#5 – Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca

Dirty Projectors delivered in 2009 with a fearless effort and one they could’ve been torn apart for. Their newest release, Bitte Orca, surpasses anything they’ve done before by a long shot. From the first chords of “Cannibal Resource” to the closing verse of “Florescent Half Dome”, the group charmed us with their harmonies and clever time signatures.
Dave Longstreth contains most of the brains behind this operation, but there’s no doubt that Dirty Projectors would be where they are without a female touch. Once lead single “Stillness is the Move” swept us away, there was no looking back. Vocalist Amber Coffman highlights “Stillness”, hitting notes that are basically unheard of on an indie pop album, while Angel Deradoorian takes the reigns on the lovely “Two Doves”. Both tracks sneak their way in between Longstreth on “The Bride” and the album climax of “Useful Chamber”, with album title being shouted “Bitte Orca! Orca Bitte!”.
The album encompasses many things that haven’t been before in indie music, if you could classify this album as any particular genre. Dirty Projectors still stay grounded with their quirky tunes and melodies, which make any fan of their back catalog extremely happy, but they also create a signature sound from a band that was most likely laughed at by most during the beginning of their career. The band’s debut on their new record label, Domino, shared with the likes of Animal Collective, Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand proves they must be getting the attention of all the right people.
“After all that we’ve been through/I know we’ll make it after the wait/The question is a truth/There’s nothing we can’t do” Coffman tell us on “Stillness is the Move”, and we can’t help but agree: Dirty Projectors are worth the wait.
Here’s our countdown towards WPGU’s Album of the Year:
20. Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3
19. Manchester Orchestra: Mean Everything To Nothing
18. Wolfmother: Cosmic Egg
17. The Flaming Lips: Embryonic
16. Miike Snow: Miike Snow
15. Discovery: LP
14. Silversun Pickups: Swoon
13. Julian Casablancas: Phrazes for the Young
12. Andrew Bird: Noble Beast
11. The Avett Brothers: I and Love and You
10. Japandroids: Post-Nothing
9. Arctic Monkeys: Humbug
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It’s Blitz!
7. St. Vincent: Actor
6. Wilco: Wilco (The Album)
5. Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
#4 coming Thursday…stay tuned!

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