Dirty Projectors – 'Swing Lo Magellan' review
Despite existing for nearly a decade, Dirty Projectors still feel like a band finding their shape. That’s perhaps understandable: their last LP, the frantic, berserk and virtually uncategorisible Bitte Orca, was only their first to receive big-label backing, and also the first to enjoy almost universal mainstream acclaim. Accordingly, Swing Lo Magellan is a prime candidate for Difficult Second Album Syndrome, but thankfully it sidesteps any of the common symptoms – a bad rehashing the previous album, over-ambitious artistic hubris – by being, of all things, a simple pop record.
Of course, this being the Dirty Projectors, there are still blasts of noise and a frequently free-form approach to tempo, but the real shining light here is the songwriting, which is more succinct, more direct and prettier than anything lead Projector David Longstreth has ever done. The effect is pleasingly addictive: save for the perhaps aptly titled final song, Irresponsible Tune, Swing Lo Magellan is effortlessly replayable, intelligent, beautifully written but also – whisper it – quietly accessible.
8/10
