Last Friday, Dirty Projectors released a new track called “Gun Has No Trigger.” There was little context for the song, but many of us outright assumed it was a track off a forthcoming Dirty Projectors album. And, as always is the case with music journalists, we were 100% right: on July 10, Dirty Projectors will release new album Swing Lo Magellan and it indeed includes “Gun Has No Trigger.”
This is precisely why we get paid the big bucks.
Speaking of lineup changes, Angel Deradoorian is currently on hiatus from the band, but ringmaster David Longstreth received plenty of help this time around from past members, including Amber Coffman (vocals, guitar), Nat Baldwin (Bass), Brian McOmber (Drums), and Haley Dekle (vocals). It took 12 months (a.k.a. one year) to write and record the album, starting from 70 “new songs and beats,” moving to 40 demos, and finally ending with the 12 songs that make up the album. According to the press release, “The finished recordings bear the impress of this informal working style: the album is a collection of moments: accidental, fortuitous, spontaneous. The performances feel warm and imperfect. Unguarded intimacy is somewhat of a new look for this band, and it turns out it’s a very good look.”
Or, as Longstreth so wonderfully put it: “It’s an album of songs, an album of songwriting.”
We’ll probably echo something similar in our future review, but it’ll probably take us a couple paragraphs. Maybe we’ll do another acrostic or index or something. Who knows. The possibilities are endless! Wow, music journalism is really great, isn’t it?
Swing Lo Magellan tracklist:
01. Offspring Are Blank
02. About to Die
03. Gun Has No Trigger
04. Swing Lo Magellan
05. Just From Chevron
06. Dance For You
07. Maybe That Was It
08. Impregnable Question
09. See What She Seeing
10. The Socialites
11. Unto Caesar
12. Irresponsible Tune
Tourdates:
07.10.12 - Brooklyn NY - Prospect Park Bandshell
07.13.12 - Chicago IL - Pitchfork Festival
• Dirty Projectors: http://www.dirtyprojectors.net
• Domino: http://www.dominorecordco.us
[Photo: Jason Frank Rothenberg]
