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Mar 07, 2012 Damon Albarn By Cody Ray Shafer

Last year, Damon Albarn wrote and starred in the opera Dr. Dee, and will be releasing the music in its entirety on May 8. Dr. Dee is based on the life of 16th century scientist and advisor to Queen Elizabeth, John Dee. According to Albarn’s website, which describes the album as “strange pastoral folk,” Dr. Dee features Albarn’s voice over “early English choral and instrumentation alongside modern, West African and Renaissance sounds.” The album was recorded last year by Albarn after a debut of the opera at the Manchester International Festival last July. It will be performed again on English National Opera at the London Coliseum during the Cultural Olympiad on June 25-26 and 28-29 and July 4 and 6-7.

This is only one of Albarn’s many ongoing projects that will be released this year. The popular side-project Gorillaz have already released a new single in February with Andre 3000 for Converse, and Blur is set to perform for during the closing ceremony at the 2012 Olympics after reuniting for the 2012 Brit Awards. In the fall, Albarn is set to release Rocketjuice and The Moon, a collaboration with Flea and drummer Tony Allen.

Dr. Dee track listing:

01 The Golden Dawn

02 Apple Carts

03 Oh Spirit Animate Us

04 The Moon Exalted

05 A Man of England

06 Saturn

07 Coronation

08 The Marvelous Dream

09 A Prayer

10 Edward Kelley

11 Preparation

12 9 Point Star

13 Temptation Comes in the Afternoon

14 Watching the Fire That Waltzed Away

15 Moon (Interlude)

16 Cathedrals

17 Tree of Life

18 The Dancing King

(http://doctorjohndee.tumblr.com/)