It's hard to think about Sufjan Stevens when he was just starting out. After so thoroughly blowing our minds with Michigan, Illinois, and Seven Swans, he's quite firmly established himself as the one of the finest songwriters around, with a level talent that few can hope to reach. But just like everyone else, Stevens was once a hungry young musician still figuring out what he was trying to say. We were lucky enough to get a peak into that phase of Stevens' career when he released "Jamila," the 4-track demo he made in 1998, onto Soundcloud earlier this week.

As with any demo from such a young musician, it's a bit rough around the edges, and the lyrics would lack the sophistication that would come to define his best work. Still, you can pick up on elements of his music that were present right from the beginning. The song is sweet and sincere, and could be looked at as a less depressing precursor to "Casimir Pulaski Day." Stevens wold go onto bigger and better things, but this early recording shows that he was always destined to be a great talent.