Dirty Projectors

Dirty Projectors were recommended to me by a friend with questionable taste, so I naturally steered well clear for a considerable amount of time. However, I happened to stumble across them at Glastonbury Festival in 2010: they played on Sunday at the Park Stage and right then and there I had to admit defeat. They were delightful… a sure-cure for any weary festivalgoer suffering on the final day of a raucous weekend. Jangly guitars and steady beats accompanied by strong lead vocals and carefully timed harmonies really lift your spirits and get you grooving to their original and somewhat indefinable sound. For this set they played songs spanning their whole discography (at the time they had released an impressive six albums since 2002!) but with a main focus on 2009’s ‘Bitte Orca’. Stand out songs included what I later discovered to be a collaboration with David Byrne of Talking Heads named “Knotty Pine” and the intro to “Stillness is the move.” Aside from seeing Dirty Projectors live, an exploration of their past albums proved their talent for me. Then, 2012’s ‘Swing Low Magellan’ cemented my newfound love for the band further with infectious tracks such as, “About to Die” with its teasing, twinkling melodies and rambling drum rhythms and “The Socialites,” which showcases Amber Coffman’s vocals effortlessly. It’s safe to say I will definitely be attending Dirty Projectors gigs in the future, as well as putting more trust in my friend’s “questionable” taste in music. Lesson learned.