Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan

Dirty projectors' highly anticipated sixth album, swing lo magellan, shows that David Longstreth really doesn't know how to do the same thing twice. This time, beyond the aughts-era duality of retromania and neophilia, and beyond his band's reputation for dizzying, heady innovation, longstreth has found the beautiful, generous simplicity of the heart and soul. Same as it ever was. And this must be exactly the place where he's planted the seeds for his band's finest album to date. The twelve songs of 'swing lo magellan' were winnowed down from about forty finished demos. 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.