DIRTY PROJECTORS - Dirty Projectors

What becomes of the brokenhearted? Well, in the case of David Longstreth, they make some changes. Since the last time Longstreth made a Dirty Projectors album (2012's Swing Lo Magellan), his long-term relationship with Amber Coffman, who sang and played guitar with the group, ended. In time-honored fashion, Longstreth has made a break-up album, but 2017's Dirty Projectors has a musical personality that's decidedly different than most of the group's work. While the mix of indie rock and world music flavors that defined much of Dirty Projectors' releases is still present here, this album is dominated by electronics, especially the aggressive use of Auto-Tuned and sampled vocals. The first moments of opening track "Keep Your Name" feature Longstreth's vocals bent into a deep and doomy variant on his usual bright, airy instrument, and while the harmonies that are one of his stylistic trademarks are on hand, in this case they sound like Longstreth is singing with a digital ghost of himself