Have you ever heard the creaky noise an unoiled door makes when it’s opened, or the screeching sound of violin strings rubbing against a chalkboard? That’s what most of Sufjan Stevens' new album sounds like — jarring and harsh.

Run Rabbit Run recycles material from 2001’s Enjoy Your Rabbit. The new album, arranged by assorted New York composers and played by the quartet Osso, consists of string versions of the songs from Enjoy Your Rabbit.

I’m not sure why this album is released under Sufjan Stevens’ name instead of Osso’s since it's essentially an album of remixes, but I do know that certain sounds — like the violins, which sound like they’re being played by toddlers at a music store — are obnoxious. Osso’s string players, the same who worked so elegantly on Stevens’ 2005 album, Illinoise, bring a discordant and grating feel to the album.

This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2009.