Blur’s Damon Albarn Debuts First Single from Opera Project

With the May 8 release of his opera debut, 'Dr. Dee,' just around the corner, it's time for Damon Albarn to crank up the promotional machine -- and he's started doing just that, premiering the first single, 'The Marvelous Dream.'

Albarn reached back into history for inspiration with 'Dee,' drawing on the life of John Dee, a famous mathematician (yes, they do exist) who pursued a side career as a spy and served as an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. Recorded last year with the help of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the project blends what a press release refers to as "early English choral and instrumentation alongside modern, West African and Renaissance sounds."

'Dee' is definitely a bit of a departure for the ever-restless Albarn, but it came as a result of the Blur frontman making a decided effort to follow his muse. As he told The Guardian last year, "I found that the more I researched, the more singing from the heart became the way forward. Incorporating any of the stuff I'd learned, it would be the stuff I kind of understood, and could emotionally express, rather than taking verbatim concepts from [Dee's] mind."

Take a look at the complete 'Dr. Dee' track listing, and watch the 'The Marvelous Dream' video below.

Watch Damon Albarn's 'The Marvelous Dream' Video

Damon Albarn's 'Dr. Dee' Track Listing
'The Golden Dawn'
'Apple Carts'
'Oh Spirit Animate Us'
'The Moon Exalted'
'A Man of England'
'Saturn'
'Coronation'
'The Marvelous Dream'
'A Prayer'
'Edward Kelley'
'Preparation'
'9 Point Star'
'Temptation Comes In The Afternoon'
'Watching the Fire That Waltzed Away'
'Moon (Interlude)'
'Cathedrals'
'Tree Of Life'
'The Dancing King'