Sufjan’s ‘Javelin’ 2023 Best-Of Round-Up
January 24th, 2024 , by John Beeler
Announcing the Official 2023 Sufjan Yule Log
November 30th, 2023 , by John Beeler
Sufjan has written and recorded over 100 holiday songs, released in two collections: Songs for Christmas (2006) and Silver & Gold (2012). You can read an interview with Sufjan with Craig Jenkins about this holiday music here. We have set his expansive five-hour, 10-volume holiday repertoire to a peaceful yule log backdrop. This video is ideal for your favorite holiday activities: decorating the tree, baking, making calls to loved ones, or enjoying hot cocoa. You can also view the video (and a lot of other Sufjan holiday videos and links) here.
To celebrate the holiday season, we will premiere this video (directed by Brian Paccione) on Friday, December 1st, at 11AM ET. Join us for a virtual holiday gathering as we showcase the yule log.Of course, a holiday celebration isn’t complete without sharing some gifts! Give us the gift of sharing your Sufjan holiday playlist, and we may feature our favorites on our socials! Send your Sufjan holiday playlist to us using this form.
AKR Holiday Sale: Select CDs and vinyl from Sufjan and other AKR artists 20% off
November 20th, 2023 , by John Beeler
The annual AKR Holiday Sale is here again. This year, enjoy a 20% discount on select CDs and vinyl from artists including Sufjan Stevens, Angelo De Augustine, Denison Witmer, and others. Among many other highlights, this sale includes Sufjan’s The Ascension 2xLP, the Ocean Blue variant of A Beginner’s Mind by Sufjan & Angelo, the Esther LP by The Welcome Wagon, and the Gathered of Out Thin Air 2xLP from Half-handed Cloud.
No coupon code is needed as discounts are already applied.
Each order includes an official Asthmatic Kitty logo sticker.
View everything on sale here.
Here’s just a few of the items on sale:
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Angelo De Augustine Shares Live Double Single: LIVE DTLA
November 8th, 2023 , by John Beeler
In June, Angelo De Augustine released his fourth solo studio album, Toil and Trouble. Today he’s releasing new live versions of two songs from Toil and Trouble: “Another Universe” and “The Ballad of Betty and Barney Hill,” available for listening here. Alongside the new versions are videos directed by Jessica Calleiro, filmed on a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles and set to a backdrop of a setting sun over an LA skyline. Angelo is accompanied on the tracks and videos by musicians Sam Gendel and Gabe Noel.
You can purchase a Cauldron Fire colored vinyl LP of Toil and Trouble here, and a Toil and Trouble t-shirt designed by Eric Timothy Carlson here.
Sufjan’s new album, Javelin, is now available
October 6th, 2023 , by John Beeler
Javelin, Sufjan’s tenth solo studio album, is available now for listening on streaming platforms, for purchase on CD and LP at our store here, or at your local record store. All CDs and LPs come with a 48-page book of art and essays by Sufjan. Below is a list of all the colors of Javelin vinyl you can purchase and where to buy them. We have some of our AKR exclusive Seaweed Ocean Blast LP available at the AKR Store.
Also available for purchase at the AKR Store is a Javelin t-shirt and a sweatshirt, both manufactured in Detroit by Soft Goods and screen printed in Atlanta by Danger Press, an enviro-tote on 15oz natural cotton, and a limited edition backpack designed by Charleston-based J-Stark.
Here are the track listing and vinyl splits for Javelin:
SIDE A
1. “Goodbye Evergreen” 3:35
2. “A Running Start” 4:21
3. “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” 4:09
4. “Everything That Rises” 4:59
5. “Genuflecting Ghost” 3:32
SIDE B
6. “My Red Little Fox” 3:42
7. “So You Are Tired” 4:49
8. “Javelin (To Have and to Hold)” 1:52
9. “Shit Talk” 8:31
10. “There’s a World” 2:29
Total length: 41:59
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Javelin vinyl variants:
 AKR Seaweed Ocean Blast Buy it at AKR Store |  Indie worldwide exclusive LemonadeBuy it at your local record store (or online) |
 Rough Trade Green SmokeBuy it at Rough Trade |  Magnolia Record of the Month Orange CreamBuy it at Magnolia |
 Black vinyl |  Urban Outfitters Solid GreenBuy it at Urban Outfitters |
 Spotify Fans First Pop Bottle Clear(Out of stock) |
“A Running Start” from Sufjan’s Javelin available now, album on Friday
October 3rd, 2023 , by John Beeler
This Friday, October 6th, Sufjan releases his new album, Javelin. Today, we present the final pre-release single, “A Running Start,” which Sufjan describes as “a song about the exhilarating power of first loves and first kisses, and finding safety and serenity in the sublime beauty of nature.”
Hear the song or watch the lyric video here.
All physical copies of Javelin will include a 48-page book of art and essays created by Sufjan, and we’re providing a free digital version of the book early. You can view that here.
Also: you don’t have to wait until Friday to hear the full record! Several record stores and shops are holding listening events this evening (see below for details). They’ll have free Javelin goodies, and you’ll be able to purchase and walk away with your own copy of Javelin. You can also pre-order or pre-save the album and Javelin merch from the AKR store here, including an AKR Sea Foam vinyl LP.
October 3, 2023
Philadelphia, US, Repo Records
Vancouver, Canada, Neptoon Records
Charleston, US, J. Stark w/ records sold by The Record Stop
Chattanooga, US, Yellow Racket Records
Seattle, US, Easy Street Records
“Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” New song and video from Sufjan’s upcoming album, ‘Javelin’
September 13th, 2023 , by John Beeler
“Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” is the second single from Sufjan’s upcoming Javelin (available on October 6th) and it’s now available for listening here.
Accompanying the song is a kaleidoscopic video produced and animated by Stephen Halker, long-time collaborator with Sufjan. Stephen’s video takes us on a journey through various digital landscapes, each one featuring artwork from the album and the 48-page art booklet designed by Sufjan that we are including with each CD and LP.
On making the video, Stephen said, “This piece serves as an exploration into the intricate landscapes of the human psyche, akin to an open invitation to wander through the vast emotional domains of the mind. It illustrates the journey from surface-level facades to the profound yearnings, vulnerabilities, and fixations that reside within the human heart.”
As with each track on Javelin, Sujfan self-produced “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?,” playing nearly every instrument. The song also includes additional vocals from adrienne maree brown, Hannah Cohen, and Megan Lui.
The singers shared thoughts on working with Sufjan on the song:
“The first time I sang the song I started crying, I was so moved by the honesty of the questions. Sufjan is an impossibly brave and gifted writer.” – adrienne maree brown
“Being in the studio with Sufjan is like watching an alchemist at work. He creates a new realm, building our voices from a gentle choir, then morphing us into sirens raging from the sea.” – Hannah Cohen
“Will Anybody Ever Love Me felt like a glimpse into Sufjan’s past records but spins into an epic collage of voices and instruments. His vision of melody and composition are astonishing and working with him and Hannah in the room was pure joy.” – Megan Lui
You can hear the Javelin early at one of the Global Listening Events on September 19th and October 3rd, and, good news, we just added a few more cities to that list including:
Chattanooga, US, Yellow Racket Records
Toledo, US, CULTURE CLASH
Seattle, US, Easy Street Records
Indianapolis, US, LUNA music
Halifax, Canada, obsolete records
Orlando, US, Park Ave CDs
You can pre-order the CD or LP here, and we also have exclusive Javelin totes, T-shirts, and sweatshirts for pre-order here.
Announcing the Sufjan Stevens Javelin Global Listening Event
September 7th, 2023 , by John Beeler
Hear the album early!
Read the Rest...Sufjan To Release New Album, ‘Javelin,’ October 6th; Hear “So You Are Tired”
August 14th, 2023 , by John Beeler
We are proud to announce a new album from Sufjan, Javelin, on October 6th. The first single, “So You Are Tired,” is available for listening now, alongside a lyric video.
Javelin marks Sufjan’s first solo album of songs since The Ascension, and his first in full singer-songwriter mode since Carrie & Lowell. At times, Javelin has the feel of a big team album production — but it is decidedly not: almost every sound here is the result of Sufjan writing and recording at home, building by himself what sometimes feels like a testament to ‘70s Los Angeles studio opulence. The contributions come from a close circle of friends – adrienne maree brown, Hannah Cohen, Pauline Delassus, Megan Lui and Nedelle Torrisi – who provide harmonies on many songs, and Bryce Dessner, who plays acoustic and electric guitar on “Shit Talk.”
To celebrate the release, we’re issuing a special AKR Seaweed Ocean Blast edition. All CD and LP editions include a 48-page book of art and essays all created by Sufjan, including a series of collages, cut-up catalog fantasies, puff-paint word clouds, and color fields.
Pre-orders are up here for Javelin t-shirt, sweatshirt and tote.
To get news about the album, be sure to follow us on Instagram, subscribe to our email newsletter, or sign up for SMS (in the US) by texting ‘AKR’ to (855) 513-1593.
