Dave Longstreth, a former Yale student, left college in the early 2000s only to become one of the most prolific and meticulous composers of the indie genre, if you will.
During the past five years and seven albums, as the musical director of Brooklyn-based Dirty Projectors, he’s retired eight musicians to date.
Throughout the years, Longstreth has dappled in an array of sounds, from folk-tinged pieces, orchestral arrangments and even the unhinged rhythms of math rock.
The band’s performance on Friday at Rudyard’s, 2010 Waugh Dr., along with their latest release Rise Above, serve as a testament that Longstreth has finally found the right mix to work with.
The quartet’s tightly knit three part vocal harmonies, interlocking guitar work and disciplined drumming created an organic blend of carefully crafted, yet incredibly compelling sounds.
What was truly facinating about Dirty Projector’s performance was their ability to play equally interesting parts simultaneously without any one musician sounding overbearing or self indulgent.
Brian Mccomber worked well with Longstreth and guitarist and vocalist Amber Coffman and bassist and vocalist Angel Deradoorian with fresh, remarkable rhythms that showed a diversity of dynamic and restraint which also provided a steady foundation for the group.
"Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie," the seventh track from Rise Above, served as a relaxing whirlwind of perfectly harmonized vocals, ranging from Coffman and Deradoorian’s fast-paced, higher-pitched angular vocals to Longstreth’s long drawn out verses drenched in warm tones and carefully placed guitar work.
"Imagine It," a song from the band’s 2006 release New Attitude, featured interwining guitar work at its best. Longstreth, Coffman and Deradoorian yielded perfectly woven, syncopated riffs which served as a spiral of intricate sounds that worked slowly, continuously rising and dropping back in momentum for an organic piece that never fell stagnant.
Longstreth lent tender vocals and soft, lingering guitar to the melancholic "Police Story" as Coffman and Deradoorian laced light, harmonized vocals generously throughtout the piece, driving it forward.
Dirty Projectors’ use of repetition remains the most intriguing aspect of their contemplative compositions. Each time they repeat a riff, a verse or even a drum line, it’s delivered to the audience with a slightly different, and unexpected emphasis to it.
Their ability to offer listeners something unexpected and new is what makes them a great band.
They constantly try to rework and perfect every bar of their songs and toy with different sounds. It’s what sets them apart from the throngs of bands that are content with playing those catchy, safe and all-too familiar rhythms.
