The last time Dirty Projectors were here, we were warmed by a previous visitor that we should be ready for difficulties and differences of opinion. Yeah, someone actually said those things and we thought, “Whatever.” Lo and behold, the “whatever” came true. They were completely ace and we had a tremendous time. We were working with a tight schedule that day, having finished a Grizzly Bear session as they arrived and the Projectors needing to get to a gig as well. What happened that day were some memorable recordings that without a doubt are what we hope all the recordings we lay to tape will be. The willingness of Dave Longstreth and his impeccable band of Brooklynites for experimenting and never crossing the same path makes everything they do a breathtaking thrill ride. They are incapable of flubbing. It’s just that simple. When they returned, this past Labor Day, the District of Rock Island where we call home, was overtaken by blurry go-karts, hay bale barriers, the pungent smell of wasted fuel, loud-motored commotion and a fuzzy-boxed announcer giving updates to the various divisions of endless races. There was a line of antique cars with their hoods propped open and their proud owners gladly telling passersby about the make and model and the rarity of their possession out in front of our building. One of those old men, as the Projectors were unloading a few of their instruments, brashly informed them that they couldn’t park there and said he was calling the cops. Longstreth drove around for a while, found a spot and came upstairs to the live room. It was a melting hot day for early September so they brought the remaining copies of their vinyl inside so as not to warp in the cooker of the van. Like their now believed modus operandi, Longstreth and the Projectors declined to make it easy on themselves, taking a different tact with all four songs that they recorded from the year’s most bizarrely fascinating album, the re-imagining of Black Flag’s Damaged. It’s a mind-altering record and they chose to scale it back some here, while adding more nuances to the already fictionalized re-inventions to these great songs about that real fucking angst that only Black Flag knew in such a way. You’ve already stopped yourself and said, “Wait, he said four songs.” Yeah, I did. The fourth – a version of “Police Story” – was recorded here for inclusion on a 7-inch release for The Fader. Expect to see that sometime in the future. It’s just as dope – coming from this same litter. – Sean Moeller

First song
Gimme Gimme Gimme (Dirty Projectors) [4.53MB] [3278 downloads]


– original version appears on Rise Above
I think Amber was trying to figure out “Come On Eileen” or “My Sharona” on the piano or something while we were waiting for Pat to set up mics. The alternating octave thing sounded like her guitar part for “Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie,” so we just did that one first. Brian was trying to play as quiet as he possibly could and the drums still sound massive. I think it sounds cool. I love the severe tremolo that came off the weird musty old amp that I was using for the guitar. It adds another rhythm. These songs where I tried to remember Black Flag songs are cursed: singing them every night for months on end, it’s hard not to become the person in them. You have to fight the songs in order not to become them. We had to turn this one into a love song.

Second song
Spray Paint the Walls (Dirty Projectors) [3.98MB] [3228 downloads]


– original version appears on Rise Above
After we recorded “Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie,” Brian went outside and started vomiting (he hates playing quiet!), but we had a college show about two hours from Rock Island that night and not much time to get there, so we had to keep on recording. So we just did it without him. It
was fine with me because I love playing this song with just one guitar and singing — you know, the harmonies get to come out a little more. Angel and Amber’s voices are so pretty, don’t you think?

Third song
Depression (Dirty Projectors) [3.02MB] [2950 downloads]


– original version appears on Rise Above
This is the one just where I learned just how much I need Brian. I can barely play the song without him, but he was still outside vomiting. Amber went out to help him (he still had long hair at that point), and she came in about halfway through the song, but Pat didn’t know she sang kinda far away from the mic on this one, so there she is, maybe not quite loud enough in the left channel.