Weekly Listening

So my album of the week goes to this gem

Dirty Projectors - Rise Above.

Basically the concept is very simple, DP lead singer David Longstreth decided to cover. ten tracks from Black Flag's 1981 alt classic Damaged. Allegedly ( and I believe this) he tried to remember the lyrics without referring to the album once.however it's the execution which is different. Dirty Projectors have been creating an interesting sound ( pauses, slowed down tribal beats, blasts of feedback, flutes etc also Longstreth sings in a strained falseletto) for quite some time and longstreth's current line up ( as it shifts for each album) give it all their best here. Although it isn't easy to get into at first. Rise Above is a very rewarding and melodic album. Plus it approaches covers the way I like them - destroy them completely.

Various - I'm not there.OST

Yeah didn't uncut release a double album of Bob Dylan covers three years ago and frankly why did Todd Haynes want a double album of covers when ( as i've read) none of these songs are even used in the Dylan biopic I'm not there? On the surface it seems like a vanity project but once you press play you're hooked.Thankfully there's a lot of quality here and each group puts their heart and soul in performing Dylan's songs. It's also worth noting that the tracklisting covers every period of Dylan's life so you'll get tracks from the basement tapes and his 80's albums.it's surpringly consistent with only one stinker and that's Karen O's cover of Highway 61 revisited. Other than that there's a lot to be treasured, The big standouts being Stephen Malkmus covering Maggie's Farm, Mark Lanegan's Version of Man in the Long Black Coat and Anthony and the Johnsons ( the only British musician on the whole roster) retake of Knockin's Heaven's Door. It is a hefty two and half hour listen but stick with it. Time will fly.