A Beginner's Mind

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A Beginner's Mind
Studio album by
Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine
ReleasedSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
Genre
Length45:27
LabelAsthmatic Kitty
Producer
  • Angelo De Augustine
  • Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens chronology
Convocations
(2021) 		A Beginner's Mind
(2021) 		Reflections
(2023)
Angelo De Augustine chronology
Tomb
(2019) 		A Beginner's Mind
(2021) 		Toil and Trouble
(2023)
Singles from A Beginner's Mind
  1. "Reach Out" / "Olympus"
    Released: July 7, 2021
  2. "Back to Oz" / "Fictional California"
    Released: August 10, 2021
  3. "Cimmerian Shade" / "You Give Death a Bad Name"
    Released: September 8, 2021

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".[3][4] Daniel Anum Jasper created the album's cover artwork.[5]

The album was met with widespread acclaim from music critics.[6]

Background[edit]

A Beginner’s Mind was created in a cabin in upstate New York. There, Stevens and Augustine watched movies every day for inspiration.[5]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[7]
Metacritic81/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Beats Per Minute77%[9]
Evening Standard[10]
Exclaim!8/10[11]
The Independent[12]
The Irish Times[13]
Loud and Quiet8/10[14]
Pitchfork6.7/10[15]
The Sydney Morning Herald[16]
Uncut8/10[17]
Under the Radar[2]

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".[6] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[7]

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."[18]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, except where noted

A Beginner's Mind track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Film inspirationLength
1."Reach Out" Wings of Desire3:43
2."Lady Macbeth in Chains" All About Eve3:42
3."Back to Oz" Return to Oz4:12
4."The Pillar of Souls" Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth3:10
5."You Give Death a Bad Name" Night of the Living Dead4:07
6."Beginner's Mind"De AugustinePoint Break2:15
7."Olympus" Clash of the Titans3:07
8."Murder and Crime" Mad Max3:30
9."(This Is) The Thing"StevensThe Thing2:48
10."It's Your Own Body and Mind"StevensShe's Gotta Have It2:27
11."Lost in the World"De AugustineThe Last Wave3:10
12."Fictional California" Bring It On Again2:50
13."Cimmerian Shade" The Silence of the Lambs4:19
14."Lacrimae"De AugustineLacrimae Rerum2:07
Total length:45:27

List of films taken from Asthmatic Kitty's Instagram page.[19]

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for A Beginner's Mind
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 78
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 45
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 77
Scottish Albums (OCC)[23] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 91
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25] 8
US Billboard 200[26] 115
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[27] 5
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[28] 13
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[29] 12
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] 17

References[edit]

  1. ^ "A Beginner's Mind by Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine". Bandcamp. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b Moody, Mark (24 September 2021). "Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine - A Beginner's Mind - Asthmatic Kitty". Under the Radar. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine announce new collaborative album". NME. 7 July 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "Sufjan Stevens Announces New Album with Angelo De Augustine 'A Beginner's Mind'". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  5. ^ a b "Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine Announce New Album, Share New Songs". Pitchfork. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  6. ^ a b c "A Beginner's Mind by Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  7. ^ a b "A Beginner's Mind by Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  8. ^ Deming, Mark. "A Beginner's Mind – Angelo De Augustine / Sufjan Stevens". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  9. ^ Penna, Grady (24 September 2021). "Album Review: Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine – A Beginner's Mind". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  10. ^ Smyth, David (24 September 2021). "Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine - A Beginner's Mind review: Movie night music hits the spot". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  11. ^ Stanley, Laura. "Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine Are a Musical Match Made in Heaven on 'A Beginner's Mind'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  12. ^ Brown, Helen (23 September 2021). "Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine review, A Beginner's Mind: Infused with the warmth of real friendship". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  13. ^ Kane, Siobhán (24 September 2021). "Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine: A Beginner's Mind review – exceptional, empathic call to arms for the broken". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  14. ^ Francis, Alex (20 September 2021). "Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine A Beginner's Mind". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  15. ^ Smith, Nadine (30 September 2021). "Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine: A Beginner's Mind Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  16. ^ Boulton, Martin; Shand, John; Smith, Barnaby (24 September 2021). "Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine - A Beginner's Mind (Asthmatic Kitty)". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  17. ^ Anderson, Jason. "Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine - A Beginner's Mind - Asthmatic Kitty". Uncut. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  18. ^ Moody, Mark (24 September 2021). "A Beginner's Mind - Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  19. ^ "Asthmatic Kitty Records (@asthmatickittyrecords)". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2016-11-13. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine – A Beginner's Mind" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine – A Beginner's Mind" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine – A Beginner's Mind". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  26. ^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  27. ^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  28. ^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  29. ^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  30. ^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
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