The Oscar and Grammy nominated composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist is back…
Sufjan Stevens has announced a new collaborative album with his stepfather Lowell Brams (the Lowell of Carrie & Lowell). It’s called Aporia and it’s set to be released 27 March on Asthmatic Kitty, the label that Stevens and Brams founded together.
Stevens and Brams recorded Aporia over the course of the last several years during Brams’ visits to Stevens’ home in New York. Juxtaposing their approach for Music For Insomnia, Aporia find the collaborators intently shaping an appeasing, New Age-inspired album. After tracking hours of music, the pair began isolating the best moments and piecing them together into full songs. Stevens said of the process: “You know how it is with jamming: ninety percent of it is absolutely horrible, but if you’re just lucky enough, ten percent is magic. I just kept pulling out these little magical moments.”
Several frequent Asthmatic Kitty collaborators, including Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), D.M. Stith, Nick Berry (Dots Will Echo), John Ringhofer (Half-handed Cloud), drummer and longtime collaborator James McAlister, keyboardist and trombonist Steve Moore, guitarist Yuuki Matthews (The Shins) and vocalist Cat Martino helped put the finishing touches on the album.