Album Review: Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan

Following their successful 2009 album, Bitte Orca, was always going to be a challenge, but Dirty Projectors' ingenuity as musicians remains in their dizzying new record, Swing Lo Magellan, making it the must-listen album of the year.

Written and produced by vocalist David Longstreth over 12 months, the collection of 12 tracks – whittled down from 70 – provides an interesting array of disparate styles and melodies that, incredibly, don't detract from the overall cohesiveness of the album.

In opener, Offspring Are Blank, the band switch up styles with an unguarded profusion of humming and clapping, accompanied by Longstreth's vocals to generously distorted guitar interludes. It's a testament to their talent that the change in direction proves to be spontaneous and luscious, rather than jarring or discordant. Their pop chorus vocals make a distinct return in tracks such as Gun Has No Trigger (the album's lead single) and Just From Chevron. Filled with quirky fillers, such as clapping and brief but intense instrumentals, and interjections such as “when should we burst into harmony?” (in Unto Caesar) Dirty Projectors maintain their innovative sound and solidify their place in American indie music.

Title track, Swing Lo Magellan, is more subdued, stripping back to a sweet combination of distinct but intertwining folk-esque melodies overlain with Longstreth's vocals and intimate lyrics. Impregnable Question follows in the same manner, calming the album down and charming in its proclamation of “you're my love, and I want you in my life”.

The most startling aspect of the album is its constant originality and relentless surprises, filling the record with an overwhelming sense of movement and spontaneity. If you're already a fan, you won't be disappointed.