRESSING TO MARKET. Yeah, that's right dudes. So a little respect please!

Best West

Mine sounds fine. Some copies must have a proper pressing, at least.

Silvermaster

It's ridiculous. A lot of these reviews are grossly overstated, my copy is excellent. This is quiet music, you are bound to hear the old pop. Certainly no distortion or warps!

Olma

If only I'd checked the board before I bought this one. Brilliant album but this vinyl pressing is absolutely subpar. Pops, crackle and distortion galore. It's even worse than this afwul Bon Iver pressing I bought a few months ago: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago.

Άνουβις

Just reading all the comments and the copy I just got has a ton of popping and to top it off both sides are side b, huge bummer

Saberblade

So many cracks and pops. Just. So. Many. Cracks. And. Pops. Completely ruins the experience of such a beautiful album.

Kelerana

My copy sounds lovely. No distortion and barely any crackles and pops.

Alsath

Same. Some smudges but plays just fine!I don't doubt many are in much worse shape, though.

Kata

Yeah sounds terrible, lots of pops, crackles and distortion even after running it through the record doctor

Mightsinger

Same experience as many others. Crappiest pressing I've ever had the displeasure to own/listen to.I'd trade it for the cassette.

Umge

I'm on my second copy (black). Tons of crackle on both. I'm giving up.WHATS UP WITH THAT ASTHMATIC KITTY? This is a really special album. Don't you care??

Whiteflame

Poor pressing. Can be judged with the naked eye: Streaks and runmarks on both sides. Sounds ugly, surface noise and distortions, galore. Don't buy.

Malakelv

Wow sucks that so many have had bad luck. Got a black copy and it sounds incredible.

Macill

Nope. Not true. I've had four black vinyl copies-- the stampers are crap, the vinyl used is cheap crap, the pressings are a disaster. No one got "clean copies", rather some just don't notice or care about excessive surface noise or can't hear it on their low resolution systems. If you really have a clean copy and are willing to guarantee that to me, I'll give you $250 for it right now-- but is has to be a clean copy without the problems reported here and everywhere by dozens and dozens of disappointed owners.

Hallolan

As much as I like the album, this is a very poor pressing and mine was fairly warped. Definitely buy a CD instead.

Banal

I'm on my third copy trying to get one that isn't a hot mess of surface noise. The last two copies have had significant spindle wear when I opened them, so either they are play testing these or sending people copies that had previously been returned. It's a shame they couldn't just use a proper inner sleeve so that the record would have a chance of arriving without surface scratches.

in waiting

I contacted asthmatic kitty and they sent out a play tested replacement copy. There is still some surface noise but no ticking or popping. I don't think perfect copies of this exist but some are much noisier than others. There customer service was great, so it's worth contacting them directly.

Thetalas

What a shame about the poor pressing - this album is beyond beautiful. I hope Asthmatic Kitty cleans its act up and releases proper pressings, because this is a must-have in any collection. This music is objectively beautiful, you would have to be borderline-psychopathic to not be touched by this.

Forcestalker

Mine is perfect. Shame about the possibility of picking up a bad one. Such a beautiful LP.

Haal

I agree with the comments about poor quality control. My first copy was badly warped. There were no questions asked when I returned it for a replacement. The store must have been getting a fair amount of complaints. The second copy is nice and quiet without any warp. Annoying that it has to be such a quality crap shoot when purchasing new records.

Uanabimo

Sorry just saw your question. I returned the defective copy to the record store I bought it from. I have probably returned close to ten records to stores because of poor quality. I don't except bad pressings.

Nahelm

Hello hhjack, I was wondering how you returned it after opening? Did you contact Asthmatic Kitty specifically, or did you just return it at whatever store you bought it from? Thanks so much

wanderpool

Bought this in Sweden (Gothenburg), the sound is awful. Distorsion through almost every song. Very bad pressing IMO.

Tojahn

Bought my copy in Göteborg as well (Bengans actually), and I can only agree. My copy also has lot of distortion on every other song. It's a shame that such bad pressing is allowed. Unfortunately I live abroad and can't return the record that easily.

Eayaroler

Bad Pressings. Poor quality control on two copies. Ran through Nitty Gritty Machine, Gruv Glided and cleaned the stylus. Still sounds bad. Pops Clicks and a few songs even have distortion. Too bad because this album sounds great on every other format but Vinyl.

Siatanni

Album of the year thus far and not likely to be surpassed regardless of genre. Beautiful, moving, elegant simplicity that is wonderous to listen to and hum / sing along with. Does not put a foot wrong throughout the entire album. Better than Seven Swans and arguably his best yet.

Moogugore

My copy is dead silent, not warped and sounds fantastic. Seems like there are bad ones out there, but there are also perfect pressings, too.

Zyniam

I also got a bad pressing. Both sides are off center, Fourth of July is severely distorted and side B is not listenable. The album is great, but I will have to stick listening to the digital version this time.

Hanad

My copy is not warped, but still I got some surface noise towards the end of both sides. But nothing major, wouldn't notice it if the record wasn't so quite. Decent press.

Scoreboard Bleeding

Disagree. I have tried five copies. If you have a high resolution system to play this back on, it is just plain crap. The music is genius. This pressing was a disaster. massive amounts of surface noise. Too bad the labels just make excuses when they produce terrible (meaning you are ripping off your customers) product like this. Beware of this LP on vinyl.

Dominator

I don't mind the pressing, but my copy is severely warped. Still playable, but I'm amazed the needle doesn't fly off because of how much it moves up and down.

Madi

Bad pressing, a little bit noisy.

Vut

I understand why they have to do it but... it's really annoying when the tracklist isn't the same on different formats.

Bliss

yeah and the lyric sheet has also the cd/digital tracklist which is something they should have realized...but anyway great album!

Cells

I have a copy with the white shell and then a clear copy. My clear copy sounds 1000 times better than my white copy . I am not sure if all the clear copies sound better than the white copies or if my white copy was just a dud but I just wanted to say my clear copy sounds amazing and that was my point of reference.

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