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Aug 31, 2020 By Christopher Roberts Moses Sumney

Moses Sumney released a new double album, græ, back in May via Jagjaguwar. Now he has shared a new live performance video for the album’s “Bless Me,” filmed at his home in Asheville. The video was made in partnership with Microsoft, incorporating abstract 3D animation using Microsoft Azure Kinect. Prior to the pandemic, Sumney says he was working on a museum installation using Kinect that was to be “an experiential piece exploring isolation and solitude.” The idea was reworked with frequent collaborator, artist and director Sam Cannon, with Cannon directing via Skype. Watch it below.

A press release further explains how the video was made: “While socially distancing and separated across the nation, Cannon directed Moses’ actions and angles over Skype, while his movements were captured using the Azure Kinect. As he moved to the song, the Azure Kinect sensors tracked his body in real time, capturing it as skeleton data. This precise point cloud and skeletal-movement data, captured utilizing the AI-powered Body Tracking SDK—which look like little dots—gave him 3D positions in space that represent depth. An RGB camera is a part of the sensor and is integral to depth, mapping color to those points and adding textures that wouldn’t normally show up in two-dimensional productions.”

Recently Sumney shared a video for the new track “Monumental,” one recorded for a new ad campaign for the fashion designer Thom Browne’s spring 2021 collection. It was Sumney’s modern take on “Olympic Hymn,” a song composed by Spyridon Samaras which includes Greek lyrics by poet Kostis Palamas. Sumney translated the song into English and added some somber strings and piano while he was it. “Monumental” was one of our Songs of the Week.

Sumeny also recently did NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts series and covered Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” for Amazon Music.

Previously Sumney shared græ’s first single, “Virile,” via a self-directed video for the track. “Virile” was one of our Songs of the Week. Sumney then shared another song from the first part, “Polly,” which is the final track of part one. Then he shared a new song from the second part, “Me in 20 Years,” via a lyric video (it was one of our Songs of the Week). Then he shared a new song from the first part, “Cut Me” (which was again one of our Songs of the Week) and debuted another song from part one, “Conveyor,” via a live video session at the Moog Sound Lab in Asheville, North Carolina. Sumney then stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform “Cut Me.” Then Sumney shared a visually striking self-directed video for “Cut Me.” Finally, Sumney shared the album’s final two songs, “Bless Me” and “Before You Go,” in one lyric video. “Bless Me” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then he shared a video for “Me in 20 Years.”

Græ is Sumney’s sophomore album, the follow-up to 2017’s full-length debut, Aromanticism, and 2018’s Black in Deep Red, 2014 EP. Aromanticism was our #1 Debut Album of 2017 and one of our overall Top 100 Albums of 2017. The album is his first since relocating to Asheville, North Carolina.

Read our 2017 interview with Moses Sumney on Aromanticism.

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