Kevin Bronson on July 4th, 2020

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Q: Hey, blogger dude, can you give me one new, relevant song for the 4th of July?

A: *

* “America” is the 12 1/2-minute closing track on Sufjan Stevens’ forthcoming album “The Ascension,” out Sept. 25. He calls the tune “a protest song against the sickness of American culture in particular,” adding that “‘America’ may feel apt for the times, but it was written six years ago — originally worked on during the making of [his 2015 album] ‘Carrie & Lowell.’ I was dumbfounded by the song when I first wrote it. Because it felt vaguely mean-spirited and miles away from everything else on ‘Carrie & Lowell.’ So I shelved it. But when I dug up the demo a few years later I was shocked by its prescience. I could no longer dismiss it as angry and glib. The song was clearly articulating something prophetic and true, even if I hadn’t been able to identify it at the time. That’s when I saw a clear path toward what I had to do next.”