Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams have unveiled their New Age albumĀ Aporia.Ā Originally set to drop on March 27th, the family band has pushed up the release, hoping to getĀ AporiaĀ into record stores before the COVID-19 pandemic forces any more retailers to shutter. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify.
Brams and Stevens have been playing together for years, even before they founded Asthmatic Kitty Records in 1999. The pair most recently collaborated on the 2008 project Music for Insomnia, while Stevens excellent solo record Carrie & Lowell Ā honored his late mother through the lens of her marriage to Brams. AporiaĀ was recorded over several years of jam sessions, curated and distilled down from āhours upon hours of musicā.
In a statement on the AKR website, Stevens and Brams wrote about what it meant to release new music at a time of uncertainty.
The word āaporiaā is Greek in origin, literally meaning āwithout passageā or āat a loss.āĀ This is a good description of how many of us feel right now. What is happening? What happens next? What can we do? What now?Ā We harbor no delusions of grandeurāthis record is hardly the most important thing in your world right nowābut we also believe that music is sacred and has the ability to bring beauty, wisdom, truth and light to our lives in difficult times. We hope this music can bring you meaning, hope and encouragement today. We are donating 50% of the proceeds from the sale ofĀ AporiaĀ to food-focused COVID19 charitiesĀ No Kid HungryĀ as well as toĀ Partners in Health. We encourage you to donate and help out as much as you can.
Physical copies of Aporia are available in CD, LP, or cassette. Stevens and Brams previewed the albumĀ with the singles āThe Unlimitedā, āThe Runaroundā, and āClimb That Mountainā. Last fall, Stevens released his score for the ballet The Decalogue.
AporiaĀ Artwork:
AporiaĀ Tracklist:
01. Ousia
02. What It Takes
03. Disinheritance
04. Agathon
05. Determined Outcome
06. Misology
07. Afterworld Alliance
08. Palinodes
09. Backhanded Cloud
10. Glorious You
11. For Raymond Scott
12. Matronymic
13. The Red Desert
14. Conciliation
15. Ataraxia
16. The Unlimited
17. The Runaround
18. Climb That Mountain
19. Captain Praxis
20. Eudaimonia
21. The Lydian Ring