ALBUM REVIEW: The Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca

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ALBUM REVIEW: The Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca

POSTED: Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 6:22 PM

Filed Under: Music | Album Album Review

On Bitte Orca, The Dirty Projectors swirl more pop charm than usual into their erratic sound. Orca is more approachable than the Projectors' previous works, with the outcome landing somewhere between Flleetwood Mac and Deerhoof. The band is still honing their chutes-and-ladders vocal technique, with leader David Longsteth and his accompanying female singers quickly climbing up and down intricate melodies with precision. On some of their previous releases, particularly Rise Above, it was easy for the sky-high vocal play to become cumbersome, taking attention away from the actual songs ' even becoming irritating at points. But on this album, such chaos is endearing, complementing arrangements pieced from simple indie pop ('Cannibal Resource') to folk ballads ('The Bride') and sweeping string numbers ('Two Doves'). Orca is cleaner and more skillfully arranged than what we've previously heard from the Projectors. It's a breakthrough for an art-rock band on the fringe of massive exposure.

Wed., June 17, 8:30pm, $13, with Vieux Farka Toure and Skeletons, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., r5productions.com

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