They hype train regarding Dave Longstreth and Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca is moving at a speed fast enough to plow through a mountain, so it’s probably irrelevant to mention the back catalogue of influences that rise to the top in the album, and it’s probably a bit naive to assume our readership isn’t aware of how big this album already is and will be on June 9th when it’s released. For some natural contrarians, the hype this record has garnered pre-release makes it easy to stamp it with reject and move on. In much the same way that Vampire Weekend was the darling of 2008, I suppose the hype associated with an album will always bring its fair share of naysayers, and to be honest, there are some here at Citizen Dick that have shied away from spinning this album because of its nature. Everyone’s on top of it right? Everyone is singing its praises right? It’s already been reviewed, so why bother? Is it as good as people say or is this just another example of the hype machine running away with a unique album that will end up on year-end lists and be forgotten just as easily? The rhetorical questions blanket this release much, much less than the sonic liveliness and intelligently arranged goodness does. The album is good. It’s sparkling with intensity and tension. It’s a lofty album and Longstreth and crew have enough chops and talent to warrant (almost) all of the hype that’s been thrown their way.

If familiar with Longstreth’s previous work, you’ll understand that artistic experimentation is quite the norm and he’s not afraid the push the boundaries of musical comfort zones. Bitte Orca clips along in a similar vein but the first thing that’s immediately present is more accessibility. In my opinion, this is a boon to the record, as tracks like “Stillness is the Move” and “Cannibal Resource” are pleasant in their tension filled and angular progressions. “Stillness” is all Amber Coffman and her pipes, with a looped out almost Eastern inspired guitar riff as a backdrop. Despite the kickass bluesy and rustic undertones, the track is intriguing, largely, because of its accessibility, despite the images it conjures of belly dancers and lands I’ve never traveled to. Likewise, “Cannibal Resource” begins the album with a familiar bouncy bass riff, hand claps, tribal harmonized vocal spurts and epic largeness. Despite angular shifts and dives into oddball quirkiness, Dirty Projectors, at least on this album, come to play ball and please the ears.

The guitar work is absolutely spectacular, and while it’s never completely dominant on any specific track on the album, people who know how to play an axe will be able to appreciate the incredible arrangement Bitte Orca lays out. “Temecular Sunrise,” a track that’s been splattered all over the blogosphere for months, begins with Dave’s 12-string finger picking and gutsy dissonance. There’s an off-kilter arrangement that is strangely coupled with traditional bluesy and R&B vocal delivery. Electricity is amped up as the song progresses into some intensely slayed guitar work at the song’s close. Big shifts and changes are largely the centerpiece for tracks like this, and although six different veins seem to be happening all at once, the trained ear should detect a wonderfully adept guitar and bass trio at the core, taking no prisoners with lofty arpeggios, bringing several ecclectic and distinct sounds together into wildly unique yet unified arrangements. Listen for the guitar and bass work at the center, and the album comes to life. Particularly, tracks like “The Bride” somehow mix overly pushed vocals with Zeppelin-esque acoustic arrangements. One listen to this song brings the can’t miss early acoustic work of John Paul Jones straight into your muzzle. It’s easy to focus on the vocals, but that’s not my bag, and time and time again, Longstreth and Coffman slam it down hard on the six strings.

The vocal arrangements are worth noting here, not because they’re entirely accessible and easy to digest in one listen, but more because of how they fit with everything else Dirty Projectors spew forth on the record. The last two minutes of “Remade Horizon” are a headphone odyssey, a quirky mix of Steely Dan and vocals as if they’re randomly blown into glass bottles at a carnival. They crescendo and pop brilliantly at an alarming pace until your brain is spinning and lost in the trance they create. While many tracks obviously feature Longstreth’s warbly and traditional singer/standard vocal delivery, the spastic and classically laced double attack of Coffman and Angel Deradoorian are prominently omnipresent here. This is a big departure from previous efforts and the sonic diversity it brings to the record is thought provoking and intense.

So is Bitte Orca a record that stands up to all the pretense? Our concept of reviewing allows us very little latitude. If we put an album review on our site it’s because we think it’s good, regardless of anticipation or buzz. The initial spin of the album emits a huge amount of sound and artistic flourish, with string sections, rhythm and blues, synthesizer electronics, frenetic percussion, and all the markers of a standout album to the forefront. Hype is irrelevant, really, if we’re speaking about musical value. I’ve never been one who’s big on allowing others to create my taste for me, so I went into this record with a clean palate. I’ve not read a single review on the record, and purposefully ignored listening to a single track until I got the advanced copy. Hype aside, the album is excellent and well worth the purchase if you’re not one of the thousands that already have it locked in on pre-order. Use headphones and enjoy the world Dirty Projectors draws you into. Within three spins, you’ll be singing its praises, too.  I think….

Dirty Projectors – “Stillness is The Move”