Has the singer guy from Dirty Projectors ever said himself that he is ripping off black people, or is it just a music journalist overlay? I always thought their sound was just math rock. (Or is it that math rock is ripping off black people??)
All I know of Dirty Projectors is whatever the ~hour long animated thing on pitchfork.tv is (which is pretty consistently great, actually) and a live show I caught in Ithaca a few months back. Neither one of those sounded remotely like what you're describing.
― Z S, Tuesday, 17 June 2008 01:31 (fifteen years ago) link
Seeing them live just solidified how fucking great they are for me.. They did mostly 'Rise Above' stuff and it all sounded stunning...the amazing harmonies, the gobsmacking guitar work...it just sounded effortless and brilliant.
I get the feeling they've yet to do their best stuff though. And folks who lump 'em in with Vampire Weekend are just wrong, if anyone actually does who has heard them both.
― Mister Craig, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 07:21 (fifteen years ago) link
There's some sproingy guitar that suggests they've listened to a few afropop records, but to lump them in with a movement like that is selling them way short--they are playing with the full musical deck and have been for a few albums now.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:19 (fifteen years ago) link
How is Dirty Projectors anything like Vampire Weekend? I mean, they're both indie Ivy League bands in New York City, but Dirty Projectors is somewhere in the "weirdy beardy" brand whereas Vampire Weekend's more like MTV pop.
― burt_stanton, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:27 (fifteen years ago) link
I've had Rise Above for a few months. "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie" is very good and the title track is nice, but the rest doesn't do much to tickle my giblets. Is any of their other stuff worth getting?
― Freedom, Thursday, 30 October 2008 18:15 (fifteen years ago) link
I love the way this guy wails. im not too keen on how some of 'The Getty Address' sounds. I find the plonker percussion really grating, but the arrangements are mostly great. 'New Attitude' is my pick. The track 'Fucked For Life' is incredible. You get a sense that with such a strong voice, and the ability to find those snatches of awesome melodic counterparts that there is an ability to just not be so damn difficult with the songs, but i adore how it just is.
― siskin/skulls, Thursday, 30 October 2008 21:02 (fifteen years ago) link
Slaves' Graves and Ballads!
― BusDriverStu (Bus Driver Stu), Friday, 31 October 2008 08:31 (fifteen years ago) link
new album has leaked and is pretty amazing
― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 10 April 2009 11:23 (fourteen years ago) link
That Phoenix compilation with the Rise Above cover (while I was in the middle of rediscovering Damaged) made me curious enough to want to hear this. The Getty Address was pretty great imo.
― Plaxico (I know, right?), Friday, 10 April 2009 11:37 (fourteen years ago) link
I've had "Stillness is the Move" on repeat since yesterday
― Number None, Friday, 10 April 2009 11:39 (fourteen years ago) link
new one is pretty pretty good. very schizophrenic.
― cutty, Friday, 10 April 2009 12:58 (fourteen years ago) link
― congratulations (n/a), Friday, April 10, 2009 6:23 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark
― the sultan of ban (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 07:50 (fourteen years ago) link
love this. "no intention" and "two doves" are each magnificent
― europeen handball (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 04:07 (fourteen years ago) link
it's like if matthew friedberger wrote vampire weekend an album
― the sultan of ban (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 04:33 (fourteen years ago) link
i just realized that it reminds me most menomena, but much better
― the sultan of ban (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 09:00 (fourteen years ago) link
i really can't tell if those descriptions should make me excited or not
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 13:37 (fourteen years ago) link
i hate all the bands j0rdan mentioned but i like this album
― congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 13:41 (fourteen years ago) link
not saying those aren't appropriate sonic comparisons, just saying that not liking those dudes isn't a guarantee you won't be into this
― congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 13:54 (fourteen years ago) link
this music is insane
― cutty, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 13:57 (fourteen years ago) link
― the sultan of ban (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, April 15, 2009 12:33 AM (9 hours ago)
i've never really gotten the parallels people draw between VW and dirty projectors, even after learning that koenig was a dirty projector for a few years. some of the vocal inflections he and longstreth do are similar, maybe
― europeen handball (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:05 (fourteen years ago) link
i can hear it in the guitars a little bit
― congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:13 (fourteen years ago) link
did not know that is v. surprising
― Plaxico (I know, right?), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:22 (fourteen years ago) link
funny, i've just been getting around to rise above. does the new stuff have all kinds of crazy-ass tempo changes?
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:36 (fourteen years ago) link
here and there, i guess, but that's not really what i took from it
― europeen handball (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:38 (fourteen years ago) link
yes it does
― cutty, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:39 (fourteen years ago) link
sweet
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:42 (fourteen years ago) link
http://stereogum.com/archives/premature-evaluation/premature-evaluation-dirty-projectors-bitte-orca_063902.html?utm_source=ss&utm_medium=tw
― cutty, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:47 (fourteen years ago) link
I wish the album were longer. It was great, then Flourescent Half-Dome made my head explode, then it was over.
― Tourtiere (Owen Pallett), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 14:50 (fourteen years ago) link
glad this is getting a lot of hype
― Plaxico (I know, right?), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:01 (fourteen years ago) link
i don't know about longer. it's a lot to digest as it is.
― cutty, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:13 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah, I always think these guys albums are just too long, too much sprawl, which is part of their charm, but come on.
― Plaxico (I know, right?), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:18 (fourteen years ago) link
i love great, short albums
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:21 (fourteen years ago) link
^^^^
― europeen handball (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:24 (fourteen years ago) link
always leave 'em wanting more
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:25 (fourteen years ago) link
usually, but with DP its like the excess of it, the messy swerve of the songs and drunken runtimes
― Plaxico (I know, right?), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:27 (fourteen years ago) link
would i like these guys
― yes threads (country matters), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:35 (fourteen years ago) link
i think so, louis
― europeen handball (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:36 (fourteen years ago) link
― congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:38 (fourteen years ago) link
there's a live video of 'stillness is the move' too but it doesn't sound as good without the doubled vocals
― congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:39 (fourteen years ago) link
these dudes are such good musicians that it pisses me off
― congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:40 (fourteen years ago) link
groovy, will check 'em (was probably going to anyway, as volcano! who are pretty much my favourite new(ish) American band have received DP comparisons)
p.s. great short albums are awesome but so are sprawling 50-minute thrillrides ^_^
cheers n/a!
― yes threads (country matters), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:40 (fourteen years ago) link
srsly mention volcano one more fucking time
― cutty, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:43 (fourteen years ago) link
seriously, as a dude who cannot really play and sing at the same time i got mad jealous when i saw them.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:43 (fourteen years ago) link
uh 50 minutes is still a pretty short album
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:53 (fourteen years ago) link
That's interesting. When I heard studio "Stillness", I said, "Why the doubled vocals? Amber's a better singer than Janet Jackson, you don't need this."
― Tourtiere (Owen Pallett), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:54 (fourteen years ago) link
I thought you were talking about 35-minute specials, by "50-minute" I kinda meant "between 50 and 60" although 60-80 is also fine by me if you've got the material and ability to sustain narrative
anyway, these guys. will listen to "Rise Above" on Spotify right now and then hunt down the new one
― yes threads (country matters), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:57 (fourteen years ago) link
I disagree with this blogotheque shit in theory, but this video is it in wondrous actuality.
― Plaxico (I know, right?), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 16:11 (fourteen years ago) link
t-track on rise above = gr8
― Plaxico (I know, right?), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 16:12 (fourteen years ago) link
The newie is awesome, also kind of detached and odd whilst being warm and normal at the same time. They were utterly amazing the other week as well, watching them do their interwoven vocal parts ('Remade Horizon') is proper gobsmacking. Genius I say, genius stuff. And that Blogotheque vid with the three Rise Above songs on is WOWOWOWOW.
Ahem. Hyperbole over.
― Mister Craig, Wednesday, 15 April 2009 17:31 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah i agree w/ cutty wrt how much there is to digest-- i've listened to this like 5 or 6 times through over the past two days and still feel like i haven't grasped any of it. it's also the only thing i actively want to listen to right now.
― the sultan of ban (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 15 April 2009 17:42 (fourteen years ago) link