‘A Beginner’s Mind’ champions quiet beauty


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Drawing of two men. The one on the left is wearing a hat and a black jacket and the one on the right is wearing a black jacket.
Stevens and De Augustine’s 14-track project took inspiration from several films they watched on a retreat in upstate New York. The films that inspired the project range from “Silence of the Lambs” to “Bring It On Again.” (Photo courtesy of Independent)

While Sufjan Stevens is no stranger to spectacle, “A Beginner’s Mind” is his most cinematic work yet — literally. Created in collaboration with Californian singer/songwriter Angelo De Augustine, who is signed to Stevens’ own Asthmatic Kitty Records, and released on Friday, the 14-track album takes inspiration from 14 different films that Stevens and De Augustine watched together while on retreat in an upstate New York home.

But the album doesn’t feel like a trip to the cinema. Rather, “A Beginner’s Mind” ventures beyond the common fodder of a Letterboxd review, capturing the quiet thoughts in a dark bedroom that succeed a screening.

The duo interprets their source material loosely, trading plot and character references for reflection on deeper themes and emotional dimensions — so much so that a clueless listener may not even realize they are referencing any films at all, although they do have enough lighthearted spirit to name-drop a few times (see: the cheekily titled “(This Is) The Thing,” which riffs on 1982 classic horror flick “The Thing.”)

The catalogue of cited films varies greatly in tone and critical acclaim (a track inspired by 2004 straight-to-DVD sequel “Bring It On Again” transitions into a lament sung from the perspective of the serial killer in “Silence of the Lambs”), but Stevens and De Augustine’s commitment to their signature gentle sound and profound lyricism makes the record feel cohesive. Their light, wispy voices intertwine beautifully and are often entirely indistinguishable from each other.

Opener and lead single “Reach Out” is a wonderful, graceful thesis statement for the album. “Reach out, reach out to all the ones who came before you / ponder what is right / you and I, in defiance,” the pair sings in harmony. It’s an ode to killing one’s own ego and a statement of intention to keep one’s mind open and contemplative. This mission certainly does feel like an act of defiance: in a world dominated by constant stimulation and selfish temptations, Stevens and De Augustine call for stillness and humility.

The album’s greatest strength is its relentlessly poetic lyrics that feel as if they’ve been excavated from the diary of a wise, ancient philosopher. “Can you explain all our divided pain? / What still remains after the rigor mortis?” the duo asks on “You Give Death a Bad Name.” “Am I at rest or resigned in my chaos?” they croon on “Olympus.” And, bluntly and in Stevens’ typical god-fearing fashion, “Lord, why must this life be so cruel?” on album closer “Lacrimae.”

The duo questions a lot throughout the album’s 46-minute run time, but their inquiries are never met with a clear resolution. Stevens and De Augustine don’t give themselves the authority to provide answers, instead inviting listeners to reflect alongside them.

For De Augustine, the sound of “A Beginner’s Mind” is a continuation of the quiet acoustics of his 2019 album “Tomb,” but notably less skeletal. For Stevens, it’s a return to the folk that marked his early career and came to full fruition with 2015’s exquisite “Carrie & Lowell.”

But where “Carrie & Lowell” offered a guttural and excruciatingly personal view into Stevens’ struggle with grief, “A Beginner’s Mind” is more passive, meandering between emotional highs and lows with a lighter, more controlled spirit.

Admittedly, “A Beginner’s Mind” offers few show-stopping or jaw-dropping moments: it’s just not that kind of album. Stevens and De Augustine held their writing sessions the mornings after their in-home movie viewings, and it shows. “A Beginner’s Mind” sounds like a heartfelt early morning conversation between two friends after a low-key movie night and a good night’s sleep.

“Open the light to the darkness / Open your heart, let it all hang out / Open your life to the hardness / Open your mind til it all falls out / Let it all fall out,” the pair sings on delicate highlight “Fictional California.” Stevens and De Augustine celebrate openness and vulnerability, and they encourage their listeners to do the same. To them, the transcendent can be found in the everyday — which can mean something as simple as a freshly-harvested tomato or a good movie.