1000 Reasons You Should Start Listening to Dirty Projectors

Take Away Show #55 _ Dirty Projectors (full version) from Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes on Vimeo.


This band is beyond the brink of influential. They are taking music and doing something brand new. Seriously, they are extremely creative, dynamic, inspired, practiced... dare I say it? - Genius. It took getting signed by Domino Records for this band to get even moderately recognized, but Dirty Projectors have been around for the better part of the turn of the century. What makes them so, different, so unique? There are several factors that play into their idiosyncratic sound. I'm not well versed in the science of describing musical/stylistic elements, however, I will try to use what vocabulary and knowledge I have to do so.

First off, and this is difficult to achieve, let alone master (granted, not all bands need to do this, either)- they are tenured in the skill of making vocals an additional instrument. That is to say, the instrumental part of the music is not a backdrop for vocals, the two are seamlessly intertwined to where voices are meticulously calculated and planned just as you string chords toghether, or synthesize a beat. This attribute brings me to my next observation.

Lyrics. Most people don't really understand why one song will really resonate with them, and other songs will only resonate on one level, and then conflict on another. Something like, "Well, I really liked the music part, but I didn't really like the lyrics." Or "I loved the lyrics, but I couldn't really get into the music". This is largely due to the fact that, yes, the lyrics and music don't line up well. The music and lyrics need to be saying the same thing. They need to match (or compliment) in style, rythym, depth, complexity, and understanding. The lyrics for this band do so perfectly. They are poetic, playful, descriptive, and artistic without being cryptic. You can determine exactly what the lyrics are saying. There is no hidden meaning, or greater concept that needs to be grasped. And then the music tells you how to feel, and the feelings you're supposed to ascribe to the lyrics. They're consise, articulate, surprising, poised... need I go on? Brilliant.

Superficially, the music makes no sense, and can even stress you out. This is because of the high level of unpredictability the music has. This unpredictability stems from two things. One, is the absolutely intricate, unusual, sporatic vocal harmonies. They are so beautiful and assertive that they literally assault your brain. You don't have time to process or understand what you're hearing, its just there, and there's no way you can tune them out.

The second is momentum. The progression of a song usually follows one of these few patterns. A song can start of with a great deal of energy and noise, then trickle off into the core rythym and style of the song. It can build momentum towards the middle, climax, then go into a repitition of the chorus and some set beat. Or a song can build all the way till the end, and have an epic, loud finish. Instinctively, we will ascribe and anticipate one of these patterns. But you can tell right away the momentum will be unpredictable. You have no clue when the song will take you to states of high energy or low energy, or when to expect them. That means the listening experience is cognitive.

Many artists will try and go for an asymetric pattern of momentum, and it ends in failure. Its not catchy enough, people can't get into it. Dirty Projectors are catchy. Their beats and rythyms are primal and groovy enough to feel. While listening to them is a cognitve process, its also visceral. You feel the music. The unusual  strings of chords and layers of vocals are different to be sure, but  most people would agree the sound is collectively upbeat. The jammy factor is important because its what keeps people listening to it over and over again. You don't get bored from predictabiliy like many jammy songs, which makes the listening process very different from any music and highly pleasurable.

For most, myself included, Dirty Projectors is an aquired taste. But after you get a feel for their style, and respect them for their sheer originality, you can't help but fall in love. You can't assess their likability like you would normal music... you must approach it from a completely objective stance, and observe. It's super fun. Seriously... If any band is worth listening to right now, it's these guys! Wait and watch music change.