Really chill album. But the overuse of some instruments tends to make it a bit boring from time to time. But if you listen to each song iduvidually you can really just completely relax to these songs. this is just the type album that makes me quiet, and thats pretty impressive. its a solid 4/5

I picked up one of the new pressings (P11 on the sticker for the barcode) and it's a PERFECT copy. I had none of the issues the original did and sounds splendid. Look on the back of the LP on the barcode sticker and anything that ends in P10 or above is the new cut and should sound great!

Are the lyrics on the insert out of order on all pressings? Eugene is in front of Fourth of July on the lyric sheet

I played my copy of this for the first time since purchasing it in 2016 (did not open it out of sleeve prior). Quite loud pops on Side A. Terrible loud surface noise and loud pops on Side B. Literally thought I was going to have to bin it and get a different pressing because the noises was that loud rendered it basically listenable. After playing it through I used some cleaning fluid, a micro fibre cloth and a vinyl brush on it and now all of the noise and the loud pops are gone! I don't know heaps about vinyl but I thought I should post this to let others know that cleaning the record seemed to fix all the issues I had and might work for you.

Confirming so many of the reviews here to add I literally thought my record player was busted when I put this on. Easily the worst pressing of any record I own. Beggars belief considering the music it's supposed to be representing. Borderline unplayable. Such a shame.

Like many others have said, my copy of this pressing has relatively quiet playback, some irregular pops, and an overall thinner sound; BUT it is still listenable. If you would like to own this record on vinyl, I would say it's still worth the purchase. I really hope Asthmatic Kitty does a repress sometime soon on heavier vinyl. There is so much more potential on this beautiful work of art.

I own an AudioTechnica LP-120 and the record has some minor cracks, pops, and hissing, but it seems relatively consistent with how the songs sound on streaming platforms. This is all to say - the vinyl itself is not a markedly worse experience than streaming, and it's a bummer to hear that a lot of folks seem to have some issues with their pressing. I own hundreds of records and, although this isn't the best-sounding pressing I own, I don't think it sticks out as a black sheep among my collection in any way.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.