A Beginner's Mind Explained

A Beginner's Mind
Type:studio
Artist:Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine
Cover:A Beginner's Mind - Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine.jpg
Border:yes
Genre:
Length:45:27
Label:Asthmatic Kitty
Chronology:Sufjan Stevens
Prev Title:Convocations
Prev Year:2021
Next Title:Reflections
Next Year:2023

A Beginner's Mind is a collaborative album by American musicians Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine. The album was released by Asthmatic Kitty on September 24, 2021. After being teased by Asthmatic Kitty for several days, the album was formally announced on July 7, 2021, along with its track listing and two singles, "Reach Out" and "Olympus".[2] [3] Daniel Anum Jasper created the album's cover artwork.[4]

The album was met with widespread acclaim from music critics.[5]

Background

A Beginner’s Mind was created in a cabin in upstate New York. There, Stevens and Augustine watched movies every day for inspiration.

Critical reception

The album received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 11 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

In the review for AllMusic, critic Mark Demming felt that the album was "intelligent and well-crafted, and will appeal to fans of either Stevens' or De Augustine's recent work" but also that it was "less distinct than the music they create on their own."[6]

Track listing

List of films taken from Asthmatic Kitty's Instagram page.[7]

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Beginner's Mind by Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine. Bandcamp. 31 October 2021.
  2. Web site: Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine announce new collaborative album . . July 7, 2021 . 7 July 2021.
  3. Web site: Sufjan Stevens Announces New Album with Angelo De Augustine 'A Beginner's Mind'. live. 2021-07-09. Exclaim!. en-ca. https://web.archive.org/web/20210707142018/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/sufjan_stevens_announces_new_album_with_angelo_de_augustine_a_beginners_mind . 2021-07-07 .
  4. Web site: Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine Announce New Album, Share New Songs. 2021-07-09. Pitchfork. 7 July 2021 . en-US.
  5. Web site: A Beginner's Mind by Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine Reviews and Tracks. Metacritic. 2 October 2021.
  6. Web site: Moody. Mark. A Beginner's Mind - Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine Songs, Reviews, Credits. AllMusic. 24 September 2021. 3 October 2021.
  7. Web site: Asthmatic Kitty Records (@asthmatickittyrecords). live. 2021-09-24. Instagram. en-ca. https://web.archive.org/web/20161113123743/https://www.instagram.com/asthmatickittyrecords/?hl=en . 2016-11-13 .