Planetarium - Mercury

Listen to "Mercury" from Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister's 'Planetarium'

Planetarium - Mercury

Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, and James McAlister’s collaborative live project, Planetarium, comes out June 9 4AD. The first recorded song to be released from the album, “Saturn,” features Sufjan’s autotuned vocals and electronics that wouldn’t have sounded totally out of place on Age of Adz. Now you can listen to another album track, “Mercury.” With its opening piano and gentler vocals, “Mercury” sounds more like a Carrie & Lowell track than “Mercury,” but it too veers off in a spacier direction at the end. Watch the lyric video for “Mercury” below.

Planetarium began as a live project that debuted at Brooklyn Academy of Music with lots of lasers, a string quartet, and horn players. While no full tour has been announced yet, Planetarium will be coming to France on July 10, at Grande salle Pierre Boulez – Philharmonie. UPDATE: More live Planetarium dates have been announced, including BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival.

Meanwhile, catch Bryce and Nico together (with Steve Reich) at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday night (4/26). Tickets are still available.

In other Sufjan related news, he scored a ballet for choreographer Justin Peck at the New York City Ballet. The Decalogue, which is part of the Here/Now Festival, has its world premiere May 12 at David H. Koch Theater and additional performances May 14, May 18, and May 20. Tickets are on sale. The Decalogue is Sufjan’s third collaboration with Peck, following Year of the Rabbit in 2012 and Everywhere We Go in 2014. You can watch a video teaser for The Decalogue here.

Sufjan is also releasing a Carrie & Lowell live LP.