MUSIC REVIEW: BJORK + DIRTY PROJECTORS - 'MOUNT WITTENBERG ORCA'

A Stunning Collaboration of Energy & Musical Commitment

By: Jesse Livingston

October 27, 2011

(Domino Recording Co.) Mount Wittenberg Orca is a collaboration between Björk and the Dirty Projectors, and it's really stunning. “Stunning” is an overused word, but in this case, it's appropriate; this album is probably the most musically adventurous collection of songs you'll hear all year.

In 2009, members of Dirty Projectors got together with Björk to perform an original composition by Dave Longstreth -- the driving force behind the Projectors -- at the Housing Works Bookstore & Café in downtown New York City. The composition was written for five voices and acoustic guitar, and was performed as part of a charity concert to benefit Housing Works -- a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing shelter for homeless men, women, and children suffering from AIDS. The two artists subsequently recorded Mount Wittenberg Orca to document their collaboration. The album was quietly released digitally last year, and has just now been released on CD and vinyl this week.

What's stunning about these songs is the incredible sense of energy and commitment they embody. It's as though the musicians went into the studio together and said yes to every idea that any of them proposed. There isn't a single moment where you can feel them holding back. It's all immediate and raw, as though recorded in the very instant of creation.

This is an amazing feat, considering that these are complex compositions that must have taken a fair amount of planning. In scenario one, the songs were all pre-written and pre-rehearsed, and the musicians somehow made it sound like they were completely fresh and new; in that case, these guys really threw themselves wholeheartedly into performing these extremely well-written songs. In scenario two, the songs were improvised in the studio and built up track-by-track; in that case, these guys just have an unbelievable natural sympathy and collaborative skill. In scenario three, they took songs from the 2009 performance and modified them as they were recording, adding and subtracting parts at whim; in that case, you have to admire their willingness to experiment with material that was already tuned and polished. Any way you cut it, the result sounds like nothing you've heard before.

What really strikes you as you listen is the interplay of technique and passion. Björk's vocal harmonies are precise, and yet, in many instances, she's shouting them with an abandon that would seem to preclude hitting exact notes. Maybe this is just a skill she's developed from years of training, practice, and experimentation. The songs are rough around the edges in a way that's genuinely exciting. You're never quite sure what you'll hear next, but you know it won't be something you expected. The instrumental production is fairly lo-fi, giving the whole thing a rushed quality; however, the melodies are so complicated and original that the juxtaposition creates a thrilling friction. It's like someone has executed an extremely detailed painting on a chunk of coarse stone.

“Ocean” is all soaring wordless tones and reminds one of throat singing. Björk seems to be finding the harmonies as she goes, and you could almost imagine she's discovering new ones never before heard by human ears. “Beautiful Mother” features much more traditionally pretty vocals that are strikingly intricate. The other singers somehow keep up with Björk -- a seemingly impossible task. Their voices seem perfectly matched in this kind of experimental space.

Sometimes the notes waver, and sometimes the parts don't quite match up. Instead of being a problem, this adds to the immediacy of the experience, as though you're being allowed to hear a demo that hasn't yet been mixed. This is just an illusion, however; the more you listen, the more you hear the distinct aesthetic choices the musicians have made, and it becomes clear that this is nothing if not a finished product. This is how they want it to sound, and a good thing too, because it sounds fantastic.

The inspiration for the title of Mount Wittenberg Orca apparently came when Amber Coffman of Dirty Projectors saw a pod of whales off the coast while hiking at Mount Wittenberg in the Point Reyes National Seashore in California. The musicians have donated all proceeds from the digital sales of the album to the National Geographic Society, which will use the money to create international marine protected areas. Björk's recent album, Biophilia, was also dedicated to fostering ecological awareness. If an interest in environmental issues can inspire music like this, more musicians should start reading up.

Standout Tracks: “Ocean,” “Beautiful Mother,” “All We Are,” “When the World Comes to an End”

For Fans Of: Feist, Peter Gabriel, Animal Collective, Tuneyards