Swing Lo Magellan: an explosion of Indie sound

Carlos Sucre-Parra/Columnist

Dave Longstreth’s constant search for new sounds often results in a quickly rotating lineup of Dirty Projector members. This makes it a fairly stable lineup he’s maintained for the last three releases — a departure from the norm. While experimentation and constant evolution are always expected from him, and while key members like Angel Deadoorian departed from the group before the creation of this new LP, “Swing Lo Magellan;” there is a noticeable shift in the band’s dynamics from a Longstreth-dominated ensemble to that of a more cohesive, collaborative unit. Amber Coffman, Olga Bell and Haley Dekle take on as much of an important role as his guitar work, often becoming the main attraction of their new sound on this new record. They bring life, in conjunction with Longstreth’s intricate chord progressions, to 12 new songs that present a much more focused, and accessible side of the band, leading to one of their best releases to date.

Songs such as “About to Die,” “Gun Has no Trigger” and “Just From Chervon” feature what has become part of the Dirty Projectors’ signature sound. The syncopation of rhythms and vocals creates an incredible scenario for these songs to take place, which has been an evolving style from the band’s early days, yet has gained its heights after their Rise Above LP — the title track itself, being a great example of this — as well as their latest collaborative work with Bjork, Mount Wittenberg Orca. Both live and on-record, these songs emanate an undeniable sense of fun, often creating the notion as if the entire album was recorded in one take. Listeners can notice Longstreth clearing his throat at the beginning of “Offspring Are Blank” as well as the chatter by Coffman, Dekle and Bell towards the end of Unto Caesar. The production takes advantage of this dynamic, often separating the track and changing the origin of the vocals, accentuating the multitude of voices, which stays very true to the live shows, and makes the record interesting to listen to on headphones. “Just from Chervon” for instance, collapses Coffman’s vocals to the right channel along with Longstreth’s guitar, while rhythmic clapping takes over the left, as the song builds up, the sounds unite, only to separate once more later in the track.

This draws a parallel to the reactions from the listener. If you’ve only heard about this band because of “Bitte Orca,” this record might not necessarily feel as “fun” as the prior LP; there is no “Stillness is the Move” type of dance-along song, but in reality, the record doesn’t need it. It feels far a more rewarding listening experience when compared to BO and presents a far more earnest approach to songwriting — both musically and lyrically. “Dance For You,” one of the stand out cuts from this album — and possibly the summer — presents a romantic serenade of devotion for a lover’s happiness, and working a simple drumming pattern into a more ornate string arrangement that create a shimmering sense of bliss in the song. “Maybe That Was It” also stands out in this album, despite its completely different mood. The dark, nostalgic guitar work, more akin to Longstreth’s inspiration of West African music leads to a very emotionally-charged anthem of blame and regret. This plays well thematically with other tracks such as “Gun Has No Trigger,” where constant buildup of an impending suicide is only thwarted by the mechanical malfunctioning of a weapon, leading to a release of both frustration and life as death is prevented, much to the chagrin of the perpetrator, reflected in the burst of vocal harmonies.

Dirty Projectors have always been a challenging listen, if not for the overtly structured to the point of chaotic music of albums past, then for the emotional nature of their songs. It’s very refreshing to see this certain eagerness for challenge and innovation turn into a rewarding and highly entertaining experience as “Swing Lo Magellan” offers.

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