Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca » The Music Mag

Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

You could listen to this album 4 or 5 times and still be unsure of the quality of the latest Dirty Projectors release and while the album has been getting rave reviews all over the internet, I’m still not sure if I actually enjoy it or not. 9 tracks, all with a determined drive to distort established pop song structures and push pop music into an all-together new avant garde direction, that bristle with invention and creativity, yet it all falls flat somehow.

Perhaps it’s the meandering nature of a lot of the songs; “Useful Chamber” runs for 6 and a half minutes and it’s difficult to find a central idea or an imbedded hook. While the harmonies are there, the song itself wanders away from itself, breaking down so often it feels like you’re listening to a musical version of a Skoda. It’s certainly odd and inventive but it’s inventive in the way that a jam session is but ultimately noodling. However, the album has its catchy hooks and vocals that remind you of its pop-aping ideas; the female harmonies on the album follow a similar trend to the diva-like sounds of Mariah and Christina and when these vocals work to their best, they manage to capture something special.

But, ‘Stillness is the Move’ is certainly the highlight. A rhythm section that bounds along like the very best art pop while the harmonies and vocals are their strongest, reflecting the very best in 00′s Chamber Pop. The guitar lines are tight, focused and complex and the song stands tall as an instant stand-out and a shining beacon of where this band can really take their idea.

As a whole though, it’s a unfocused but admirable idea but it misses more than it hits. The likes of St. Vincent and Grizzly Bear have achieved more innovative and complex pop records this year and retain the focused and catchy hooks that sadly go wandering away on this record. For all its faults though, it feels like the precursor to something special indeed.