Things are getting a whole lot busier as we approach the July release of Swing Lo Magellan. For the latest Dirty Projectors news, follow @UsefulChamber on Twitter, or scroll down this page to the Twitter newsfeed below this post. Meanwhile here’s a catchup…
The Dave Longstreth-directed promo video for lead single Gun Has No Trigger was released 8 June. Dave explained that the song was about “the possibility of true dissent, and how I can’t figure out what that could be”. The video, featuring Dave, Amber and Haley, mixes default social media profile iconography with the look of classic ipod tv adverts - silhouettes against a plain coloured background.
A second Swing Lo Magellan track, Dance For You, was released 15 June on YouTube. BBC Radio 6music DJ Nemone Metaxas played this song on her 17 June show prior to a clip of Dave talking about his favourite NY punk-influenced record, Marquee Moon by Television. This was, Dave told us, the only cassette in the recycling truck he drove the summer after his freshman year at college, so he listened to it “like, a million times”. The DJ added that Dave has also recorded a track-by-track guide to Swing Lo Magellan for 6music, presumably to be aired closer to the album’s release. [If you're in the UK, you can listen to the show here (skip to about 70 mins in), although the stream expires in, like, three days.]
Mike Johnson has replaced Brian McOmber as Dirty Projectors’ drummer. Brian’s Soundcloud page reveals that he left the band last year. (Incidentally, it also contains the 2010 BBC session version of Useful Chamber, which was not included in the edited podcast of the programme.) Brian’s fully committed drumming helped take the group’s music to another level and I’m sure other Dirty Projectors fans would join me in wishing him all the very best for the future. More info on Mike coming soon!
The new incarnation of Dirty Projectors made their first live appearance on Tuesday, playing Gun Has No Trigger on US tv show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (see embedded video above). Jenn Wasner from 2012 tour support band Wye Oak joined in on vocals, with the only instrumentation being drums (Mike), bass (Nat) and synth drum pads (Haley). The performance drew praise from Questlove of The Roots, who tweeted a photo of the Swing Lo Magellan vinyl LP cover, which appears to feature hole-punched lettering.
Amber has bought a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar and Dave was also seen playing a left handed one in a rehearsals snapshot - a departure from the band using Fender guitars exclusively.
Dave has directed a film, Hi Custodian, which features music from Swing Lo Magellan and will premiere on Pitchfork.tv (no date announced as yet). The one minute trailer features Amber and Haley facing each other, dressed as ‘Midland girls’, singing SLM song Just From Chevron whilst clapping with each other, pat-a-cake style.
Dirty Projectors play their first live radio session in support of Swing Lo Magellan on KEXP today (21 June).
