 | Dirty Projectors |
Also a little late on this one, but better late than never on what is easily one of the top few releases of 2009. This is such a great record and it just grows on you more each time you explore it honestly. I was initially kind of enamored with these guys after catching their set at the Pitchfork party at SXSW, and subsequent to that they released this great record Bitte Orca. I didn’t end up getting it right when it came out and picked it up just recently, but I have to say this album is truly a great record and everytime I listen to it I think I get more and more out of it. A really impressive achievement.
What this album really has and why it really shines is that basically most of the songs, but especially a few of the songs are just inimitable greatness on their part. “Cannibal Resource”, “Temecula Sunrise”, “Stillness Is The Move”, “No Intention” – these are all songs that are great all in unique and different ways and really move the listener in new and different ways, but in common they share their uniqueness and inventiveness. They all have that undefinable charm and intrigue to the way they set up and deliver, but though they are all great songs, they are not carbon copies of each other nor can you point to other songs elsewhere in indie-dom that are either clear precursors or followers of these songs. They really stand on their own almost in a vacuum, but they really push their own limits and take themselves to areas that only they can reach. To be so off-beat or off-kilter yet retain such a pop sensibility or such melodious hooks is really remarkable, yet this album is rife with examples of it.
You have truly original sounding songs and then you have traditional elements fit in unique places and taken in different directions (“Remade Horizon”, fitting title). This is one of those albums that feels more fresh and more real each time you listen to it and the creativity and passion of the band really comes through more and more each time you hear it. Because of their style (almost prog-rock ish) there is meticulous detail in most of the songs in the scales and melodies, but there lies a real subtlety behind all of the technical wizardry as well, almost in a jazz-ish kind of way. They are hitting so many interesting notes and parts, but when they step away or there is a moment of reflection in there, it really shines.
Anyway, this is really a great album by these guys. It is at first maybe not overwhelming but there is a lot beneath the surface on this one and it has slowly but surely found its way into my top several albums of the year, and it may even be my favorite of the year at this point (we’ll see when the list gets made). It is definitely strongly and solidly up there right now, and I heavily recommend picking up this gem.
