Sufjan Stevens

Started by Pedro, June 01, 2004, 02:41:31 AM

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RegularKarate

Onion interview

Also, I like the Zombie song... it's really good.

Sleuth

you don't think the incessant spelling was maybe a bit much?
I like to hug dogs

ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ

I heard his tour was delayed because of legal issues with Superman being used on the Illinois CD without DC's consent.

Does anyone know the story on this?
"As a matter of fact I only work with the feeling of something magical, something seemingly significant. And to keep it magical I don't want to know the story involved, I just want the hypnotic effect of it somehow seeming significant without knowing why." - Len Lye

deathnotronic

That wouldn't inhibit tour. The superman on the cover is, though, limited edition.

modage

Sufjan Stevens LP Delayed Due to Cover Art

Good things come to those who wait-- well, at least until a cease and desist order from DC Comics is no longer in place. Such is the fate that has befallen Sufjan Stevens' Illinois, which was originally scheduled to be released today. A post on Stevens' label, Asthmatic Kitty, states, "Unfortunately we've had to stop selling Illinois due to an legal issue concerning the artwork." According to various blogs and message boards, the legal issue in question is that the album cover featured an image of Superman (flying high above the Chicago skyline with Al Capone in the foreground). As comic book fans well know, the birth of the superhero came in 1938, when Superman made his debut on DC Comics.

In a statement to retailers, Asthmatic Kitty asked them not to sell the LP, saying: "We have been informed that there is a possible copyright and trademark infringement on the cover of the Illinois album art. We have been advised by a lawyer to essentially cease and desist, and that it would be in our best interest to do our best to retract as many of these cds as possible."

There has been no word yet from Asthmatic Kitty or Stevens regarding the specfic nature of the matter, the album's new release date, or what the new cover art will be. Daniel Gill, Stevens' publicist, e-mailed Pitchfork to say that an official statement is shortly forthcoming. We will provide updates on this story as more details emerge. On the plus side, if you were able to order Illinois early, you've now got a nifty collectors' item in your hands.

Sufjan's Illinois Back on Sale...For Now

If you haven't already auctioned off your pre-cease and desist copy of Illinois...too late. While copies printed from now on will feature new artwork, the initial pressings shipped to stores for the July 5 release date will be sold as originally planned. We reported yesterday that the new Sufjan Stevens album could no longer be sold with its original artwork, presumably due to the image of $uperman on the album cover. However, Asthmatic Kitty had been selling the record from its website for weeks in advance, so the dirty copies were already circulating. Also, iTunes was selling the album beginning yesterday (with bonus tracks!).

But now you can head on down to the record store and buy it. An email message sent to retailers yesterday evening by the label's distribution company said: "Any retail outlet which currently has Sufjan Stevens' Illinois in their possession can now sell at will. This can be done with the full blessing of Asthmatic Kitty and SC Distribution."

Unfortunately, that's not the end of the story. "We are not able to ship any more copies from our warehouse," the message continued. "Asthmatic Kitty is still dealing with unresolved issues. Right now, worst case scenario is that we have to wait until a repress with new artwork lands-- conservatively, that would be around the first week of August."

So get 'em while they're hot. Or, if you can't find it in stores, buy it on iTunes and then buy it again when the new edition comes out in stores...hmm...$ufjan?...nah. Why the sudden move to sell, sell, sell? The email addressed this decision: "There are two main reasons for this development: 1) We were largely unsuccessful in our attempts to get the large chains to comply with our cease and desist request. We did not want to disadvantage independent retailers because of that. 2) We realize that many stores have a limited buying budget each week/month. And may have spent a good chunk of their budget buying on Sufjan. Despite the unresolved issues that Asthmatic Kitty still faces, they wanted to make things as right as possible and allow stores to sell what they have."

Well, that's that. Go hunt the album down, even if the journey takes you to every Borders and Best Buy in your town.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

deathnotronic

he had a 2 or 3 min feature on mtv news. i was just flipping through the channels and caught it.

/cry

ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ

Whoa on the whoas.

I saw Sufjan Stevens last night.  I hate to complain about such an amazing show (and believe me, it was amazing) but the whole set was Illinois.  We were in Grand Rapids, Michigan so you'd think he'd play a Greetings From Michigan song, even just as an encore.  I loved the Illinois album, but I've always preferred Michigan and how much more appropriate would it be to hear some songs about Michigan cities...

Nevertheless, it was something I could not have predicted.  Laura Viers opened for him, and she was all right.  Sufjan's group had a cheerleader motif, they all wore cheerleader outfits, and it was very energetic.  

It seemed like he sang better live than on the CD, which is rare among artists, I find.  

(Below is a picture, not from my a show, but my show carried the same motif and the girl on the far right had her hair in these cute pigtails... needless to say, she was extremely hot)

"As a matter of fact I only work with the feeling of something magical, something seemingly significant. And to keep it magical I don't want to know the story involved, I just want the hypnotic effect of it somehow seeming significant without knowing why." - Len Lye

A Matter Of Chance

Yeah! When I saw him last Thursday (in Boston), I too thought the female to the far right was extremely hot! right on!

I also helped myself to a COME ON FEEL THE ILLINOISE t shirt thankyouverymuch.

ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ

Quote from: A Matter Of Chance

I also helped myself to a COME ON FEEL THE ILLINOISE t shirt thankyouverymuch.

I picked a shirt up as well (because they were all out of Greetings From Michigan vinyls).
"As a matter of fact I only work with the feeling of something magical, something seemingly significant. And to keep it magical I don't want to know the story involved, I just want the hypnotic effect of it somehow seeming significant without knowing why." - Len Lye

Figure 8

I just saw him the other night.  That was one of the best shows I've been to in a while.  They played for somewhere around an hour and a half and did a human pyramid.  It was very, very cool.  I, also, got a t-shirt.

MacGuffin

If you're already sweating what to get for that indie rocker on your Christmas list, Sufjan Stevens just made it easier. The prolific folk-pop singer is gathering up Christmas EPs he's recorded for friends and family over the past five years into a box set called Songs of Christmas (due November 21), which will include Stevens' versions of holiday staples "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells," as well as quirky originals such as "Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!," "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!," "Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)" and "Get Behind Me Santa!" The box will also contain five Christmas stickers and extensive liner notes as well as short stories by Stevens, an original Christmas essay by writer Rick Moody, an animated music video and comic strip by Tom Eaton and a Christmas songbook with lyric sheets and chord charts.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

Gamblour.

I'm seeing him in a few weeks at the Fox theater, I'm so excited
WWPTAD?

samsong

anyone seeing him at town hall on oct. 1?

Sigur Rós

I've bought my ticket for his show in Copenhagen November 12. Really excited about this show too.

Ghostboy

I just saw him tonight. It was a terrific show, although it sounds like past performances have been a bit more energetic (no pyramid performed here). I really liked the rearrangements of a lot of the songs, although John Wayne Gacy suffered a bit. The venue was tiny, which made the grandness of it all that much more impressive.