Sufjan Stevens has a strong relationship with his stepfather, Lowell Brams. Brams married Stevens’ late mother when Stevens was a child. Stevens and Brams went on to start the Asthmatic Kitty label together in 1999. In 2008, the pair collaborated on Music For Insomnia, a collection of instrumental music as part of Asthmatic Kitty’s now-defunct Library Catalog Music Series. Lowell, by the way, was also part of the inspiration for Stevens’ latest album, 2015’s Carrie & Lowell.
Now, the pair is back together again: Today, they announced the upcoming release of a new collaborative album, Aporia. The instrumental, New Age record is preceded by the single “The Unlimited,” a droning number that features swelling electronic sounds and light percussion.
Stevens said of making the album, “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.”
Listen to “The Unlimited” above, and find the Aporia art and tracklist below.
1. “Ousia”
2. “What It Takes”
3. “Disinheritance”
4. “Agathon”
5. “Determined Outcome”
6. “Misology”
7. “Afterworld Alliance”
8. “Palinodes”
9. “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”
Aporia is out 03/27 via Asthmatic Kitty Records. Pre-order it here.
