A new mixtape? A ballet score? Recently-announced tour dates and a release date for his new super-album Planetarium? Sufjan Stevens has a lot going on. To top things off, the multi-instrumentalist and singer has just given fans the perfect weekend viewing material with the free release of a new Carrie & Lowell Live concert video, streaming now on Vimeo (see above).
Carrie & Lowell Live was recorded at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center on the Nov. 9, 2015 stop of Stevens’ tour in support of his 2015 critically-acclaimed album. The ultra-stylistic and tonally chill concert film, which features a knock-out rendition of “All of Me Wants All of You” complete with transfixing retro guitar & synth jam, was shot and produced by We Are Films and the Art Counsel, edited by Keith Bradshaw and mixed by Casey Foubert. An audio version (courtesy of Asthmatic Kitty) has also been released — perfect for those trying to cut down on screen time — via most digital platforms, including iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.
East Coast fans of Stevens who also dig ballet will likely find the indie rock singer-songwriter’s new collaboration with New York City Ballet choreographer Justin Peck of particular interest. The solo piano score to the new ballet The Decalogue (listen to an excerpt here) debuts May 12 at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater. This is the duo’s third project together, following 2012’s Year of the Rabbit and 2014’s Everywhere We Go.
Listeners can also begin getting excited for Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell Live companion piece, The Greatest Gift, set for release this fall. The forthcoming mixtape, featuring outtakes, remixes and demos from the Carrie & Lowell sessions, will be available Oct. 20 on digital formats as well as on cassette tape and LP.
June 9 will see the release of Planetarium (via 4AD), a previously-announced album collaboration involving Stevens, Bryce Dessner of The National, composer Nico Muhly and percussionist James McAlister. See the music video for the group’s second single, “Mercury,” here and be sure to scope out the limited tour dates for Planetarium below.
Planetarium 2017 Tour Dates:
July 10 – Paris, FR – Philharmonie de Paris
July 18 – Brooklyn, NY – Celebrate Brooklyn! at Prospect Park
July 20 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Forever Cemetery
July 21 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
The Greatest Gift Mixtape (released Oct. 20) Track listing:
Side A
Wallowa Lake Monster (Carrie & Lowell Outtake)
Drawn To The Blood (Sufjan Stevens Remix)
Death With Dignity (Helado Negro Remix)
John My Beloved (iPhone Demo)
Drawn To The Blood (Fingerpicking Version)
The Greatest Gift (Carrie & Lowell Outtake)
Side B
Exploding Whale (Doveman Remix)
All Of Me Wants All Of You (Helado Negro Remix)
Fourth Of July (900X Remix)
The Hidden River Of My Life (Carrie & Lowell Outtake)
City of Roses (Carrie & Lowell Outtake)