Dirty Projectors: “Swing Lo Magellan”

Leave it to David Longstreth and Dirty Projectors to tab a light-hearted, acoustic ramble as the title track for their most recent album. Now fully submerged in a tour supporting Swing Lo Magellan, the band has compiled quite the arsenal of recognizable singles. Despite its short length and a rare, reserved vocal performance from Longstreth, “Swing Lo Magellan” will serve as a beautiful vacation from the crescendos found elsewhere on the album.

Songs like “Gun Has No Trigger,” “About to Die,” and “Dance for You” eventually include a buildup or flash of Longstreth’s ever-jumping yet unwavering voice while “Swing Lo Magellan” seems content to remain calm and collected. The slower pace of the entire album allows for such a song to slide in nicely without upsetting the feel or theme of the LP — quite possibly because it is very difficult to categorize or place this most recent release. As the sixth studio album from Dirty Projectors, the multifaceted Brooklyn natives continue to find ways to evolve in style and sound. Always hard to label, the group has chosen songwriting as the new common bond, one that allows for continued genre confusion and a rotation between lead singers. While I would love more of the unique vocals of Longstreth, this suggestion isn’t likely to take hold. With another talented vocalist already in the group in Amber Coffman, removing songs like “The Socialites” would definitely be a crying shame.

The aftermath of these decisions leave us with a collection of tracks, each possessing a separate identity and each highlighting a different strength of this creative band. Subdued percussion and little variation from the happy guitar riff showcase Longstreth’s voice on “Swing Lo Magellan,” as the care-free notes mask the lyrics and allow only for daydreaming of apple cider in the countryside on a crisp fall day.
Impartial to the fun tones of his voice, I look forward to such songs when the band passes through Madison on September 29. All those at the Majestic Theatre will certainly be happy I won’t be writing the setlist that evening, as Coffman and the entire quintet will have their turn at center stage.