RISE ABOVE
Dirty Projectors is the project of Dave Longstreth, a former Yale student who left college to become one of the most prolific and unique indie singer/songwriters of the early 2000s. Longstreth's distinctive, crooning voice and equally unique approach to arrangements and both lo-fi and hi-fi production characterize the Dirty Projectors' sound. David Longstreth has created in Dirty Projectors a body of music of original and variegated beauty. The breadth of his talents as a songwriter, arranger, bandleader and singer call to mind Prince, Joni Mitchell, and Bjork. His constantly evolving sound -- both live and on record -- the sheer intensity of the music, and the originality of his voice set him apart. Among modern music makers, he is a maverick: a loner and a rebel.
The music is many things at once: sophisticated and heartfelt, tender and aggressive, pleasing and miserly in its refusal to please, a mixture between soul, punk, pop, noise and complex rock. Dirty Projectors' new offering, Rise Above, is a reimagining of Black's Flag seminal 1981 record Damaged. It is not a covers record. Longstreth attempted to rewrite his favorite adolescent album word for word, from memory. A concept so lofty might just be hot wind if Rise Above weren't such a hell of a record on its own terms. It resounds with a kind of elegant simplicity: beautiful interlocking guitar parts, gorgeous three-part vocal harmonies, and some great songwriting. |
