Planetarium, a new record attributed to Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner (The National), classical composer Nico Muhly and James McAlister (Sufjan Stevens, The Album Leaf), will be released June 9.
The album will consist of 17 songs inspired by the solar system and other celestial formations and planets, based on an original composition they performed at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music in 2013.
So far, the band has released two singles from the record, “Saturn” and “Mercury,” which is enough to give fans an idea of what’s to come.
“Saturn” is a shimmering, electronic piece, featuring Sufjan’s vocals performed through autotune. A series of blips and otherworldly noises build slowly beneath his passionate lyrics, leading to a massive, thumping climax.
Album closer “Mercury” is a spacious, ethereal song, featuring quiet piano and subtle string accompaniment, the track building slowly and delicately.
Both songs are definitely worth checking out, breaking new ground for the artists while retaining definite similarities to their past work.
Listen to the songs below and read the record's sprawling tracklist.
"Saturn"
"Mercury"
Planetarium Tracklist:
1. Neptune
2. Jupiter
3. Halley's Comet
4. Venus
5. Uranus
6. Mars
7. Black Energy
8. Sun
9. Tides
10. Moon
11. Pluto
12. Kuiper Belt
13. Black Hole
14. Saturn
15. In The Beginning
16. Earth
17. Mercury
