The Dirty Projectors

“Cannibal Resource”- http://bit.ly/9DRvuc
What immediately hits you about this band is their ability to have an original, even jarring sound that still resonates in a feel-good, emotional way.  I find few bands can accomplish “head music” and “heart music” at the same time.  Not to mention, how do they do so much with so little!

“Two Doves”- http://bit.ly/cW8H5X

A softer song with a beautiful string arrangement:  The guitar line could transpose easily onto a harp and the lyrics read like a sonnet, but somehow, despite making a gentler statement, this tune still has a piquant dash of that same off-center, jolting quirkiness that’s integral to the Projector’s sound.

- http://bit.ly/dhbUgJ
And since we've talked a little about influences in "inception", here's David Longstreth, the main writing force of the band, talking about his influences. (Fair warning, the audio is low.) The album of theirs which I think is so stellar is named Bitte Orca, and came out last year, 2009. If you'd like to know what he's up to now, look for his recent collaboration with Bjork.

inception

It's a very, very common question. What music to you listen to? The seriousness of this question varies from person to person.  When people put this query to me sometimes they want to know about my influences, and other times--as is usually the case--it's just a question.  It helps folks figure out who you are.  Well... I'm not getting into any of that.  This is really just like my little Music Appreciation 101. While running the risk of belying any philosophical claims I've made over beers about relativism and culture in music, and while simultaneously running the risk of sounding like a pompous ass, I'm gonna come out and say it: I think I know what good is.  So there you have it.  What will follow here is my own take on people in music that I think are really really great, with absolutely no attention given to newness or relevance. For the most part I intend to approach each artist as if the reader has never heard of them (even though I know that will often not be the case).  But hey, take a few minutes, a second listen on a random lunch-break can sometimes yield a whole new perspective. At the end of the day this is just me going, "Hey you should experience this". Its just the stuff that I think is both great and important, without worrying too much about the distinction between the two.  And more importantly, it's just one guy's opinion.  What do I know?