Weekly Release Spotlight: Dirty Projectors
Posted on 7/05/2009
Dirty Projectors
Bitte Orca
[Domino]
Few things elicit a reaction more intense than does David Longstreth’s voice (he's right up there with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons fame). But love it or hate it, everyone can agree there's nothing else like it. Even more polarizing than his voice is the Dirty Projectors frontman himself - is he a quirky compositional mastermind, an overeducated control freak, or just a guy making music? Longstreth and his Brooklyn-based cast of supporting musicians seem to always occupy the far ends of the spectrum. The discussion surrounding Longstreth's intentions, his methods and his perceived genuineness could fuel endless debates. Yet no one can really seem to figure him or his music out.
Bitte Orca is the follow up to 2007's Rise Above (a note-for-note reinterpretation of Black Flag's 1981 album, Damaged) and is the band's first for Domino Records. Past Dirty Projectors releases have been so cerebral they are almost unlistenable at times. But on Bitte Orca, Longstreth seems to have loosened up. A little. "Useful Chamber" and "Stillness is the Move" are upbeat and stacked with layer upon layer of slick, almost mainstream-sounding production. "The Bride" and "Remade Horizon" rely on good old fashioned guitars and the band's trademark disarming vocal harmonies. Given the complexity and the multiple directions the record goes, it's a wonder they ever finished it. After watching the setup and soundcheck for their in-studio performance at Radio K in March, I can attest to the painstaking process Longstreth subjects his bandmates to. Even for a quick radio session (and with two of the band members sick), they accept nothing less of themselves than perfection. Longstreth is professional and charming, but his music is his business and it's going to sound the way he wants it to.
So it's true that Longstreth is a perfectionist and a little bit of a control freak, and sometimes the music wanders into aurally uncomfortable territory. But is there anything really wrong with that? In an industry where nearly every bored 20-something with ProTools and a guitar records and distributes their material just because they can, Longstreth and Bitte Orca perhaps mark a return to the idea of a composer and to thoughtful, intentional music - to music as art.
Go to radiok.org to listen to "No Intention," as performed by Dirty Projectors live on Radio K.
Stream: Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move - mp3 provided to Radio K by Domino Records
Find more Dirty Projectors at the Domino Records store
Written by Dana Raidt, Radio K volunteer.