Sufjan Stevens returns with a re-worked album 'Run Rabbit Run'

Confirms dates at Pop Montreal and All Tomorrow's Parties NY

By Katie Hasty Friday, Jul 10, 2009 12:37 PM

Sufjan Stevens

Credit: Asthmatic Kitty

What is old is new again, at least in the case of one of Sufjan's Steven's former records.

The singer-songwriter's 2001 album "Enjoy Your Rabbit," an electronic mostly-instrumental set carved around the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, has been recently reworked and re-arranged by some rising composers.

The newly revamped set, "Run Rabbit Run," is due Oct. 6 via Stevens' own label Asthmatic Kitty and features the string quartet Osso, which can be prominently heard on 2005's "Illinoise." The idea to re-work "Rabbit" came from Stevens' new friends Aaron and Bryce Dessner, of The National, and their older sister Jessica, who is reworking the album art.

Michael Atkinson, Olivier Manchon, Maxim Moston, Nico Muhly and Gabriel Kahane were all tapped to re-arrange the songs, as commissioned by Bryce for his "Music Now Festival" in 2007. Those arrangements will not come to you in the form of a shiny disc or a digital download this fall.

Scroll down for a taste of "Year of the Dog," as it was originally conceived in 2001.

Stevens, who has been a bit scarce in the last couple years, has confirmed performances at the Pop Montreal Festival, which runs Sept. 30-Oct. 4, and at All Tomorrow's Parties in New York for the Saturday lineup, on Sept. 12.

Katie Hasty
Managing Editor

After five years as a columnist and editor at Billboard, Katie Hasty joined HitFix in 2009 for music and film reporting out of New York. The Midwest native has worked as a writer, music promoter and in A&R since 1999 and performs with her band Numbers And Letters.