Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine absolute beginners

Sufjan Stevens is one of the most prolific songwriters working today, and it feels as though his drive to write songs is as much about the creation of music, as it is the understanding of creativity itself, and finding different ways to explore it. He first heard Angelo De Augustine a few years ago, and when you hear Angelo’s voice you’ll understand why Suf signed him to his label. And why they decided to make an album together.

A Beginner’s Mind is a record inspired and created by a few forces. Sufjan and Angelo holed up in a cabin in upstate New York to write it. They would watch old movies at night; classics like Point Break, She’s Gotta Have It, Silence of the Lambs, even Bring It On Again. Then they’d use these stories to write their own. But they also threw in the I Ching, and a Zen Buddhist principle of Shoshin, or A Beginner’s Mind.

What’s come out of it is a beautiful collection of songs, and the inspiration behind my Take 5 theme of Absolute Beginners. From an epic recording of Nina Simone, to the short and surreal world of Ivor Cutler, and the incredible world of Prince, this is a beautiful journey with two absolute angels.

Judy Garland - 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'

Prince - 'The Ballad of Dorothy Parker'

Nina Simone - 'My Sweet Lord / Today Is A Killer'

Ivor Cutler - 'Sharks'

Beverly Glenn-Copeland - 'Ever New'