I feel like I need to start this review by saying that I was a very big fan of the Dirty Projectors first major label record "Bitte Orca." That work was brimming with confidence and although their sound seemed a bit cluttered on songs like "Cannibal Resource" and "Useful Chamber," it was a solid demonstration of guitar playing talent as well as fabulous voice work. Their sound was delicately constructed, but at the same time it consistently flew off the handle with fiery guitar solos that gave it a very bright and ecstatic feel. Both the guitar playing and their vocal work seemed to me like the strong points of the Dirty Projector's sound and I was hoping these two elements, in all their bright form, would be the focal point of the band's next release.
"Swing lo Magellan," the Dirty Projector's new album, features both of these elements, but not as strongly or as excitedly as their preceding work. It takes on a more mature feel, which is not always a bad route, but in this instance I did not find it nearly as engaging. The work as a whole feels much more calculated, and darker. Rather than riding triumphantly through the desert, this feels sun baked like a six shooter showdown. I think overall this change in ambiance is what made me dislike this album more than "Bitte Orca." I really connected emotionally to the ecstasy they projected, but I just do not feel the same emotions while listening to "Swing lo Magellan."
That being said, there were several songs I really enjoyed. "About to Die" has some interesting drum work that builds to a very emotive chorus. The next song "The Gun Has No Trigger" makes the rest of the vocalists sound like a chilling choir of ghosts next to David Longstreth's lead vocals. This single was actually the song that I liked the most out of the songs that do not bear as much resemblance to their earlier work. It also epitomizes the change in style that really struck me on this album, if only the rest of the songs matched this one in quality. "Dance for you" is an another simple and relaxing song that I enjoyed immensely. The light percussive work allows Longstreth's voice to really ring out as if he is singing to a vast canyon.
The back half of the album had several songs that I enjoyed due to their similarity to their old style. "The Socialites" really shows Amber Coffman's voice well. It lets her bring forth great emotion that sounds comforting like a lullaby and on a side note, in this song she sounds very similar to Marceline from Adventure Time. "Unto Caesar" has a some guitar parts that remind me a lot of "The Bride" from "Bitte Orca" and the speaking interludes add some hilarious moments to the song.
All in all, with the exception of "Dance for You" and "The Gun Has No Trigger," I found my favourites to be the songs that were closest to their original style. The slower and drained feeling of a lot of these songs does not fill me with the same exuberance that their first work did, and without any other elements than the guitar and voice to fall back on, it seemed ineffectual and boring all the way from "Swing lo Magellen" to "See What SheSeeing."
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