Swing Lo Magellan
by Dirty Projectors

It sacrifices some of the experimentation with song construction that was seen on Bitte Orca in an attempt to be more accessible and it succeeds fantastically. Some absolutely brilliant tunes on here that still manage to innovate with reckless abandon.

From junodog4 03/31/2017 18:25 | #188485

So much charm, so much creativity and really cool sounds. However, this keeps me wanting more. Something about this album frustrates me - like this band is so close to really grabbing me, but leaves me hanging instead.

From JoaoMoreira 03/14/2017 04:36 | #187408

This album sets the bar very high since it's a really sophisticated and complex way of doing pop music.
Its highlights are the energic choral hip-hop/rock anthem Offspring Are Blank, the childish but eccentric Dance For You and the retro hypnotic Maybe That Was It.
Along the way you don't find anything but very good quality music.

I guess that people in the future will notice this one.

Didn't like this as much as Bitte Orca the first couple of times but I'm definitely warming to it. There's a bit more indie and a bit less prog in the mix. Make no mistake though, Dirty Projector are still hell bent on breaking the mold wherever possible. I've just been listening on headphones and the stereo imaging is bat shit insane. Instruments are regularly panned hard left and hard right, to extremely disorienting effect.

Best dp album by a long shot

Really starting to warm up to this record more-so than Bitte Orca. Whilst Longstreth retains his seemingly throat-straining vocals and the background female harmonies remain, Swing Lo Magellan differs much from it's predecessor in the sense that it sounds as though the band aren't focusing too heavily on being intentionally difficult (or seeming to otherwise). This album is a far more minimalized and pop-influenced effort (don't get too excited just yet), with also just a hint of country. The strongest tracks in my opinion are those that represent the more minimal sound, such as Impregnable Question (a sweet folksy/country love song) and the Socialites (Amber Coffman's beautiful voice over childishly-fun guitar picking and ambient production). Dirty Projectors may not have fully reinvented their sound but one should never fully expect that when it comes to listening to a band as unpredictable as this (don't call them Indie Rock!!!!)
7.5-8/10

From Mophos 11/16/2013 18:24 | #92939

Delightful and charming.

Gun has no trigger is by far the best song on this one.

From JoaoMoreira 07/25/2013 18:45 | #82383

Unexpectedly, a very solid album with some great songs inside.

From RockyRaccoon 07/10/2013 01:24 | #80812 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

I’m going to go ahead and say that this album is one of, if not the best album that Dirty Projectors have released yet. It’s very beat focused, the very first song has a beat that you’d expect to hear in a Lil’ Wayne song (coincidentally, Dave Longstreth has said that, among others, Lil’ Wayne was an influence on this album) but there’s indie rock all around it. This album shakes a little, wobbles almost into disconnect, but brings you right back to where you want to be. Not only is it enjoyable to listen to, but it’s interesting, it’s intriguing. You keep listening wondering where they’re going to go next, how they’re going to take the disconnect that you’re listening to and make it coherent, and for the most part, they do it very well. Definitely an album worth checking out.