Band: Dirty Projectors
Album Name: Bitte Orca
Release: 2009

Comments: I believe there’s a point when indie-pop bands try too hard to be both indie and pop at the same time. Swedish artists like Peter Bjorn and John and Jens Lekman haven’t had much difficulty in accomplishing both. The Dirty Projectors, an all-American band from New York, wrote an album in Bitte Orca that wants to be European, but isn’t at all. The light melody of “Temecula Sunrise” is refreshing. The scattastic artsy offering “The Bride” has annoying written all over it. The “I’m more indie than inner city black girls” of “Stillness is the Move” gets old quickly. On a positive note “Two Doves” is a perfect WERS song — sexy female voice in front of orchestral background music — and for that reason it happens to be the album’s effortless strong suit. The jangly electropop of “Useful Chamber” is Veckatimestastic. “No Intention” is kind of awesome. “Remade Horizon” seems like it would get a lot of college radio station airplay . There’s certainly some room for improvement, but it’s generally pretty good…if the constant “yay-I-wanna-blah-blah-remade-horizon” doesn’t piss you off, that is. “Fluorescent Half Dome” is a chill aged ending. The last one minute is flat out greatness. I think this album is going to take a few more listens for me to appreciate. It has potential, though probably not as much as Pitchfork [9.0 rating] makes it out to have.

Grade: 8.2