Dirty Projectors Rise Above

Over three full lengths, an EP, and five different live bands in four years, David Longstreth has created in Dirty Projectors a body of music of original and variegated beauty. The breadth of his talents as a songwriter, arranger, bandleader and singer call to mind Prince, Joni Mitchell, and Bjork. His constantly evolving sound -- both live and on record -- the sheer intensity of the music, and the originality of his voice set him apart. Among modern music makers, he is a maverick: a loner and a rebel. From beginning to end, Dirty Projectors' new offering, Rise Above, is a reimagining of Black's Flag seminal 1981 record Damaged. It is not a covers record. Longstreth attempted to rewrite his favorite adolescent album word for word, from memory. From an interview with daytrotter.com: I didn't listen to the album or read the lyrics while I was doing it, and I hadn't heard the record since middle school, more or less. I relied on memory and intuition mostly. I wanted to see if I could make this album myself: not as plagiarism or mimicry, but as an original creative act. Writing a song is like pulling a shape out of the air, but I didn't want to write just any song -- I wanted to write...