Cristi.
Dirty Projectors - “Useful Chamber”
What makes the latest LP by Dirty Projectors so inviting is the fact that the group’s front man, Dave Longstreth, stepped back from the mic to let the group’s strongest vocalists Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian showcase their occasionally ethereal, endlessly powerful vocals. Unlike many other groups with an experimental, artistic slant, Dirty Projectors seem to have found the benefits of the voice as a true, natural instrument, bending and shaping melodies and seamlessly blending harmonies to elevate their material.
On Bitte Orca, a near-perfect trio of songs pops up in the middle of the album to easily situate the album as one of the best (if not the best) album of the year. On “Stillness Is the Move,” Coffman channels her best r&b diva with vocal riffs to rival some of the most popular mainstream pop singers. The album then cuts to “Two Doves,” a soft, scrumptious, and delicate solo piece for Deradoorian. Finally, we get “Useful Chamber” a song that at times sounds cataclysmic and euphoric. A simple drum beat and the return of Longstreth’s voice transitions into a spattering of lightly placed synths, a spoken-word-like verse, and finally an explosion of sick guitar riffs. The song cannot be classified with any one genre which ultimately makes it enthralling.
