Dirty Projectors’ wheel has come full circle. Mainstay David Longstreth was flying solo upon the release of their debut ‘The Glad Fact’ back in 2003 and now, 14 years and a million (or so) band members later, he’s on his own again, in more ways than one.
The subject matter on this self-titled record (their seventh, albeit only the second this decade) lies with the fallout from his break up with former bandmate Amber Coffman and there are several stings in the tail on a glitchy, auto-tuned journey into Longstreth’s subconscious.
Gone are the vocals from Coffman and the estimable Olga Bell, which proved the perfect foil for the multiple loops, twists and turns on previous records (most notably 2009’s ‘Bitte Orca’).
Left to his own devices, Longstreth manages to create a record with a planned beginning and end that also manages to appear totally aimless. It’s quite a feat and you should try and work it out for yourself.
Such is the experimental nature of this piece, it’s no surprise that Longstreth has employed a whole new team of helpers (Solange and Battles’ Tyondai Braxton among others), and yet it still comes across as a deeply personal set of songs.
The first track, Keep Your Name, is sublime. Clearly directed at Coffman lyrically, it features an inspired sample of the lyric “we don’t see eye to eye” from the Projectors’ own Impregnable Question. As an introduction to a work tinged with depression and heartbreak, it’s perfect.
The sheer wealth of instrumentation here is also a major draw, with analogue and digital percussion coming together across a wide range of styles as the album progresses. There are only nine tracks on offer here, but each one comes with its own unique selling point. The eight-minute wonder Up In Hudson – teased several months back – is the highlight. A song that manages to encompass glitchy electro, jazz, indie rock and still come out smelling of roses at the end is worthy of praise.
Longstreth has namechecked Drake as one of his favourite songwriters of recent years and that is never more evident than on Ascent Through Clouds, with its digitised vocal effects and beats recalling the production choices that have become synonymous with the rapper’s work. That said, it’s still far from accessible to anyone new to Dirty Projectors – in truth, so are many of the songs here – but as with its predecessors it’s an album well worth persevering with.
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