“Blue Bucket of Gold,” the closing track on Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell, also closed out the first set of Stevens’ live dates in support of his new record. Live, the song builds on the album version’s ambient outro, flipping it into a cacophonous wall of sound meant to connote grief and death and mourning and love.
Now, Sufjan has released another take on the song. This remix was recorded with members of Stevens’ live band while the group were on the road in Portland, with some recording being done in Brooklyn. While it doesn’t approximate the live version’s dramatic build, it does incorporate the panned and echoing drums that power the song in concert, and it finishes itself in a wail of voice and sheering guitar. Take a listen below.
(via Uncut)