The Greatest Gift, a collection of outtakes, remixes and demos from Carrie & Lowell, is available today on yellow cassette and all digital formats.

Click here to pick your favorite listening venue.

Greatest Gift arrives in record stores in vinyl translucent yellow vinyl on December 8th.

A portion of the proceeds from the release will benefit the Cancer Support Community.

The Greatest Gift unveils new remixes by several longstanding collaborators: Roberto C. Lange (a.k.a. Helado Negro) remixes both “Death With Dignity” and “All Of Me Wants All Of You;” Thomas Bartlett (a.k.a. Doveman) remixes “Exploding Whale,” a song previously only available as a 7-inch single; and James McAlister (a.k.a. 900X) remixes “Fourth of July.” The album features Stevens’ own remix of “Drawn to the Blood” and includes alternate and/or demo versions of songs from the original album, including a fingerpicking version of “Drawn to the Blood,” and iPhone-recorded demo versions of “John My Beloved” and “Carrie & Lowell.” Finally, the mixtape features four previously unreleased new songs recorded at the same time as the Carrie & Lowell.

Also out today: Sufjan’s Blue Bucket of Gold / Hotline Bling (Featuring Gallant), available in stores on via AKR here.

Planetarium will be out June 9th on 4AD. You can preorder the record here.

“Saturn” is the first single and video from the record. Watch it above, or stream or buy it here.

Originally a commission for Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, the piece has transitioned and evolved into a full length album co-composed by Bryce Dessner, James McAlister, Nico Muhly, and Sufjan. Flanked by a string quartet and a consort of seven trombones, the ensemble has assembled an expansive song cycle that explores the Sun, the Moon, the planets and other celestial bodies of our solar system (and beyond) through soundscape, song, science and myth.

We’re happy to announce that every Illinois: Special 10th Anniversary Blue Marvel Edition will also include a die-cut, star-shaped 12″ vinyl based on Chicago’s city flag. 

Sufjan, who plays  guitars and organ on the song, recorded the track in 2004.

The Illinois: Special 10th Anniversary Blue Marvel Edition includes exclusive cover art featuring Chicago-born superhero Blue Marvel, licensed officially from Marvel. In addition to the “Chicago (Demo)” 12-inch, the double LP also includes  “Antimatter Blue” and “Cape White” vinyl colors for the two discs. The audio for the special edition comes from a 2014 remastered version of Illinois.

We pressed 10,000 of the Illinois: Special 10th Anniversary Blue Marvel Edition. The Special Edition will be available worldwide through your favorite local record store.

We’re also selling a slightly less special, misprinted 12-inch version of the song separately. The label on these 2,000 records incorrectly reads 45 RPM. The record plays best at 33 RPM.

You can preorder this misprinted 33 RPM single here. We’ll be shipping it out in April.

Sufjan has released a new live video of the title track from Carrie & Lowell. The video was filmed in North Charleston and directed by We Are Films. Long-time Sufjan collaborator Deborah Johnson edited the video.

Sufjan will be touring Australia and New Zealand in just a few weeks. You can purchase tickets here.

Monday 22 February – State Theatre, Sydney
Friday 26 February – Hamer Hall, Melbourne (sold out)
Saturday 27 February – Hamer Hall, Melbourne
Sunday 28 February – Hamer Hall, Melbourne (just added)
Monday 29 February – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
Wednesday 2 March – Red Hill Auditorium, Perth
Friday 4 March – Qpac Concert Hall, Brisbane
Sunday 6 March – New Zealand Festival, Wellington
Tuesday 8 March – The Civic, Auckland

To celebrate the release of his forthcoming album Carrie & Lowell, Sufjan Stevens is touring Europe this summer and early fall.

Click here to for details.

EUROPE TOUR

August 28 — Dublin, Ireland – Helix w/ Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
August 29 — Dublin, Ireland – Helix w/ Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
August 30 – Edinburgh International Festival
August 31 — Manchester, England – O2 Apollo w/ Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
September 2 — London, England – Royal Festival Hall w/ Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
September 3 — London, England – Royal Festival Hall w/ Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
September 4 — Brighton, England – The Dome w/ Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
September 5 — End of Road Festival — Larmer Tree Gardens
September 6 — Bristol, England – Colston Hall w/ Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
September 8 — Paris, France – Grand Rex w/ Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
September 9 — Paris, France – Grand Rex w/ Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear
September 10 — Brussels, Belgium – Bozar w/ Mina Tindle
September 12 — Oslo, Norway – Spektrum w/ Mina Tindle
September 13 — Stockholm, Sweden – Gota Lejon w/ Mina Tindle
September 14 — Copenhagen, Denmark – Falconer w/ Mina Tindle
September 15 — Hamburg, Germany – Mehr Theater w/ Mina Tindle
September 16 — Berlin, Germany – Admiralpalast w/ Mina Tindle
September 17 — Berlin, Germany – Admiralpalast w/ Basia Bulat
September 19 — Essen, Germany – Colosseum w/ Basia Bulat
September 20 — Geneva, Switzerland – Théâtre du Léman w/ Basia Bulat
September 21 — Milan, Italy – Teatro della luna w/ Basia Bulat
September 23 — Amsterdam, Holland – Royal Theatre Carré w/ Basia Bulat
September 24 — Amsterdam, Holland – Royal Theatre Carré w/ Austra
September 26 — Luxembourg – Grand Theatre w/ Austra
September 27 — Lyon, France – Le Radiant w/ Austra
September 29 — Barcelona, Spain – El Forum w/ Austra
September 30 — Madrid, Spain – Teatro Circo Price w/ Austra

Carrie & Lowell, the new record from Sufjan Stevens, is officially out now.

Here at AKR, we’ve had the privilege of listening to this record for many months. We’re quietly elated that we finally get to share it with you. We see ourselves as a good friend sitting across the table from you and saying, “You might want to hear this,” and then dropping the needle on this music as you sit and listen. Is it good? Is it bad? We don’t know. Sufjan’s new songs on Carrie & Lowell are absent of irony or artifice and that makes it difficult to critique. But his songs have given us the companionship and commiseration we didn’t know we needed.

Carrie & Lowell has made itself a special place in our hearts. We hope it finds a similar home in yours.

Sufjan is on tour in North America in just a couple of weeks, and will also be making stops at VIVID in Sydney in May, at Eaux Claries Festival in July, and End of Road Festival in the UK in September.

You can buy the record on CD/LP or digital here.