Dirty Projectors e Austin Symphony

The first thing that strikes you about Dirty Projectors, now in their twelfth year of existence and 7 albums in, is what you might call the ‘cerebral’ aspect of their music, and the consummate musicianship they all have to play that all live. David Longstreth, guitarist and bandleader, often gets described as some kind of geeky music theory enthusiast (which he may well be) and his music as complex albeit enjoyable high concept stuff. Granted, it may not be easy to clap along or dance to, but not everything has to be! There’s more than enough to savour in the sheer tightness and punchiness of the band’s groove, the intoxicating three part harmonies sung by Amber Coffman, Haley Dekle, and Olga Bell, and that undeniable streak of African highlife which runs through so much of their work. Indeed throughout their live set, the shadow of Talking Heads looms large at times, but it’s clear Dirty Projectors have a broad range of influences. The highlight of the show comes when they get stuck into Beautiful Mother, with its show-stopping vocal syncopations shared between the girls and its dramatic breaks, which probably got the greatest applause of all. Not to be missed!