Dirty Projectors

Wikipedia:

Dirty Projectors are an American rock band, consisting of David Longstreth (vocals, guitar, musical direction; born December 17, 1981), Amber Coffman (vocals, guitar), Angel Deradoorian (vocals, keyboard, samples, guitar, bass), Brian McOmber (drums), Nat Baldwin (bass), and Haley Dekle (vocals). They have released seven full-length albums through 2012.

History

Early years (2002–06)

Longstreth's first album, The Graceful Fallen Mango, was released in 2002 under his own name and introduced his distinctive use of song arrangements and his combination of lo-fi and hi-fi production. The album was a project that Longstreth began as a freshman while studying at Yale University. With the help of Adam Forkner of Yume Bitsu, Longstreth recorded and released The Glad Fact on the Western Vinyl label under the name "The Dirty Projectors." In 2005, the band released The Getty Address, a concept album about musician Don Henley that features extensive orchestral and choral accompaniment. The diverse, stripped-down New Attitude EP followed in 2006 and featured inklings of the band's later vocal interplay and guitar work.

Rise Above, Bitte Orca and Domino Records (2007-09)

In 2007, the band released Rise Above, an album of Black Flag songs as re-imagined from memory. The album introduced the band's distinctive contrast between Longstreth's vocals and the harmonies of Amber Coffman and Susanna Waiche, who was later replaced by Angel Deradoorian. In support of the album, the band performed songs for a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon.

In April 2008, Dirty Projectors signed with Domino Records, and the label announced the release of their next full-length album, Bitte Orca, for June 9, 2009. That year, the band also collaborated with David Byrne on the song "Knotty Pine" for the compilation album Dark Was the Night produced by the Red Hot Organization. Byrne joined the Dirty Projectors onstage to perform this song, along with "Ambulance Man," another collaborative track not included on the compilation, at the "Dark Was the Night Live" concert at New York City's Radio City Music Hall on May 3, 2009.

“Stillness Is the Move” was the first single released from "Bitte Orca", a West African - R&B influenced hybrid, sung by Coffman and inspired by the Wim Wenders film “Wings of Desire”.

On May 8, 2009, members of Dirty Projectors collaborated with Björk to perform an original composition by Longstreth, written for five voices and acoustic guitar, as part of a charity concert to benefit Housing Works, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing shelter for homeless men, women, and children suffering from AIDS. The concert was held at the Housing Works Bookstore & Café in downtown New York City.

Dirty Projectors were to release a new EP in September 2009 entitled Temecula Sunrise. While the EP was never released, two of its tracks, "Ascending Melody" and "Emblem of the World," were instead offered for free download on the Dirty Projectors website in early 2010.

Mount Wittenberg Orca, Swing Lo Magellan and new musical directions (2010–present)

In June 2010, Dirty Projectors announced the release of Mount Wittenberg Orca, a digital-only EP with Björk. The album, based on the artists' previous collaboration in 2009, was released on June 30. Mount Wittenberg Orca was released physically by Domino Records in 2011.

Dirty Projectors released an expanded edition of Bitte Orca on September 28, 2010. The double album included live performances, several B-sides, and a Bob Dylan cover.

On March 30, 2012, Dirty Projectors released the first single from their upcoming album, Swing Lo Magellan, due for release on July 10 in the United States and on July 9 internationally.

Musical style & aesthetic

While often associated with the late 2000s New York indie rock scene, critics have likened Dirty Projectors to musicians from many genres. For example, critics have compared them to New Wave artists David Byrne and Squeeze, pop stars Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, and Progressive rock musicians Frank Zappa and Yes. In a 2009 interview, Longstreth embraced some such comparisons but expressed a strong dislike for classic rock, commenting, "Steely Dan is a band I’m not that into," "I’m not a huge Yes guy," and "Frank Zappa I fucking hate."