Dirty Projectors
Swing Lo Magellan
When Dirty Projectors teamed up with Björk in 2010, the world seemed to make a little more sense. Iceland’s eccentric experimentalist acted the perfect foil to the Projectors’ notoriously off-kilter approach, and put the band in a context far removed from their New York indie-rock roots. Like past Projectors records, Swing Lo Magellan is no easy listen; the album is filled with odd signature changes, confusing beats, and lilting harmonies that come together just in time for a song to switch gears and head in another direction. But given the proper time to grow, Swing Lo Magellan gets better with every listen. Centerpiece track “Dance for You” takes a summery guitar riff and hand-clap beat and runs it headlong into a swelling symphonic breakdown, while “Impregnable Question” lays claim to some seriously chest-rattling six-part harmonies. In a lot of ways, Swing Lo Magellan is like the musical equivalent to an intense workout: Sure, it’s challenging, but it’s also guaranteed to produce at least one natural high.
