- Record Label: Sounds Familyre / Rough Trade
- Release Date: Mar 16, 2004
User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 113 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 105 out of 113
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Mixed: 4 out of 113
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Negative: 4 out of 113
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- Most helpful
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PierreBMar 15, 2005I am going to buy a banjo and learn how to play it because of this album. Strange how it is that these things impart faith to me. I believe, but I'm not sure what I believe in...at the very least, I believe in Sufjan, the sincerity within his tremor, and the beauty of his songs.
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JanPieterMMay 6, 2006Gorgeous... He is like the faun playing the flute.. makes you want to cry and sleep and jump and do whatever just because it's so beautiful. Gives me an ache in the stomach every time I hear it.
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PeterBDec 2, 2004This cd is an incredible follow-up to Greetings from Michigan! Sufjan's artistry is unbelievable and should be getting all sorts of attention, nationally. I just saw Sufjan in concert in Madison, WI., and it was one of the most complete, engaging, and beautiful performances I have ever witnessed. You've got to listen to Stevens--you won't be sorry!
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JohnAMar 30, 2004I think we have an early front runner for 2004 AOTY. A strikingly beautiful record that builds upon the best that 'Greetings from Michigan..." had to offer.
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ChristopherLJun 8, 2006While lacking the orchestrated complexity of Illinois, Seven Swans strips Sufjan's music down to the most basic, as well as the most beautiful, aspect of its essence. Some fine banjo work.
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TomWOct 18, 2004Simply a stunning recording. A true masterpiece.
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MarkAAug 27, 2004Simply Gorgeous. The best record of the year.
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NickAug 30, 2005The best acoustic album I have heard in my life.
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mr.hankeyMar 28, 2006
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JaeroplaneApr 22, 2006Sufjan's best album, reserved for the afternoons or evenings when you need your soul to be stirred. Where Michigan and Illinoise takes you through a full spectrum of subjects, styles, emotions, and entertainments, Seven Swans forces you into a higher level of introspection.
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JTourkeJun 5, 2006Bloody Brilliant!!
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RyanPMar 16, 2004Definitely my choice for one of the top albums of the year.
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DerekMar 21, 2004Sufjan has done it again with Seven Swans, an amazing album with stripped down instrumention from his prior release.
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BarryFApr 15, 2004Believe the hype...I put off buying the CD for a few weeks, due to the hype. When I finally heard a song on NPR, I was floored. This is simply one of the most beautiful albums, EVER!
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maxdubyaJan 21, 2007Unbelievebly good. Its rare not to find sufjan gracing my CD player, and Seven Swans is an album which is among his very finest
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SchmaScmaNov 17, 2004Omg this thing frickin rules hes a friggin genius
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Oct 18, 2010I'm having trouble putting it into words how beautiful this album is. The banjo has never sounded so soothing and Sufjan's voice is so entrancing. The music just keeps getting better too; the transfiguration might be the most gorgeous thing my ears have ever experienced.
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Dec 28, 2019Personal favorite release in all of Sufjan's discography. An entirely personal and precious gathering of songs about Sufjan's understanding of Christianity.
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mattaMay 27, 2005His Greetings From Michigan is still as a whole a better album, but some of the songs on here are so beautiful........ I can't wait for his next release "Illinois"
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markfMay 11, 2004
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lievenbDec 17, 2006beatiful album! amzing banjo and the three last songs are astonishing! What do you want more?
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mrgMay 10, 2004While this is one great album, it isn't as diverse, interesting, or incredible as Michigan. It is definitely still worth checking out, Sufjan is clearly amazing.
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S.GoldSep 3, 2005Even though the music is usually quiet and simplistic, it's hardly boring. He's a very talented guy.
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Oct 25, 2021
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DaleMJan 19, 2006While it is clear that he can play the banjo well, the music is simple and repititious. The album seems to have a rather narrow emotional range. Sincere-yes. Beautiful-yes. Fecund and stirring-no. Sterile-perhaps. Boring-afraid so.
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meAug 26, 2004ehhhhh, not so good. too much treble, not enough bass as they say.
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Oct 31, 2018Disgusting. Absolutely atrocious and I believe that this has tainted the name of Sufjan Stevens. I repeat: disgusting.
Awards & Rankings
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Even if we're not taken by the subject matter, we're taken by how beautifully and personally Sufjan is taken by it.
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Entertainment WeeklyHe shares [Elliott] Smith's gift for sketching in complex emotional states with telling details. [19 Mar 2004, p.66]
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A consistently moving, subtly beautiful experience.