Bitte Orca (Deluxe)
The Dirty Projectors
Bitte Orca (Deluxe Edition)
Topping the listenability of The Dirty Projectors' 2009 breakthrough album, Bitte Orca, on a future release is very possible for the band; making an album as winningly original and unexpected as Bitte is, I'd bet, all but impossible (though probably what everyone wants). The record, which I enjoy and understand a little more every time I pick it up, will maybe go down as the artistic musical achievement of 2009. If I could better explain the strange art included on the disc, I would. I can't, but to say that the things that work here are unpredictable - the harmony arrangements, the disjointed playing, the lyrical content, the oddball melodies, etc. All I know is that when I saw the two-disc reissue of the record (only about 14 months after the initial release, mind you), I damn near floated to the register, thrilled at the thought of what sorts of strange magic, indescribable could be on that second disc.
For starters, the packaging of the reissue is nothing exciting; if anything, it's a downgrade from the original. The first disc, the original record, stays untouched - a smart move. Leave that puppy alone. The draw of the reissue, clearly, is the second disc, an 11-song rounding-up of all the band's era-specific leftovers. What you get is simple and well organize: five live versions of songs from the original Bitte tracklist, all recorded at Other Music; a remix of Bitte single "Stillness Is the Move"; and, in my opinion, the highlight, five b-sides left over from the original sessions. As stated above, I don't believe the Dirties will ever sound this meaningfully strange and unique again, so getting five more songs from the band's most creative period - even if they're the scraps - is a thrill.
So then, you ask, how are the five b-sides? Is DP frontman David Longstreth, who many have called a genius, really everything critics make him out to be? Are these songs worth the trouble Domino Records went through to re-release an album that is not only still in print, but still getting written about regularly? We'll get to that later; first, let's talk about the other six tracks on disc two. The Lucky Dragons remix of "Stillness" isn't so great. That song, which took, oh, nine or so months to really click with me, is perfect as is. It's so incredibly strange and unique that, to me, putting out an alternate studio version is only serving to the artist who did the remix. The live tracks, on the other hand, are quite worthwhile, showing how the quartet translate their incredibly detailed studio cuts into a performance sound. The live takes of "Temecula Sunrise" and "Cannibal Resource," especially, are interesting.
Now, onto the goods. Yes, these are, for the most part, proper b-sides. That is, they're B-grade songs while eight of the nine official Bitte cuts are A-grade. But, damn, B-grade Dirty Projectors is nothing to wince at. "Ascending Melody," every bit as strange and unlikely as "Stillness," is the biggest winner. It's a wonder that the maddeningly offbeat - and quite minimalist - track didn't make the Bitte cut. The song builds around the vocals, shifting and shaping in unexpected ways, almost no regard for time signatures or rhythm. "Emblem Of the World" is a grower, feeling at first as if it may have been left only half finished. "Wave the Bloody Shirt," and overly produced instrumental, is a skipper. A bummer. Let's move on to the next track, the far superior "Bitte Bitte Orca," also an instrumental. This song sounds quite a bit like Jonny Greenwood's score work for the film Bodysong - never a bad thing. Next up is "As I Went Out One Morning," maybe the most accessible - and certainly one of the best - songs from the Bitte sessions. Here the Dirties mix their own experimental style with indie pop conventions, the result being one of the hidden treasures of 2010.
The three champion cuts here, along with the mildly interesting live tracks, make the expanded edition of the record a must buy for hardcore fans. And, for the sake of all that's good in modern indie music, if you never bought Bitte Orca to begin with, get out and take advantage of this added-value release. Just keep hitting the play button until it all makes sense - you'll thank yourself later. Â 9.5/10