Today’s Sounds

Record:

Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo Magellan

 
“Offspring Are Blank” comes on softly, like a warm, warped spiritual. It’s unusual for Dirty Projectors to deal in sounds so acoustic and pretty, but when the song juts out sideways with raunchy guitars and keys, everything falls into place.

And so it goes for the length of the Brooklyn band’s 11th release, wherein their penchant for un-pop time signatures and other dissonant signals are used sparingly, but effectively.

The altered ratio of conventional to “experimental” means this is their most accessible record, but they’re unlikely to alienate many fans. Will they pick up new ones? Perhaps, with songs like “Gun Has No Trigger” and “Dance for You.” Or not, with the decaying guitars and asymmetrical beats of “Just From Chevron,” “Maybe That Was It” and “The Socialites.”

The latter, one of the songs sung by Amber Coffman, highlights the band’s more outré side by contrasting  her girlish voice and cute finger-picked guitar with twitchy rhythms and out-of-tune samples. But her back-up vocals, often in harmony with lead singer, guitarist etc David Longstreth, paint broad strokes of strange across much of the record. The device is reminiscent of St. Vincent’s reimagining of vintage Disney music, which lent a subtly sinister edge to images of enchanted forests, wonderlands and dancing china.

Of course, St. Vincent’s music is much more inviting than this, and there are moments on Swing Lo Magellan that threaten to tumble into barren territory, but fresh left turns consistently bring us back from wack.

(If you suspect that this record signals a real change in direction, check out Dirty Projectors’ new song, a noiser and weirder track than anything on this record. It’s being given away on seven-inch singles throughout their current tour.)
 

Track:

THEESatisfaction “QueenS” (the Internet remix)

 
A track from the Seattle future-soul duo’s awE naturalE album, as remixed by Odd Future’s the Internet.
 

 

Video:

Sydney Wayser, “Dirty Work”

 
This French Brooklynite has caught some spotlight since the stateside release of her album Bell Choir Coast, which may just give Feist a run for her money. It has yet to be released in Canada, but she’s playing Divan Orange tomorrow night (Tuesday, July 24, 9 p.m.) with locals Statue Park.