The Dirty Projectors took me by surprise. The album starts with a typical flanged indie guitar and then all of the sudden an explosion of sounds drops in to ignite “Cannibal Surprise”. Voices, claps, and wonky drum beats coming from every direction and leaping from every field of the stereo pan. The vocals of Dave Longstreth enter and are soothing yet radical. His voice is weak but strong, and on pitch but off. It’s strange, but mesmerizing. The drum beats remind me of Flying Lotus and Dilla, because they constantly trip over themselves, but somehow regain composure after they do.
As the album progresses it doesn’t let off in its aggressiveness either. The second track “Temecula Sunrise” has the sexiest vocal melody and groove of the whole album. The wavering rhythm somehow remains strong as the guitars play a rejected Jimmy Page riff that somehow Dirty Projectors could find use for.
After this the album slowly tapers, but holds strong until the last tracks. At the beginning of “Stillness Is The Move” I thought I had finally located the worst track on the album, but as it continued it became one of my favorites. I typically don’t like female vocalists, but on this song it is perfect. I could have done without the last two songs on the album and would have enjoyed this more as a 7 song EP. That being said I want to hear more and am amazed at how The Dirty Projectors combine sounds to make rich textures that provoke you and tease you. At some points you really think they are losing it and maybe they are terrible musicians, but somehow when you come through the other side with them you see how good they really are. This isn’t for everyone but it is worth a listen. “Cannibal Resource” and “Temecula Sunrise” are now in my daily rotation.
Related Posts:
Mon, Aug 31, 2009
Album Reviews, Music