Dirty Projectors - album review - Bitte Orca

There seems to be a new age of avant-garde experimentalism ushering the music world into what will surely be a truly exciting period. The fractured beauty of this new breed is both refreshing and overdue, and as so many bands rest on their laurels, others are mounting expeditions to faraway places chasing the new sounds.

One such outfit is Brooklyn’s Dirty Projectors. Manically cobbled and working without a net, Dirty Projectors aren’t easily surmised, but it is safe to say that among the twists and turns that is their latest long player, Bitte Orca, there will be something for most listeners.

Lead by Dave Longstreth, Dirty Projectors create a mishmash of lo-fi wizardry, but their real strength is the pop architecture they employ as a basis for all their musical meanderings. While each piece flirts and falls time and time again, there is always some semblance of cohesion and direction. Because of this Bitte Orca never strays too far into art rock - there is always an end goal and the payoff is always sublime.

As much as Longstreth shaped this work, it has to be said that the vocals of Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian are just magical. They way the members have found room enough to dance around, with and through each other is perhaps the group’s most unique talent.

Tracks like Cannibal Resource and Stillness Is The Move are among the hottest tracks of 2009 and the rest of the album, well that ain’t too far behind.