sufjan stevens
Sufjan Stevens Announces Five-Volume Album, Convocations, Releases ‘Meditation V’
After a five-year break between solo albums, Sufjan Stevens is already back with his next project after last year’s The Ascension. But for those expecting a concise sequel to the 15 tracks released in September, Convocations is far from it — even by Stevens’ standards. The five-volume album will seemingly release one volume at a time, every Thursday until May 6. Clocking in at about 150 minutes, the 49-song project is broken down into the artist’s interpretation of the five stages of mourning, with the volumes titled Meditations, Lamentations, Revelations, Celebrations and Incantations. The idea was conceived and created around the release of The Ascension, which happened to closely coincide with the death of Stevens’ father. Ahead of Meditations’ full release on T...
The 30 Best Albums of 2020
After a deluge of canceled or delayed tours, drive-in experiments, Bandcamp Fridays and bedroom livestreams, we’re finally here. Yay? It’s hard to celebrate much of anything in 2020. But one encouraging sign from the music industry has been the number of artists innovating on the fly — figuring out ways to sustain their careers through the madness. And as fans, at least we’ve had new albums to help us process our continuing semi-apocalypse. Having (mercifully) reached the end of this awful year, we have even more perspective on the functionality of a great record. The 30 we’ve assembled here have prompted us to dance, helped us grieve, made us laugh, or even just allowed us to escape into a transportive riff or soundscape. We assume they did the same for the artists themselves. Let us reme...
The 35 Best Albums of the Last 35 Years
Let’s face it: With most “Best Albums” lists, you know the broad strokes of the ranking before you even click. Part of that predictability is understandable: Most iconic records earn their reputation. But these rankings shouldn’t be fossilized, and a shit-ton of amazing LPs have been shoved aside in the pursuit of maintaining the status quo. We didn’t ignore the unimpeachable on our list — you’ll see plenty of the staples you’ve come to expect. But we also hope we’ll spark your curiosity and encourage you to hunt for a title you may have missed over the last 35 years. 35. Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love (1987) CREDIT: Columbia Records How does one follow up a rock album that recalibrates stadium sound systems and offers a stark look at hard times in America? With love songs, of course. ...
Sufjan Stevens Shares Video for ‘Sugar’
Sufjan Stevens has steadily shared songs from The Ascension, his first new solo album in five years. So far, he’s shared a pair of lengthy tunes from that album with the 12-minute “America” and “Video Game” (in which the video featured viral TikTok dancer Jalaiah Harmon) and a B-side with “My Rajneesh.” Now, another new song, “Sugar,” has arrived. A video accompanying the release showcases a message of letting go of things that are bad and to give what’s good to the people you care about it — even with the imagery that seems to indicate otherwise. “‘Sugar’ is ultimately about the desire for goodness and purity (and true sustenance),” Stevens said in a statement. “On the surface the song is just a string of clichés, but the message is imperative: now is the time to gather what is good ...
Sufjan Stevens Appears on Mina Tindle’s New Song
Sufjan Stevens has joined forces with Pauline De Lassus, better known as Mina Tindle, on “Give a Little Love,” off her upcoming record, SISTER. “I have always deeply loved Sufjan Stevens music,” De Lassus said in a statement. ”His words and melodies have resonated in me for the last 15 years. He is also a dear and generous friend. And I am so grateful he gave me this beautiful song to sing for the album.” De Lassus also dropped a visual, which she directed and filmed on a beach in Puglia, Italy, and features the dancing of Moira Cappilli. This is a video I shot years ago of my dear friend Moira Cappilli who is one of the closest people to my heart and her dancing has been inspiring me for years.I shot this video several years ago, and always loved it, and it feels right for this song. — Mi...
Sufjan Stevens Releases B-Side ‘My Rajneesh’
Sufjan Stevens has shared “My Rajneesh,” which serves as the B-side to “America,” the 12-minute song he released last week. The Ascension, Stevens’ first solo album in five years, was announced last week as well. The Rajneesh movement was a cult that was around in the 1970s and ’80s that, after being forced out of India, settled in Oregon, and has a colorful history, to put it mildly. The song seemingly refers to a bioterror incident involving the cult in 1984. As for “My Rajneesh,” it was originally from 2015’s Carrie & Lowell sessions and is a sprawling song in its own right, clocking in at 10-and-a-half minutes that tackles a number of subjects surrounding the cult. “America” and “My Rajneesh” will be released as a 12-inch single on July 31. The Ascension will be rele...
Sufjan Stevens Releases 12-Minute Protest Song ‘America’
Earlier in the week, Sufjan Stevens announced that he’d be releasing his first solo studio album in five years. Now, we have the first single from The Ascension. Album closer “America,” is a long one, 12-and-a-half minutes to be precise. But the song — just like the album — Stevens says is an indictment of a world that’s falling apart around us and against the slickness that encompasses us. “I was dumbfounded by the song when I first wrote it,” Stevens said in a statement. “Because it felt vaguely mean-spirited and miles away from everything else on Carrie & Lowell. So I shelved it. But when I dug up the demo a few years later I was shocked by its prescience. I could no longer dismiss it as angry and glib. The song was clearly articulating something prophetic and true, e...
Sufjan Stevens to Release New Solo Album The Ascension
Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens has a new album. Titled The Ascension, the record will be his eighth solo studio album and follows his recent collaborative effort with his stepfather Lowell Brams, which was released earlier this year. It is Stevens’ first solo album in five years. The album’s first single, the sprawling, over 12-minute “America,” will be out this Friday. The Ascension is out on Sept. 25 via Asthmatic Kitty Records. Here’s the tracklisting: 1. Make Me An Offer I Cannot Refuse (5:19)2. Run Away With Me (4:07)3. Video Game (4:16)4. Lamentations (3:42)5. Tell Me You Love Me (4:22)6. Die Happy (5:47)7. Ativan (6:32)8. Ursa Major (3:43)9. Landslide (5:04)10. Gilgamesh (3:50)11. Death Star (4:04)12. Goodbye To All That (3:48)13. Sugar (7:37)14. The Ascension (5:56)15. Ameri...
