Product Description

The follow-up to 2007's critically acclaimed and Domino debut "Rise Above". Their fifth release is a big rock album by design. Its idiosyncratic and sincere take on popular music is reminiscent of David Byrne with whom Dirty Projectors collaborated on "Knotty Pine" for the 2009 compilation "Dark Was The Night". In many ways, group leader David Longstreth could be seen as this generation's answer to Byrne, a distinctive torchbearer of labyrinthine song arrangements that go down easy.

Track Listing

1. Cannibal Resource
2. Temecula Sunrise
3. The Bride
4. Stillness Is The Move
5. Two Doves
6. Useful Chamber
7. No Intention
8. Remade Horizon
9. Fluorescent Half Dome

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1930 in Music
• Released on: 2009-06-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Customer Reviews

The most accessible Dirty Projectors album to date.
If you've been turned off by the Dirty Projectors in the past because they were either too intricate, too nonsensical, or too pretentious, then I think you will love this album. Every song is unique and well arranged and, although much more straightforward than past albums, still keeps some of the jazzy mathiness that old fans will love. The vocals have reached a new high with impressive three-part female harmonies complementing Dave Longstreth's angular, rhythmic singing. Highly recommended; I just keep coming back for more, even after weeks of listens, and that doesn't happen often for me.

Makes good strides toward the future of music
Bitte Orca is very likely to appear in the top albums of 2009. I agree.

The album presents many musical concepts that are innovative, creative, and catchy. For instance, guitar riffs are very rarely trite or predictable. Melodies are very rarely structured so that the listener is able to hum them after only a listen or two. Meter is unpredictable and yet extremely interesting with all of its syncopation and surprises. Familiar harmonic structure is sparse and creates a very disconnected feel in almost every track. These components together challenge many ingrained concepts of music, and it makes it extremely interesting to truly listen to. Because of these challenges that it presents I do believe it is making strides to creating new styles, encouraging creativity, etc., and deserves to be recognized as one of the best albums of 2009.

However, because the album presents so many complex ideas and so many changes in meter and structure so rapidly it is not likely to become one of the most coherent albums of all time. Like Radiohead, Dirty Projectors present so many new concepts and challenges to what is expected that often the coherency of the ideas, melodies, and lyrics are difficult to perceive (not impossible, just difficult). I believe that like Radiohead, many bands will benefit from taking examples from Dirty Projectors and will most likely become more successful than their predecessors when the original ideas are watered down for mainstream music.

Music At Its Best
I was instantly interested in this album from the first listen of its opening track "Cannibal Resource". I'd never heard of this band beforehand, better late than never though. I've listened through the complete album dozens of times through, it is short and sweet, tight and mighty, always a pleasure.

There's a lot of positive things being said about the album, and rightly so as it is excellent... just don't expect the hand of God to personally touch you through the speakers, it is only music, though at some of its best.

I enjoy listening to the album while laying down with my eyes closed, it is a joy to contemplate each note, each time signature shift, each turn of glorious harmonizing. I have nothing else to say other than just go in open to the music. Us humans have the tendency to be very critical of music we've never before heard... let it do with your ears what it wants.