Sufjan Stevens’ ‘The Ascension’ Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary

Five years ago today, Sufjan Stevens released ‘The Ascension,’ on Asthmatic Kitty Records. On his eighth studio album Sufjan’s goal was: Keep it simple. Keep it real. Keep it moving. Written and recorded quickly with a clear goal of creating brisk, buoyant pop songs, ‘The Ascension’ drew heavily from eighties and nineties music, particularly Janet Jackson’s ‘Rhythm Nation,’ produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The result was an album of big, playful beats and catchy hooks that showcased Sufjan’s exploration into electronic and pop territories.

To mark this milestone, The Ascension LP is available for $20 at the AKR store today—$8 off the regular price.

BUY / STREAM

Revisit the singles “America”, “Sugar”, “Video Game” and “Tell Me You Love Me” below:

We’ve also put together a companion playlist that includes all the songs from ‘The Ascension’ in addition to several songs that influenced the creation of the album and some of our synthy, drum machine faves. Stream ‘From Influence to “The Ascension” on your favorite streaming service.