The last we heard from banjo-wielding eccentric Sufjan Stevens, the songwriter admitted that he was in the midst of a "creative crisis," complaining, "I feel that the album no longer has a stronghold or has any real bearing anymore."
Whether or not he returns to the LP format remains to be seen, but in the meantime, Stevens has written new music for the documentary Beyond This Place, directed by childhood friend Kaleo La Belle. The film is about La Belle meeting and going on a bike trip with his father, Cloud Rock La Belle, a hippie who was absent for the first 34 years of the director's life.
Stevens and La Belle previously collaborated on the 2006 film Crooked River, which was about a road trip the songwriter took with his brother Marzuki to their home state of Michigan.
TwentyFourBit reports that the soundtrack for Beyond This Place was a joint effort between Stevens and Asthmatic Kitty label-mate Raymond Byron Magic Raposa, leader of the freak folk outfit Castanets. It reportedly includes a new version of Stevens's "In the Devil's Territory" (from 2004's Seven Swans) and a title track written by Raposa, as well as various mood music and background accompaniment.
Check out the trailer for the film below. Starting at 2:20, there's an instrumental song that's unmistakably Stevens, with cyclical guitar leads and pounding, crunchy chords. Hopefully this means he's over that pesky creative crisis and is read to start releasing new music again, regardless of the format.
Whether or not he returns to the LP format remains to be seen, but in the meantime, Stevens has written new music for the documentary Beyond This Place, directed by childhood friend Kaleo La Belle. The film is about La Belle meeting and going on a bike trip with his father, Cloud Rock La Belle, a hippie who was absent for the first 34 years of the director's life.
Stevens and La Belle previously collaborated on the 2006 film Crooked River, which was about a road trip the songwriter took with his brother Marzuki to their home state of Michigan.
TwentyFourBit reports that the soundtrack for Beyond This Place was a joint effort between Stevens and Asthmatic Kitty label-mate Raymond Byron Magic Raposa, leader of the freak folk outfit Castanets. It reportedly includes a new version of Stevens's "In the Devil's Territory" (from 2004's Seven Swans) and a title track written by Raposa, as well as various mood music and background accompaniment.
Check out the trailer for the film below. Starting at 2:20, there's an instrumental song that's unmistakably Stevens, with cyclical guitar leads and pounding, crunchy chords. Hopefully this means he's over that pesky creative crisis and is read to start releasing new music again, regardless of the format.
