Sufjan Stevens
Chanteur

Américain

The first Monday of March is Casimir Pulaski Day — so we're marking it with this live performance by Sufjan Stevens of his song by the same name, filmed at Le Radiant-Bellevue in Lyon, France on September 27th, 2015.

🎥: @elephantbaci (on YouTube)

The album 'Illinois,' which features "Casimir Pulaski Day," is available to purchase or stream at: https://sufjanstevens.lnk.to/illinois

#illinois #chicago

Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse.

Here is Sufjan's "Year of the Horse," from his 2001 album 'Enjoy Your Rabbit,' a song cycle inspired by the animals of the Chinese zodiac! (video from @penaltykillah) You can stream or purchase 'Enjoy Your Rabbit' here: https://sufjanstevens.lnk.to/eyr-yotb

Even if you don't have a spinning aluminum Christmas tree, @sufjan's' 'Silver & Gold' still belongs in your holiday rotation 🎄

Stream it everywhere or make it yours at the AKR store: https://sufjanstevens.lnk.to/silverandgold

Artist Spotlight : Meet @Melissa_Santamaria 🎨

For the past several weeks we've shared a series of psychedelic visualizers to accompany the repress of 'Convocations' on vinyl. That artwork was created by Melissa Santamaria for the album's release in 2021.

Melissa shared with us how her art took shape "For “Convocations,” I started by immersing myself in each volume and its emotional vocabulary. I sat with the words Meditation, Lamentation, Revelation, Celebration, Incantation and let their meanings guide my intuitive response. I’m not always the best at articulating how I feel verbally, so I let the visuals speak for me. Each piece became a form of emotional translation.

I imagined the project as five different islands distinct emotional landscapes that the listener could travel through. I designed visual worlds that embodied the sonic texture of each volume, paying attention to tone, tempo, instrumentation, and atmosphere. Color, motion, and grain became the connective tissue across the series, ensuring each visualizer had its own identity while still belonging to a shared universe.

My goal was to create a resonance between what is heard and what is seen so that the emotional arc of the music could be deeply felt. I believe that when artists create from a place of honesty, connection becomes something natural and inevitable. Working on these visualizers felt intimate, like holding space for grief, wonder, memory, and release. It was a true pleasure to help narrate these feelings visually."

Most recently, Melissa has been developing immersive audiovisual work that blends generative systems, light, and performance particularly collaborations with musicians and live shows where sound and visuals interact in realtime. Her practice continues to move between concert visuals, and creative art direction.

For more information about Melissa's art, be sure to follow her on Instagram at @Melissa_Santamaria.