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First Word: Moses Sumney Walks Us Through His Sonic Dreamscape, 'Aromanticism'

Moses Sumney, <em>Aromanticism</em>
Courtesy of the artist
Moses Sumney, Aromanticism

The first time I saw the soulful singer Moses Sumney was in a church in Iceland. The Los Angeles-based singer was laying down loops with his guitar, and the sounds that day made and the songs that he sang had me eager to hear an entire album from this talented man.

In the three years since then, he's played with James Blake, Sufjan Stevens, Solange and David Byrne. He's also about to release his first album called Aromanticism, and his maturity and thoughtfulness throughout its 11 songs made it worth the wait.

I wanted to try something different for the release of Aromanticism, so Moses Sumney and I listened to the whole record together, nonstop, and as the record played we had a conversation inspired by what we heard. He was in New York; I was in Washington, D.C. When I hit the first cut, called "Man On The Moon (Reprise)," a fascinating discussion unfolded around Aromanticism, a record Moses says is about lovelessness as a sonic dreamscape.

Moses Sumney's new album, Aromanticism, will be released September 22 on Jagjaguwar.

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In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.