Dirty Projectors have been an acquired taste over the past few years, but it seems that every experience I have with them raises the bar to another level. A while back, I saw Dirty Projectors open for Xiu Xiu, before I had ever listened to any of their recorded material. I was unimpressed with the unorthodox song structures, down-right strange guitar work, and grating voice of lead singer/songwriter Dave Longstreth. I didn’t bother giving them another chance, until they released their last album, Rise Above, on Dead Oceans. Despite everything that I had previously complained about, I was still drawn to this record, especially the title track and lead single (if you can call it that) “Rise Above.” In fact, it was probably because of those things I listed that made me fall in love with their work. “Rise Above” was like nothing I had ever heard before; the guitar work was fluid, all over the place, and seemingly improvised, as well as being in complete control and time. The vocals had the same effect; Longstreth’s elastic and nasally vocals made it seem as if the song was about to completely fall apart, but when Angel Deradoorian and Amber Coffman harmonized with him, everything made so much more sense. Needless to say, I was enamored with the controlled chaos that was Dirty Projectors. And their live show filled tiny rock clubs as well as cavernous museum performance halls with the extremes of their music being taken to even greater lengths.
In about a month or so, Dirty Projectors will be releasing their 7th full length album, Bitte Orca, on Domino Records. Despite the fairly expansive back catalog, Longstreth hasn’t lost any of his songwriting ability. One would assume that eventually he would have to cook up a dud at some point. This won’t be that. Every song on this album is immediately accessible as well as worth worth future listens. The first thing you will notice about Bitte Orca is the increased production on the sound and feel of the instruments and vocals. Additionally, certain songs, especially the first single “Stillness Is The Move”, contain the fractured-pop sensibilities that the band has always touched on, but never fully embraced. In no way should this be interpreted as an attempt for a “mainstream record”, especially given the jump to the semi-major house of Domino. The wild guitar work that Longstreth is known for is fully feral now, running rampant through every song, with no notice for the direction the precussion, bass, or vocals are heading. Longstreth’s crooning is as strained and imperfect as ever. And while you will eventually learn to love his screams, howls, and falsettos, Deradoorian’s and Coffman’s singing have a larger prescence on the album, a welcome change from the backup vocals they primarily provided for previous recordings. What is most enjoyable about Dirty Projectors songs is the staying value. Having an album like this on repeat is not only enjoyable, it is almost required in order to fully appreciate every intricate bit that makes up each song.
