Pitchfork

Photo by Jen Snow

Oh Sufjan, you prime practitioner of deceptive procrastination, you! Still 48 states to go, but are you readying some ode to Oregon, rhapsody to Rhode Island, or paean to Pennsylvania? Nope, you're still lending your Midas touch to other people's albums.

The latest: the new self-titled offering from Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter/composer Gabriel Kahane, due September 16 on Gabe's own Wasted Storefront Records. Our man Sufjan contributes acoustic guitar, backing vocals, and "some piano" to a track called "Slow Down", but he's hardly the only dude you may know on this disc.

Two members of Antony's backing band the Johnsons, Rob Moose and Jeff Langston, contribute violin/guitar/mandolin/backing vocals and bass, respectively. Other friendly faces include folkie Sam Amidon (banjo), Herbie Hancock associate Richie Bashay (percussion), ex-Pedro the Lion/Crystal Skulls/Seldom gentleman Casey Foubert (bass/guitar), and Nickel Creek mandolin master Chris Thile (mandolin, natch).

Stevens and Foubert also put in some work on Gabriel Kahane on the mixing/recording front. As for Kahane himself, the guy has a couple live engagements in the weeks to come.

Gabriel Kahane:

01 Durrants
02 Interlude
03 North Adams
04 Rochester
05 Slow Down
06 Fughetta
07 Side Streets
08 Underberg
09 7 Middagh
10 Wie Soll Ich Dich Empfangen
11 The Faithful
12 Arnold Corrects the Papers While My Grandmother Washes His Children
13 Twice in the Night
14 Villanelles
15 Keene

Dates:

07-21 Paris, France - Atelier de la Main d'Or
07-30 Verbier, Switzerland - Verbier Festival