Earth Crisis EP - Dirty Projectors: Review
are the indie project primarily fronted by David Longstreth who have released three other EP's so far this year. Each EP so far has featured a different primary vocalist and this time around it's keyboardist Kristin Slipp.
Review By Lavender:
Not only do I love almost all the eras of Dirty Projectors history so far, but I also really enjoyed the first two EP's in this set earlier this year. While the third EP with David Longstreth on vocals disappointed me a bit I was obviously still excited for whatever the band was going to do next. Earth Crisis is by far the most experimental set of tracks in this EP series so far, with mixed results.
The opening track Eyes On The Road is a really strange combination of a short looped instrumental which almost gets kind of haunting and some singing that is quite beautiful even during pitched down passages. The combination is genuinely unsettling and while I feel that's probably what the band was going for it is still out of character for them and a surprise to start off the EP. There I Said It clocks in at under a minute and a half and doesn't really do much for me during that time. Everything in the track is sped up including the short bursts of instrumentation and the sung refrains. I just don't think it sounds good in this format and I would much rather have just listened to it at normal speed.
Bird's Eye is certainly a sonically interesting track but the annoying pulsating synths tend to really wear me down as it goes on. I understand that they bring an atmosphere to the track that is certainly very tangible but they are way louder than anything else in the track including the vocals. Speaking of the vocals they come in very short refrains that do a terrible job at showing Slipp's vocal talent ott and I'm just not sure about this track at all. Now I Know is by far my favorite song here as it rolls along with a naturalistic piece of indie instrumentation that occassinally slips into flat out shrill sounds. Once it settles into a more subtle passage that fits with the bands history well. The swelling instrumental is gorgeous especially with the vocals soaring over it and the song is certainly the EP's most rewarding moment.
Earth Crisis isn't the best of Dirty Projector's EP's so far but it also isn't the worst. It features a few tracks that show off some bold and experimental ideas but ultimately it's best tracks come when the band is sticking the closes to their guns. Kristin Slipp doesn't get quite the same opportunities to shine that some other vocalists have but she makes the best of her moments and the best songs here features great contributions from her. I have no idea what to expect from the bands 5th EP this year but I am certainly excited for it. 5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
This is my favorite in the series of imagery by the Dirty Projectors. It's very clear these EP's are connected and the aesthetic is super solid. The frame in th frame the image inside the artwork and the subject off to the side are all strong. The image in the artwork is my favorite so far and I live the little details in the ceiling. Overall I'm excited for the next one! 7/10
For more indie check out my review of Sufjan Stevens The Ascension here
