| Enjoy Your Rabbit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 17, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 79:04 | |||
| Language | English, Chinese | |||
| Label | Asthmatic Kitty | |||
| Producer | Sufjan Stevens | |||
| Sufjan Stevens chronology | ||||
| ||||
Enjoy Your Rabbit is a 2001 electronic music album by American musician Sufjan Stevens. It is a song cycle inspired by the animals of the Chinese zodiac. The album was reworked and rearranged for string instruments and released in 2009 as Run Rabbit Run .
Each song on the album corresponds to a different part of the Chinese zodiac, with the exception of "Year of Our Lord" which, like many of Stevens' songs, references his Christian faith. In an interview with Delusions of Adequacy, Stevens revealed that he "wanted to create an aural environment for each animal: a movie soundtrack (without the movie)." He also described the relationship of imagination in listeners to the instrumental nature of the album, saying "Many people say the same thing: that they inevitably end up visualizing a place or a picture when listening (carefully) to the album. Maybe this is the purpose of instrumental music in the first place. There are no lyrics (or narrative) to encourage the listener. Therefore you are free to imagine what you like."
The process of creating the album "required tremendous patience and self-abnegation" with Stevens noting that he "amassed hours (months, years) of raw material" until he "was left with the most minute sample of something ... which might somehow, in some abstract way, resemble an ox, or a rooster, or a horse". Like much of Stevens' music, Enjoy Your Rabbit had a religious component in its conception, with Stevens describing how he "put together argumentative essays, stanzas of free verse poetry, persuasive dissertations and assertions ... to prove the existence of God based on the 12-year lunar calendar." [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Pitchfork | 7.7/10 [2] |
Enjoy Your Rabbit received generally positive reviews. Michael Crumsho of Dusted described it as "a great record", noting Stevens' ability to "produce melodies that are uplifting, catchy and memorable" but critically remarking that it "remains to be seen, however, if Sufjan will learn that the most elaborate path from Point A to B is not necessarily the best". [6] Jason Nickey of Pitchfork referred to Enjoy Your Rabbit positively as "a fully realized piece of work" and noted he is "looking forward to seeing where [Stevens] goes from here". [2] Writing for AllMusic, Nickey also commented on how the album "maps out a wide musical territory ... in the process, evoking a surprising array of moods". [5]
All tracks are written by Sufjan Stevens.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Year of the Asthmatic Cat" | 0:24 |
| 2. | "Year of the Monkey" | 4:20 |
| 3. | "Year of the Rat" | 8:22 |
| 4. | "Year of the Ox" | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Year of the Boar" | 3:55 |
| 6. | "Year of the Tiger" | 4:24 |
| 7. | "Year of the Snake" | 6:47 |
| 8. | "Year of the Sheep" | 3:34 |
| 9. | "Year of the Rooster" | 6:24 |
| 10. | "Year of the Dragon" | 9:26 |
| 11. | "Enjoy Your Rabbit" | 4:47 |
| 12. | "Year of the Dog" | 4:52 |
| 13. | "Year of the Horse" | 13:18 |
| 14. | "Year of Our Lord" | 4:30 |
| Total length: | 79:04 | |
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released eight solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.
Michigan is a concept album by American indie folk songwriter Sufjan Stevens, released on July 1, 2003 on Sounds Familyre, Asthmatic Kitty and Secretly Canadian in the US, and on Rough Trade in Europe. It is Stevens' third studio album and features songs referencing places, events, and persons related to the U.S. state of Michigan.
Seven Swans is a folk rock music album by Sufjan Stevens, released on March 16, 2004 on Sounds Familyre Records. It is Stevens' fourth studio album and features songs about Christian spiritual themes, figures such as Abraham, and Christ's Transfiguration. The songs are primarily "lush acoustic compositions" with Stevens' banjo. It was recorded and produced by Daniel C. Smith, Sufjan's close friend. The album was released on compact disc by Sounds Familyre Records and vinyl LP; the vinyl was released by Burnt Toast Vinyl.
A Sun Came! is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens, released in 1999 on Asthmatic Kitty. It was reissued four years later. Among Stevens' back catalog, A Sun Came is notable for being recorded on four-track.
Illinois is a 2005 concept album by American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. His fifth studio album, it features songs referencing places, events, and persons related to the U.S. state of Illinois. Illinois is Stevens' second based on a U.S. state—part of a planned series of fifty that began with the 2003 album Michigan and that Stevens has since acknowledged was a joke.
Unwed Sailor is an American, mostly instrumental band, formed in 1998 by Johnathon Ford, with recordings that range from instrumental rock to ambient drones. The band's touring and recording lineups have largely been in rotation over the years, with the core member being bassist Ford. Unwed Sailor has consistently toured throughout the United States and Europe since its inception in 1998.
Run Rabbit Run is an album by the Osso String Quartet, which was released on October 6, 2009. It is a re-working of the 2001 instrumental album Enjoy Your Rabbit by Sufjan Stevens. The songs, originally performed with electronic instruments, were arranged by New York composers Michael Atkinson, Olivier Manchon, Maxim Moston, Nico Muhly, Rob Moose and Gabriel Kahane and performed by the Osso String Quartet. All of the original sounds—glitches, white noise, etc.—are reproduced by these string instruments. In contrast to Enjoy Your Rabbit, live musicians are used; live musicians weren't present on the original album—something Stevens thought it lacked.. Despite the name of the album being "Run Rabbit Run," a hare is depicted on the cover.
All Delighted People is an EP by Sufjan Stevens, released online by Asthmatic Kitty Records on August 20, 2010. It is centered around two versions of Stevens' ballad "All Delighted People". According to the official release webpage it is an "homage to the Apocalypse, existential ennui, and Paul Simon's 'Sound of Silence'". It debuted at #48 on the Billboard 200 and jumped to number #27 the week after.
The Age of Adz is the sixth studio album by American singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens, released on October 12, 2010 by Asthmatic Kitty. It was Stevens' first song-based full-length album in five years, since the release of Illinois in 2005.
American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens has released nine studio albums, thirteen extended plays (EP), fifteen singles, eight promotional singles, and eight music videos. Through his record label Asthmatic Kitty Records, Stevens released his first two albums A Sun Came and Enjoy Your Rabbit in 2000 and 2001, respectively. For his next two releases – Michigan (2003) and Seven Swans (2004) – the singer partnered with Sounds Familyre Records for the distribution of both releases. Seven Swans was supported by Stevens' debut single "The Dress Looks Nice on You". The same album was reissued in 2009 and included the new single "I Went Dancing with My Sister". His fifth album, Illinois, was his first release to enter record charts, where it reached the lower positions in several countries and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of 500,000 copies. The Avalanche, a compilation album consisting of outtakes from Illinois, was released in 2006 and also reached various charts internationally.
"Chicago" is a track from Sufjan Stevens 2005 concept album Illinois, released on Asthmatic Kitty. The song tells the semi-autobiographical story of a young man on a road trip, and his youthful idealism. The track is one of Stevens' most popular songs, and he usually ends his live shows with a version of this song. The song has been recorded in five different versions by Stevens himself, the versions not on Illinois being included on the collection The Avalanche, and one demo released digitally on Stevens' website, later released as a 12" single bundled with the "Illinois: Special 10th Anniversary Blue Marvel Edition". The track has also been sampled by Chiddy Bang on their single "All Things Go".
Carrie & Lowell is the seventh studio album by American musician Sufjan Stevens, released through Asthmatic Kitty on March 31, 2015. Unlike Stevens' 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 given a one-week preview on NPR.
"No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross" is a song by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens. It is the tenth track and lead single from his seventh studio album, Carrie & Lowell, and was released digitally on February 16, 2015 on Asthmatic Kitty and as a one-track 7" on March 3, 2015 on Joyful Noise Recordings.
Planetarium is a collaborative album featuring Bryce Dessner of the indie rock band The National, drummer James McAlister, contemporary classical music composer and arranger Nico Muhly, and singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. The album was released by 4AD on June 9, 2017. The group announced the recording on March 26, sharing the album's track listing along with the song "Saturn".
Call Me by Your Name: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2017 romantic drama film, Call Me by Your Name. It features songs by The Psychedelic Furs, Franco Battiato, Loredana Bertè, Bandolero, Giorgio Moroder, Joe Esposito, and F. R. David, with compositions by John Adams, Erik Satie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Maurice Ravel. American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens composed two original songs for the film, and the soundtrack also features a remix of his track "Futile Devices". Stevens's original song "Mystery of Love" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 2018 ceremony. At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, "Mystery of Love" received a nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media and the soundtrack received one for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.
"Mystery of Love" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens and produced by Thomas Bartlett. It was self-released digitally, under license to Madison Gate Records and Sony Classical, on December 1, 2017. Luca Guadagnino, director of the 2017 film Call Me by Your Name, approached the singer to contribute to the film as a narrator, but Stevens declined and agreed to record an original song instead. Stevens was granted full creative control during the songwriting process and received inspiration from the film's script and André Aciman's novel of the same name. An acoustic song, the lyrics describe romance and allude to the relationship between film characters Elio and Oliver. They also make several references to the state of Oregon, birds, and Christianity.
The Decalogue is a 2017 soundtrack album to the Justin Peck ballet of the same name, by Timo Andres and Sufjan Stevens. The album was released by Asthmatic Kitty to mixed reviews. The ballet debuted in 2017 with the New York City Ballet.
"Futile Devices" is a song by American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens. Originally a track from Stevens' sixth studio album, The Age of Adz, remixes of the song were released in 2012 and 2017, respectively. It was also featured in the 2017 film Call Me by Your Name.
Year of the Rabbit is a ballet choreographed by Justin Peck to music from Sufjan Stevens's album, Enjoy Your Rabbit. The ballet premiered on October 5, 2012, at the David H. Koch Theater, danced by the New York City Ballet.
Convocations is the ninth studio album by American musician Sufjan Stevens, released through Asthmatic Kitty on May 6, 2021. Recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic following the death of Stevens' father, the album was released in five volumes, with a combined total of 49 instrumental songs.
