Reflections, composed by Sufjan, performed by Timo Andres and Conor Hanick out now
May 19th, 2023 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Today we are proud to release Reflections, the studio recording of Sufjan’s’ score for the ballet of the same name by choreographer Justin Peck, performed by pianists Conor Hanick and Timo Andres. To celebrate this release, we commissioned long-time Sufjan collaborator Stephen Halker to create a series of audio visualizations that animate the artwork from the album by Jessica Slaven, timed to the music.
Watch the visuals here, and listen to the record here. Read more about Reflections here.
Talking about the visualizations, Stephen said, “The motion design was dictated by the forms of Slaven’s artwork and the sonic characteristics of each piece. The visuals and compositions are so dynamic that the motion design was just an act of introducing the two forms to each other and watching them interact and mirror themselves.”
Timo and Conor, who performed the pieces, have also commented on the motion present on Reflections. Says Timo: “The music has an innate theatricality, drama, and variety that seems to suggest movement—not in a toe-tapping, groove-oriented way, but instead something both grander and quirkier. It was a pleasure to work with Sufjan to find the right interpretive balance of showmanship and intimacy in this music, and I was lucky to be joined in the process by the great Conor Hanick, whose playing I’ve known and admired for years.”
Hanick agreed: “Reflections – for all its kaleidoscopic virtuosity and stylistic variety – is a piece about movement. You can practically see its shapes and vectors form in real-time, gliding, tumbling, floating. Even in a body of work defined by boldness and contrast, Sufjan’s music in Reflections feels daring.”
Orders for the album on aquamarine-colored 45RPM LP, CD, are available now wherever you buy records, or via AKR here and on Bandcamp. The AKR Store and Bandcamp also include a bundle for sale that includes the expanded edition of The Decalogue with a photo-booklet.
Sufjan to release duo piano album Reflections, performed by Timo Andres and Conor Hanick; video & single out now
April 18th, 2023 , by Asthmatic Kitty
We’re proud to announce Reflections, a new duo piano album composed by Sufjan Stevens and performed by pianists Timo Andres and Conor Hanick, set for release May 19th, 2023.
“Ekstasis” is the first track from the album and is available now. Director Brian Paccione and his team filmed Timo and Conor playing “Ekstasis” live at Yamaha Studio NYC. You can watch that below, or here.
Pre-orders for the album on aquamarine-colored 45RPM LP, and CD, are available now wherever you buy records. The first 500 orders made via our AKR store includes a slipmat featuring the cover art by Jessica Slaven. You can also bundle your purchase with The Decalogue + Reflections slipmat. Pre-order those here.
Reflections was originally commissioned by The Houston Ballet with choreography by Justin Peck and premiered March 21, 2019. Written for two pianos and eleven dancers, Reflections marks the sixth collaboration between Sufjan and Justin, following Year of the Rabbit (2012); Everywhere We Go (2014); In the Countenance of Kings (2016); The Decalogue (2017); and Principia (2019). You can read more about Reflections here. Pre-orders are available here.
7-inch of Sufjan’s “Fourth of July” available now in stores, AKR store
December 2nd, 2022 , by Asthmatic Kitty
In July, Sufjan released two alternate versions of his song, “Fourth of July”, which you can listen to here. We pressed a red 7-inch of the two songs and they are available now at your local record store or for immediate shipping via the AKR store here.
A “Fourth of July” t-shirt is available here. We’ve also created a bundle that includes the t-shirt, “Fourth of July” 7-inch, The Greatest Gift LP, Carrie & Lowell Live 12-inch single and the Carrie & Lowell LP. The bundle is available here.
Both songs were recorded in 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.
Half-handed Cloud Countdown to New Album Happening Now, Includes Photos of Sufjan and Other AKR Artists
April 19th, 2022 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Last week, Half-handed Cloud (aka John Ringhofer) posted some big news: a new Half-handed Cloud is on its way!
Half-handed Cloud (HHC) has also started posting a countdown on his Instagram with posts documenting the story of Half-handed Cloud from then until now. Every few days he’s posting photos or material from his archive. Today he posted about meeting with Sufjan in 2001.
HHC has been a big part of AKR from the start. In our catalog numbering system, Half-handed Cloud’s debut release, Learning About Your Scale, is AKR002, our second release ever (Sufjan’s A Sun Came is AKR001). As John describes in today’s post, HHC and Sufjan met when Sufjan was touring with Danielson. From then on, HHC and Sufjan toured together early and often, playing together at shows as far back as Cornerstone in 2001 (Stryper! Larry Norman! MC Hammer!), or an Asthmatic Kitty 9/11 benefit show in NYC in December 2001.
HHC is promising all sorts of documentation in the next couple of weeks, including plenty of 35mm photo scans, possible sound clips & video, and stage history. Who knows what surprises are in that HHC archive! To stay tuned, click here.
A Beginner’s Mind, from Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine, Is Out Now
September 23rd, 2021 , by Asthmatic Kitty
A Beginner’s Mind, the new collaborative album from Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, is out now.
You can listen to the album on your preferred digital platform here.
The LP and CD is also available in stores today in most places including the United States, Canada, South America, Japan, and Australia. Independent stores in those regions will be stocking the black LP as well as the “Olympus Perseus Shield Gold” variant.
Due to manufacturing delays and shortages, the CD and LP are delayed in Europe and will be available on October 15th. In addition to the black LP, European stores will be stocking an indie exclusive “Back to Oz Pumpkinhead Orange” variant of the record – just in time for Halloween.
You can also buy the LP from Bandcamp or our store here. We’re selling a “Beginner’s Mind Ocean Blue” colored LP, in homage to the movie that inspired the album’s title and title track, Point Break.
See here for a full list of the movies that inspired each track, and links to stream or rent or buy the movies.
Also available in our store is a 22×22 aqueous-printed poster of Daniel Anum Jasper’s cover artwork, a cap designed by Angelo, and 7-inches of two of the three sets of singles – with slightly extended versions of the songs on those 45’s.
* Please note: due to vinyl manufacturing delays, we are having to delay the 7-inches to mid-November.
New songs from Sufjan and Angelo: “Cimmerian Shade” and “You Give Death A Bad Name”
September 8th, 2021 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Sufjan and Angelo are debuting two new songs from their forthcoming album A Beginner’s Mind: “Cimmerian Shade,” inspired by Silence of the Lambs, and “You Give Death A Bad Name,” inspired by Night of the Living Dead.
Hear the songs here, or below.
Of “Cimmerian Shade,” which is sung from the perspective of Silence of the Lambs antagonist Buffalo Bill (a.k.a. Jame Gumb), Angelo says: “Many authors have emotional attachments to the characters they create. But in this instance, I was interested in how a character felt about being created. In my imagination I was giving consciousness to someone else’s creation. The song is essentially a dialogue between creation and creator that seeks to find understanding to some of the same questions that we ask ourselves about existence, free will, fate, purpose, guidance and if anyone or anything out there is listening or cares.”
The full album is out on September 24.
You can pre-order the 12-inch, the Completist Bundle*, and the 7-inch with these two songs here. The 12-inch we’re selling is an exclusive“Beginner’s Mind Ocean Blue,” its color based on the swirling wave crests in Point Break, the Kathryn Bigelow directed 1992 action crime film starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves, and the movie that inspired Sufjan and Angelo’s title song.
See below for more corresponding movies with links to streaming sites:
| 1 | “Reach Out” | Wings of Desire |
| 2 | “Lady Macbeth In Chains” | All About Eve |
| 3 | “Back To Oz” | Return to Oz |
| 4 | “The Pillar Of Souls” | Hellraiser III |
| 5 | “You Give Death A Bad Name” | Night of the Living Dead |
| 6 | “Beginner’s Mind” | Point Break |
| 7 | “Olympus” | Clash of the Titans |
| 8 | “Murder And Crime” | Mad Max |
| 9 | “(This Is) The Thing” | The Thing |
| 10 | “It’s Your Own Body And Mind” | She’s Gotta Have It |
| 11 | “Lost In The World” | The Last Wave |
| 12 | “Fictional California” | Bring it On Again |
| 13 | “Cimmerian Shade” | Silence of the Lambs |
| 14 | “Lacrimae” | Lacrimae Rerum |
* Please note: due to vinyl manufacturing delays, we are having to delay the 7-inches to after release date. This includes the 7-inches ala carte and in the bundle. 12-inches will ship separately on or slightly before release date. If you’ve already pre-ordered the bundle or 7-inches, please check your email in the next week for more information.
New songs and music video from Sufjan and Angelo: “Back to Oz” and “Fictional California”
August 10th, 2021 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine debut two new songs today. “Back To Oz” (inspired by the 1985 film Return To Oz) arrives with a video directed by Alex Horan of Straight To Tell and animated by Clara Murray. Watch it here or below.
“Fictional California” (inspired by the 2004 Bring It On Again) is also out today—listen here or below.
Both tracks are from Sufjan and Angelo’s forthcoming collaborative full-length, A Beginner’s Mind, out September 24 on Asthmatic Kitty Records. Pre-order/pre-save the album here.
A 7-inch of the two songs in “Bring it On Again” Pep Rally Red is available for purchase both on its own, here, and as part of a bundle that includes the 12-inch LP and all three 7-inches, here.
“This was a song that I had written mostly at home in California,” says Angelo. “We finished its lyrics after watching Return to Oz. The words reference an erosion of a central character’s internal reality. A loss of innocence is the impetus for a journey to find inner truth. In the film, Dorothy returns to the world of Oz to find its landscape in ruins and its citizens frozen in stone. Only she can find the ruby slippers and return peace to Oz. Only we can save ourselves, but we first have to remember who we truly are.”
“Angelo is mostly known for his intimate home recordings; his music is quiet and confessional. So for “Back To Oz” we decided to go for something flashier,” adds Sufjan. “The song has a fun guitar groove, so we gave it some bass and drums, and Angelo even recorded his first electric guitar solo. It’s a sad song—being mostly about disillusionment—but it has a great party vibe too. Which sort of runs parallel to the narrative in the film: Return to Oz is a psychedelic fantasy ride through the unknown, but the main characters are mostly driven by fear and loneliness.”
“We love the dreamlike quality of ‘Back To Oz’ and how the chorus transports the listener to another world,” says video director Alex Horan. “We wanted to evoke those same feelings through the visuals.”
“I love to make anything and everything come alive—the clouds, a fork—everything has a soul and can become a living, breathing thing. So the idea of creating a whole world engrossed me,” says Murray, animator for the video.
The new tracks follow “Reach Out” and “Olympus,” released last month. Listen and watch the video for “Reach Out” here.
Announcing A Beginner’s Mind, a New Album by Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine
July 7th, 2021 , by Asthmatic Kitty
AKR is proud to announce A Beginner’s Mind, the new album from Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine. The album is set for release on September 24 on CD, LP, cassette, and digital. You can pre-order the AKR exclusive in “Beginner’s Mind Ocean Blue” colored 12-inch LP and all other physical formats, from our store here. Read more about the record here.
Artist Daniel Anum Jasper illustrated the cover and artwork throughout the packaging.
Two songs from the album, “Reach Out, inspired by Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire, and “Olympus,” inspired by the 1981 Clash of the Titans, debut today along with a video for “Reach Out” shot by Sufjan and Angelo (and starring their respective dogs Joku [a Jindo] and Charlie [a Havanese]) and edited and directed by Jess Calleiro. Watch the video on YouTube here and Vimeo here, and hear both songs by clicking here.
“Reach Out” and “Olympus” are available on 7-inch in “Olympus Metallic Owl Silver,” with artwork illustrated by Daniel Anum Jasper. The 7-inch ships August 11th and is available for pre-order here.
Also available for pre-order is a “Completist Bundle,” which includes the full LP in “Beginner’s Mind Ocean Blue,” the 7-inch of “Reach Out” and “Olympus,” and two future 7-inches. That pre-order is available here. View all the available pre-order options, including a hat designed by Angelo De Augustine, here.
Sufjan Stevens’ five-volume Convocations is available digitally
May 12th, 2021 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Sufjan’s five-volume instrumental album Convocations is out today on most digital platforms (and available tomorrow, Friday, on all digital platforms). Click here to listen. And you can watch the accompanying, full-length generative video work by Mexican artist Melissa Fuentes here, or below.
The physical 5-LP boxset will be available on August 20th. Check your local record store for pre-order availability.
Sufjan has also released a special, hand-made, tie-dyed Convocations themed t-shirt, which you can pre-order for $35 plus shipping here.
Announcing Convocations by Sufjan Stevens
April 2nd, 2021 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Convocations, a new instrumental album by Sufjan Stevens, will be released on May 6 digitally, and on August 20th, 2021 via 5xLP colored vinyl boxset .
Convocations is comprised of five volumes—Meditations, Lamentations, Revelations, Celebrations and Incantations—the project is a two-and-a-half-hour, 49-track reflection on a year of anxiety, uncertainty, isolation, and loss. Read more about the project here.
You can hear the first song from the project, “Meditation V,” right now by clicking here.
The full volume of Meditations will be out this Thursday, April 8. We’ll be releasing the other four volumes each week for the next four weeks. See schedule below for details.
Each of the volumes and tracks of Convocations are accompanied by a generative video art piece created by artist Melissa Fuentes.
Also: please save the date and join us on Thursday at 12pm ET, when we’ll be premiering Meditations in full, alongside with Fuentes’ visuals, via YouTube livestream here. The livestream will remain active during that week to come, and we encourage you to join in the stream’s chat throughout to reflect, respond, meditate, lament, revel, celebrate, and incant what we’ve gained and what we’ve lost over the last year, and what we see on the horizon.
We are also releasing Convocations on 5xLP on August 20th. You’ll be able to pre-order the boxset on Thursday, April 8th at 1pm ET here or over at Bandcamp here. See photos below.
Schedule
Today
“Meditation V” out now.
Thursday April 8
12PM ET: Livestream of Meditations.
1PM ET: Pre-orders available for 5xLP boxset
Monday April 12
“Lamentation II”
Thursday April 15
12PM ET: Livestream of Lamentations
Monday April 19:
“Revelation II”
Thursday April 22
12PM ET: Livestream of Revelations
Monday April 26
“Celebration VIII”
Thursday April 29
12PM ET: Livestream of Celebrations
Monday May 3:
“Incantation VIII”
Thursday May 6
12PM ET: Livestream of Incantations,
1PM ET: full Convocations project available on digital platforms
August 20th
5xLP boxsets ship (first pressing).
Click here to follow the schedule on our Sufjan calendar.