Year of the Rabbit Enjoy Your Rabbit Special Edition Vinyl

July 5th, 2023 , by

We’re releasing a special Year of the Rabbit Edition of Sufjan’s Enjoy Your Rabbit!

In 2001, we released the album on CD, then released a vinyl pressing in 2014. The album’s fourteen songs (one for each sign of the Chinese Zodiac, plus two for good luck, ie. “Year of the Asthmatic Cat” – that’s us!) are distinctly Sufjan. Sufjan may be better known as a singer-songwriter and folk artist, but Enjoy Your Rabbit demonstrates that Sufjan has never obeyed the laws of genre; many of the electronic riffs on this record tease hooks that appear later on Michigan, Illinois, Age of Adz, and The Ascension. 

Enjoy Your Rabbit has lived its own long and prosperous life. The Osso String Quartet’s Run Rabbit Run album recreated the album in arrangements for live, acoustic chamber ensemble. And choreographer Justin Peck has collaborated with Sufjan over half a dozen times, including the recently debuted Illinois production at the Fisher Center at Bard, but Justin’s first collaboration with Sufjan was to choreograph the songs on Enjoy Your Rabbit for Year of the Rabbit, which premiered at the New York City Ballet in 2012.

It’s now 2023, a year of the rabbit, one predicted to be full of harmony, longevity, and prosperity – making it a perfect time for a Year of the Rabbit Special Edition vinyl of this double LP. Since Sufjan was born under the rabbit, we wanted to wait until his birthday to unveil this for his fans. 

This 2xLP is pressed in a calming deep blue vinyl, punctuated by a subtle rabbit-fur cloudy white. We hope it brings you harmony and good fortune.You can pre-order the Year of the Rabbit special edition of the 2xLP here (ships August 1st).

Angelo releases new album, Toil and Trouble

June 30th, 2023 , by

Today, Angelo shares Toil and Trouble, his first solo effort since 2019’s breakthrough third album, the Thomas Bartlett-produced Tomb, and his follow-up to 2021’s critically acclaimed collaboration with Sufjan, A Beginner’s Mind. 

Mojo has already reviewed the new album, saying that Angelo “ups his game . . . Augustine’s fourth is celestially good.” The album also received an 8/10 from Uncut, and NPR’s Bob Boilen said that “Another Universe,” the first track released from the album, was a “breathtaking song.” 

Listen to the full album on streaming platforms here.

Check with your local record store to pick up an indie gold exclusive color, or you can buy a cauldron-fire colored vinyl, and a bundle including a Toil and Trouble themed T-shirt, Angelo’s 2019 Tomb on vinyl that includes a randomized set of three Toil and Trouble themed collector cards here (sample of the cards below).

Special 20th anniversary vinyl editions of Sufjan’s Michigan album out now: second pressing arriving in fall

June 9th, 2023 , by

AKR has partnered with Third Man Pressing in Detroit to release three special editions.

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Angelo De Augustine Announces Toil and Trouble, Fourth Solo Album; Single & Fantastical Video of “Another Universe” available now

April 25th, 2023 , by

Today singer-songwriter Angelo De Augustine announces his fourth studio album, Toil and Trouble, set for release on AKR on Friday, June 30th. 

The album’s lead single, “Another Universe,” is also out today alongside a fantastical claymation video, written/directed by Angelo and fabricated/animated by Owen Summers. Watch and hear here, below, or your preferred streaming service. 

“I grew tired of reality and so I decided to make a world of my own. It is a safe world. The kind of place in which only good things happen,” says Angelo about the first single and the video.

This is Angelo’s first solo effort since his third album, Tomb, and his follow-up to 2021’s collaboration with Sufjan, A Beginner’s Mind. Toil and Trouble sees Angelo returning to the self-contained approach of his 2015 debut Spirals of Silence and 2017’s Swim Inside the Moon. Angelo spent nearly three years working alone and exploring the vast expanse of his imagination, creating a work that exists according to its own quixotic logic, inhabiting a psychic landscape as mystifying as a fever dream or a fairy tale. He wrote, arranged, recorded, produced, and mixed Toil and Trouble on his own, shaping the album’s sound by performing on 27 different instruments (including such oddities as a xylophone made of glass). In the midst of that highly experimental process, he endured an ephemeral but nightmarish period of otherworldly sensations and supernatural visions—an experience that briefly disrupted the album’s creation but in the end helped to enrich the album’s immense emotional depth. You can read more about the record here.

You can pre-order an indie gold exclusive color at your local record store.The AKR store features a cauldron-fire colored vinyl, as well as a bundle including a Toil and Trouble themed T-shirt, Angelo’s 2019 Tomb on vinyl, and a randomized set of three Toil and Trouble themed collector cards. Buy from the AKR store here. All versions and formats include artwork by Daniel Anum Jasper and layout and design by Eric Timothy Carlson. 

Denison Witmer Releases New Single: “It’s Okay to Live a Quiet Life”

April 14th, 2023 , by

Today, Denison Witmer released a new standalone single via AKR called, “It’s Okay to Live A Quiet Life,” in two versions, “For A,” and “For E.” Produced and performed by Witmer with help from Thomas Bartlett and Andy Park, Denison wrote the song after a road trip with a friend who asked, “When is it ok to just be? Can’t I just live a quiet life?” 

“So much of our energy is spent trying to separate the signal from the noise,” says Denison, “This song is meant as an encouragement to the listener to pause and take the time they need to rehabilitate. It’s ok to live a quiet life. You don’t have to prove a thing to yourself or anyone.”

Denison originally wrote “It’s Okay to Live A Quiet Life” as part of a side project under the moniker of Uncle Denny (a nickname Sufjan jokingly gave him when they toured together) to challenge himself to produce music as quickly as possible in a first-thought-best-thought approach. Denison wrote and recorded a song a day for a month and then released them on Bandcamp immediately after. Songs ranged from “Hello 2020” (January 1) to “Kobe Bryant” (January 26) to “Constitutional Crisis” (January 30th). 

The two versions of “It’s Okay to Live a Quiet Life” reflect the various personalities and tastes of Denison’s children. “They have different musical tastes, and I thought it would be a fun challenge to make each one in the style of music that they like,” says Denison. 

You can hear the songs and view the corresponding videos here.

New songs and videos from Angelo De Augustine, available now

November 17th, 2022 , by

Angelo De Augustine has shared “27” and “Hologram,” a new double single available now via Asthmatic Kitty Records at all DSPs and streaming services here. A limited edition cassingle is available exclusively at our official AKR store here.

These singles are Angelo’s first new music since 2021’s collaborative LP with Sufjan, A Beginner’s Mind, and his first solo work since 2020’s dual tracks “Santa Barbara” and “Blue,” the two new singles find Angelo exploring Greek and Roman history, monsters and ghouls, evil, death, faith, love, destruction, and opposing deities. These originals – recorded, produced, and mixed by Angelo – hint at a larger sound to come and a profound artistic evolution years in the making.

Angelo began work on “27” in 2019 while recording initial demos that would become A Beginner’s Mind, and features instrumental assistance from Sufjan. “Hologram” alternately disguises its depths in the body of a simple folk song. Starting in 5/4 time, the track’s octave-jumping melody morphs into a 3/4 waltz, before transitioning into a 4/4 chorus. The song’s lyrics depict dystopian and hellish landscapes painted with age long myths, games of telephone, what it means to be evil, and how evil itself is often misunderstood.

Angelo has released two videos accompanying the tracks, a video shot by Angelo himself and edited by Jessica Calleiro viewable below or here, and an animation of “Hologram” by Matt Czap which you can view below or here.A limited edition of translucent blue cassingles is available for purchase here.

Released today: Esther, by The Welcome Wagon

November 4th, 2022 , by

We’re so proud to announce that Esther, the newest album from The Welcome Wagon, is available today, November 4th, wherever you listen to music. Click here to start listening. 

You can also buy the CD or LP (in translucent pink vinyl) here. Also available are bundles that include a custom-screen printed tote (which you can buy for $15 here), a special hand-made cassette, and an archival quality 16″x24″ print of Monique’s artwork here.

Earlier this week, Monique and Vito and friends played a record release show – a “Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Record-Release Special!” – which you can watch here (or below). There’s special guests, grapes and cheez-it’s, Thanksgiving cake, gifts, music, and neighbors.

The album, Esther, is as much about homecoming as it is about making peace with—and a home in—uncertainty. “It became apparent to us that so many of these songs were about coming home, or leaving home, or reckoning with the homes we grew up in,” says Vito, “plus we wrote them in our home.” 

“Making a home in this world is one of the hardest and most beautiful things any of us ever do,” says Monique. “Our music helps us to do that—to make a home, together with our family and friends—and we hope that somehow our songs might help others to make a home wherever they are, too.”

Welcome Wagon release “Matthew 7:7,” new song and video from forthcoming album

October 12th, 2022 , by

With a new album due November 4th, The Welcome Wagon have just released a new song and music video: “Matthew 7:7,” available for viewing below, or listening here.

Directed by Alex and Aaron Craig, the video features Monique and Vito Aiuto in a church in Brooklyn. This is the second Welcome Wagon video by the Craig Brothers, who also directed “Would You Come and See Me In New York?” in 2012. (The new video features a cameo from that video – see if you can spot her!) 

As with the previous Welcome Wagon single, “Isaiah, California” (which you can hear here), Monique also created a painting to “Matthew 7:7.” 

Monique began to paint after a decade away from the easel while locked down with Vito and their son Isaiah in their Brooklyn home. In isolation, she realized she’d neglected the very thing that connects her to herself, to God, and those around her, her gift, her purpose, art. To return to her creative practice, Monique recalled the sun drenched studios of The Cooper Union, where she attended from 1992 – 1996. Paintbrush in hand, she would listen to the muffled crackle of Psalms on tape cassettes home-recorded by her grandmother Esther. These recordings and paintings form the heart of this new album. 

“Vito gave me the beautiful green Bible whose cover is in this work. He said, ‘Maybe you could use it in one of your paintings, maybe you could cut it up?’ I think God would appreciate that. There’s something about people being delighted by their own creativity that God really digs,” says Monique about the painting.Pre-orders for the album (translucent pink vinyl LP!) are here. Also available at that link are bundles, including a custom-screen printed tote, tickets to a very special Welcome Wagon release party livestream, a special hand-made cassette, and an archival quality 16″x24″ print of Monique’s artwork. 

New video for Sufjan’s “Fourth of July” April Base Version

July 4th, 2022 , by

Today, on July 4th, Sufjan has released a video of the new April Base version of “Fourth of July,’ directed by Michael O’Neal and Adam Prieto.

This follows last Friday’s release of two alternate versions of the song, “Fourth of July.”

Both versions were recorded around 2014: “Fourth of July (April Base Version)” was recorded in Eau Claire, WI at Justin Vernon’s April Base studio, and “Fourth of July (DUMBO Version)” was recorded in Sufjan’s old studio in Brooklyn, NY.

The original version of “Fourth of July” appeared on Sufjan’s 2015 album, Carrie & Lowell. As is (and was) his custom, Sufjan would often rework different versions of his songs while recording an album, and “Fourth of July” was no exception. (Other versions & remixes of the song were released on “The Greatest Gift” mixtape and on the “Exploding Whale” 7” single.) These two latest versions were recently found on old harddrives. The refrain of the song, “We’re all gonna die,” invokes a meditation on human mortality and fragility, even as it acts as an anchor of stoic hope. Its solemnity invites listeners to feel comfort, connection — even joy — wrought from great pain and loss. 

The song has recently had a resurgence with listeners — which may speak to a deep national grief and sense of loss. As we head into this Fourth of July weekend — a U.S. holiday marked by war (and death) — let us reflect on what it means to live in fullness in the face of death.

The limited run physical 7-inch in red will be released in December 2022, which marks the 10-year anniversary of Carrie’s death.

New album from Half-handed Cloud, Flutterama, available now

June 17th, 2022 , by

Flutterama, the seventh album from Half-handed Cloud (John Ringhofer), is available for purchasing and listening now. Check your local record store for the Oxidized Tape Brown LP, or you can buy an LP bundle for $45 that includes the LP, a union-made sew-on patch, some Half-handed Cloud balloons, an 11×17 artwork poster, and a Half-handed Cloud made-in-USA tote bag here. The LP and CD and cassette (in Wild Bilberry Purple!) are also available.

Listen to the album here.

This release (and indeed every Half-handed Cloud record!) is a milestone for the label. Our second catalog release, AKR002, was the 2001 reissue of Half-handed Cloud’s 1999 self-released album, Learning About Your Scale. We’ve been putting out Half-handed Cloud music since then –  for over twenty years now! At a time when so many things feel so very ephemeral, we feel deeply honored to have been the long-standing home for Half-handed Cloud. John’s music is sobering and honest, but it is at the same time exuberantly joyful, profound, and ultimately hopeful. Flutterama is no exception. It’s in this spirit of great joy that we hear throughout the record that we release Flutterama into the world today — with the hope you receive it in the same way. 

Half-handed Cloud is also touring in the US. Since John and his family live in Finland, this is a very rare event! Be sure to check the tour dates below. (Note: some tour dates are still in progress, so stay tuned to Half-handed Cloud’s Instagram account.)

Half-handed Cloud Tour:

Tue June 21st – TBD (western Virginia?)

Wed June 22nd – TBD (Asheville, NC?)

Thu June 23rd – NASHVILLE, TN
The Well – Green Hills – 7pm / 7:30pm
4002 Granny White Pike – $10
@music_at_the_well
w/ Eve’s Curse
@evescurse

FRI JUNE 24TH – ATLANTA, GA
Bell Street Burritos – 9pm
Krog Street (facing the Beltline)
112 Krog Street #1A – $10
@bellstreetburritos

SAT JUNE 25TH – CHATTANOOGA, TN
Cherry Street Tavern – 10pm
@cherrystreettavern
719 Cherry St – $10 Cover
Opening for Taylor Hollingsworth
@shataytaytottingsturf

SUN JUNE 26TH – KNOXVILLE, TN
The Pilot Light
106 E Jackson Ave
(in Knoxville’s Old City)
8pm, w/ Maspeth

TUE JUNE 28TH – PHILADELPHIA, PA
Evangelical Church Of The Atonement
1542 E Montgomery Ave (Fishtown)
@atonementfishtown – $10
Doors 7:15 / Start: 7:30
Opening for The Chairman Dances
@thechairmandances

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