Dirty Projectors + Bjork - Mount Wittenberg Orca (Domino)

More good news. One of my favourite releases of last year is finally getting the physical treatment on Domino. Details here. This is what I thought of it at the time.

Dirty Projectors + Bjork - Mount Wittenberg Orca (http://www.mountwittenbergorca.com/, donation download)
Stunning collaboration with proceeds to the National Geographic Society project to create international marine protected areas (payment is by donation), and recorded live, for the most part, in The Rare Book Room bookshop in New York. David Longstreth informs that the idea stemmed from a whale sighting by DP's Amber Coffman from a ridge in California (Mount Wittenberg). Bjork sings the part of the mother whale, Amber, Angel Deradoorian and Haley Dekle the kid whales and Mr Longstreth the part of Amber (!). Overall sound a little reminiscient of Ennio Morricone in places (which we love around here) - the glorious build-up of closer All we are, for example, with its vocal stylings and counterpoints (only a few other instruments feature otherwise, namely sparing bass, handclaps, some guitar accompaniments). And as the title suggests, sounds not unlike a continuation of the DP's last album Bitte Orca. Affinities also with Bjork's Medulla. Feast your ears, for example, on the glorious all-female vocal of On and ever onward, avant garde but so engaging. The whole thing comes in at under 20 minutes, but it's one of the releases of the year, whatever the cause.



And here are live performances of two more songs recorded at the Housing Works Bookstore & Café in New York City in May 2009. It really is stunning stuff and one of the best set of pop music noises put on record in the last few years.

All we are


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