The Avalanche
by Sufjan Stevens
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Sufjan Stevens bestography
The Avalanche is ranked 11th best out of 34 albums by Sufjan Stevens on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by Sufjan Stevens is Illinois which is ranked number 43 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 19,525.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
Listen to The Avalanche on YouTube
The Avalanche track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 77 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
The Avalanche rankings
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The Avalanche ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 129 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 5 hours ago | Exist-en-ciel | 13,409 | 70/100 |
| ! | 04/15/2026 08:25 | cicadelic | 13,210 | 73/100 |
| ! | 12/07/2025 15:40 | Araldo | 1,472 | 80/100 |
| ! | 09/05/2025 12:54 | TonySayers61 | 24,937 | 64/100 |
| ! | 04/06/2025 13:18 | Cheboygan74 | 1,289 | 52/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 15% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 74.2/100, a mean average of 73.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 74.4/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.3.
The Avalanche favourites
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The Avalanche comments
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luigybetis 04/01/2018 20:40 | #212135 | TOP COMMENT
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Not bad at all, maybe I would remove 4 or 5 songs, but there is a lot of great material here! 7/10.
buzzdainer 10/20/2016 22:37 | #177232 | TOP COMMENT
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The fact that The Avalanche is a collection of outtakes and B-sides from Illinois--and that it's this good--lends some perspective on how good an album Illinois is. At the time he was writing and recording all this music, Sufjan Stevens must have been on one of those creative highs that one experiences once in a lifetime, if at all. In this case he's made an album that parallels Illinois in many ways, following a similar narrative arc and emotional trajectory. It's a record that feels familiar and homey, especially if you've heard Illinois, and the best track, "Pittsfield," in the words of Pitchfork reviewer Chris Dahlen, "has the cozy tunefulness of a chicken soup jingle."
A collection of outtakes from the, Illinois, project, the avalanche, is an excellent album in it's own right. Some of the stuff here is as good or even better than some of the stuff on the, Illinois, LP. Some nice versions of, Chicago, too. Good stuff.
The best of the rest. A few duds, but some gems that wouldn't have been out of place on Illinois.
The mistress witch..., Adlai Stevenson and Pittsfield are all great tracks, and the other versions of Chicago are an intriguing listen, especially the adult contemporary.
goeie-oko 12/07/2014 16:38 | #128915 | TOP COMMENT
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A good outtakes collection.
I mean, it's more illinois. How can that be a bad thing?
A solid B-Sides collection. Criminally underrated. You've got to love the ingenuity behind some of these songs.
Favourite Songs: The Avalanche, Dear Mr. Supercomputer, The Mistress Witch..., Chicago (adult contemporary version)
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