Back in October of 2009, The National brothers Aaron and Brian Dessner collaborated with visual art phenom Matthew Ritchie under the aegis of the Brooklyn Academy of Music to create a multimedia performance piece entitled The Long Count. The piece, described as a “mind-bending song-filled myth about the beginning of times”, featured The Breeders sisters Kelley and Kim Deal, My Brightest Diamond‘s Shera Worden, a 12-piece orchestra, and The National vocalist Matt Berninger. If you missed this once in a lifetime ambrosial experience, relax, it’s all going to be fine, because soon it will be released as an album (via Pitchfork).
The brothers Dessner and Berninger are already at work on the record and various other sundries including a massive tour and helping out their buddy Sufjan Stevens with his forthcoming album, but apparently they somehow have access more hours in the day than us mere mortals. “We’re planning on recording [The Long Count] at the end of June” Bryce told Exclaim in a recent interview. “It’s like a 70-minute show that’s much more experimental sounding.” The Long Count narrative focuses on the parallels between the Mayan creation myth, Popol Vuh, and the 1976 World Series between the Reds and the Yankees, which, lets not kid ourselves, is something we’ve all thought about once or twice. No word yet on a release date, but Bryce Dessner mentioned that “there will be a little bit of touring” supporting the release.
To best get a semblance of what to expect on the album, check out Matthew Ritchie’s website, where a preview of The Long Count remains.
