New Dirty Projectors: "Stillness Is The Move"

Picture from the HAD Archive

The last two times we saw Dirty Projectors, we have to admit, we wouldn't have pegged them for being on the cusp of super stardom. Which is not to say we didn't love them: we did. Their live show is a totally immaculate exploration of crazy rhythms, guitar interplay, and amazing layered vocals. The thing is, we wouldn't have expected that the public's taste would expand drastically enough to embrace such a funky, inventive sound. Apparently that's all about to change.

Already riding the wave of a totally genius collaboration with David Byrne on the Dark Was The Night compilation, the band have now released (via their label, Domino) the first track from their much anticipated new record, Bitte Orca. In true Longstreth fashion, the track is totally divergent from anything on Rise Above, and in fact doesn't feature the frontman on vocals at all. Instead, band member Amber Coffman sings a track that, despite having characteristic Longstreth chords and harmonies, is really something of a mainstream dance track.

On the track, sporadic percussion jumps over a drum machine, while a synth line drones away behind Coffman's sailing vocals. It's really something to hear, and it speaks greatly to Longstreth's continued abilities to innovate and put a new twist on sound. It's very seldom that you hear true innovation, and it's even more seldom that you hear such repeated and pronounced innovation from a single source. Color us pleasantly surprised.

mp3: Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move