Aporia (Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams album)

Aporia is an album by American musician Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather, Lowell Brams. It was released through Asthmatic Kitty on March 24, 2020 with a live preview held on YouTube on March 23, 2020.[7]

Aporia
Studio album by
Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams
ReleasedMarch 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)
GenreNew-age music[1]
Length42:06
LabelAsthmatic Kitty
Sufjan Stevens chronology
The Decalogue
(2019)		 Aporia
(2020)		 The Ascension
(2020)
Lowell Brams chronology
Library Catalog Music Series: Music for Insomnia
(2009)		 Aporia
(2020)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Consequence of SoundB+[4]
Exclaim!7/10[5]
Pitchfork6.8/10[6]

Background

The album was inspired by new-age music, with Stevens citing Enya and Boards of Canada as major influences, as well as the soundtracks for the films Blade Runner, Under the Skin, and Hereditary.[1][8] Stevens explained that the album marks the retirement of his stepfather and business partner Lowell Brams, with whom he founded the label Asthmatic Kitty, saying that it "tells a bigger story of stewardship and mentorship. He's been there since I was five. [...] This record is a synthesis of all of that history."[9]

The album was initially slated for release on March 27, 2020, but the duo pushed up the release to March 24 due to growing concerns over record stores shutting down in response to COVID-19.[10]

Recording

Stevens and Brams worked on the album during Brams' visits to Stevens' home in New York.[9] Stevens stated that the album primarily came about as a result of jam sessions: "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."[11] He and Brams then took the best parts of their jam sessions and arranged them into songs.[9]

Critical reception

On review aggregator Metacritic, Aporia has received a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[2] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Mark Deming found the album to be "sometimes an aural journey through a labyrinth, but it never sounds like the participants are lost, and if Brams has some time on his hands, he could find worse ways to spend it than jamming with his stepson again".[3] Grant Sharples of Consequence of Sound graded the album a B+ and opined that it is "overall quite peaceful" with "moments of brashness and tension, and it's through these internal contradictions between tension and release that Aporia distinguishes itself".[4]

Writing for Exclaim!, Allie Gregory rated the album 7 out of 10 and judged that it "would be best suited to a movie score or soundtracking a meditation practice", as each "fuzzed-out song lends itself to a distinct '80s sci-fi aesthetic [that] always leans futuristic, compositionally just shy of dystopian". Ultimately, she concluded that Aporia is an "ode to their [Stevens' and Brams'] decades-long father-son relationship and a fitting conclusion to their musically enriched partnership".[5] In a review for Pitchfork, Peyton Thomas rated the album 6.8 out of 10 and called it "a collection of warm, improvisatory synth-wave epics" that are "intimate and unvarnished" and "double as a testament to the power of found family".[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams.

Aporia track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Ousia"2:33
2."What It Takes"3:23
3."Disinheritance"1:13
4."Agathon"3:02
5."Determined Outcome"2:12
6."Misology"1:49
7."Afterworld Alliance"2:47
8."Palinodes"0:32
9."Backhanded Cloud"1:26
10."Glorious You"1:49
11."For Raymond Scott"0:34
12."Matronymic"0:57
13."The Red Desert"2:54
14."Conciliation"1:20
15."Ataraxia"1:12
16."The Unlimited"2:14
17."The Runaround"3:35
18."Climb That Mountain"3:00
19."Captain Praxis"2:13
20."Eudaimonia"2:19
21."The Lydian Ring"1:02
Total length:42:06

Personnel

Additional musicians

  • Thomas Bartlett
  • Nick Berry
  • Cat Martino
  • Yuuki Matthews
  • James McAllister
  • Steve Moore
  • John Ringhofer
  • D. M. Stith

Technical personnel

Charts
Sales chart performance for Aporia
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[12] 27
US New Age Albums (Billboard)[13] 5
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[14] 94

See also

References
  1. Flanagan, Andrew (February 5, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens To Release New Age Album 'Aporia' With Lowell Brams". NPR. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  2. "Aporia by Sufjan Stevens Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  3. Deming, Mark. "Aporia – Lowell Brams, Sufjan Stevens | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  4. Sharples, Grant (March 25, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams Design an Atmosphere for Daydreaming on Aporia". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  5. Gregory, Allie (March 23, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens & Lowell Brams Aporia". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  6. Thomas, Peyton (March 30, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens / Lowell Brams: Aporia Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  7. "Sufjan & Lowell's Aporia Available on Tuesday, Live Stream Premiere Today". asthmatickitty.com. March 23, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  8. Raup, Jordan (February 5, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens Announces New Album Inspired by Blade Runner, Under the Skin, and Hereditary Scores". The Film Stage. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  9. Blistein, Jon (February 5, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens, Stepfather Lowell Brams Preview New Age-Inspired Album With 'The Unlimited'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  10. Graves, Wren (March 24, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens and Lowell Brams Drop New Album Aporia Early: Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  11. Sodomsky, Sam (February 5, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens Announces New Album With His Stepfather Lowell, Shares Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  12. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  13. "Sufjan Stevens Chart History: New Age Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  14. "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
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