THE Greatest Gift

The Greatest Gift is a mixtape companion to Sufjan Stevens' 2015 album Carrie & Lowell, featuring outtakes, remixes, and demos. It serves as a companion piece to the Carrie & Lowell Live album and includes remixes by collaborators Roberto C. Lange (aka Helado Negro), Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman), and James McAlister (aka 900x), alongside Sufjan's own remix of "Drawn to the Blood." The mixtape also includes a few alternate and/or demo versions of songs from the original album, including a “fingerpicking” version of “Drawn to the Blood,” and a guitar demo version of “John My Beloved,” which Sufjan recorded on his iPhone. The digital release also contains an iPhone demo of the song “Carrie & Lowell.” Four previously unreleased outtakes—"Wallowa Lake Monster," "The Hidden River of My Life," "City of Roses," and "The Greatest Gift"— completed this contemplative expansion of the original album. This new material, in its investigation of love, life, death, God, and the beautiful state of Oregon, serves as a contemplative companion to the original album.