Ring Road EP - Dirty Projectors: Review
are a New York based indie rock group who have managed to achieve their goal of releasing 5 EP's this year with the release of Ring Road. While the first four EP's each featured one prominent lead vocalist this EP feature vocals from typical frontman David Longstreth as well as numerous renditions of group vocals to support.
Review By Lavender:
For the 5th time this year I've sat down to review a Dirty Projectors EP and so far it has gone one of two ways. I really enjoyed the first two EP's of the year which impressed with catchy songwriting and gorgeous instrumentals. Unfortunately the other two were more defined by ill thought out experiments and strangely mixed tracks. Thankfully Ring Road is a fantastic return to form to close off the series and makes a difficult choice even harder for picking which set of track is my favorite come the end of the year.
Por Que No is a great, kooky and off kilter indie pop song that sounds straight off the last full length DP record. It has a sweet jittery instrumental and charming lyrics that make for a wonderful intro. Searching Spirit was the EP's single and it's an even further throwback to the old indie folk days of the band with a simple acoustic sound palette and some up close and personal vocals from David. The song is catchy and sounds great with the group vocals that end it off are just the icing on the cake.
No Studying opens up with electric guitar riffing and muted lead vocals from David that are a curious pairing at least in the way they're mixed. The song bounces between Bibio like folk passages and explosive group vocal refrains. It does feature some bold artistic decisions although they pay off with various success. Finally My Possession features some clicking percussion and deep rumbling key phrases. Contrasting this with sugary vocal harmonies that work pretty well alongside the instrumental and makes for a fun sounding track that reminds me of the 2nd EP in this series Flight Tower. It's a great choice for the longest song here because it actually does some significant developing during its runtime and ends the EP off on a major high note.
Ring Road is a short but wonderful set of tracks to finish off what's been a great year for David Longstreth and Dirty Projectors. While all the songs from these 5 EP's combine for a rewarding if slightly inconsistent set, Ring Road is mostly hits. Longstreth and company can take a well deserved bow and go out on a high note with this EP. 7.5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
Just like the rest of this series of cover I really love them and think they look awesome when put together. This is one of the less successful of the group and I don't enjoy the subject as much as some of the others. This one does feel like a closing piece to the collection. The frame in frame works effectively and the line of action from subjects works well. The colors don't work for me and aren't as striking as I feel like they could but but it's passable. Not my favorite from the collection but it gets the point across. 6/10
For more indie check out my review of The Mountain Goat's Getting Into Knives here
