Dirty Projectors/Cross Record

There’s always been something heady-but-not-quite-heady surrounding the music of Dirty Projectors. The band’s first album, Bitte Orca, was a mostly splendid affair. If listeners pardoned the screechy wails that sometimes subbed in for vocals, they were treated with a pretty robust album. I mean, the climax of “Useful Chamber” is just one of those things that filters fond memories of yesteryear with absolute vigor. But, then again, last year’s Swing Lo Magellan did little more than tread similar territory. It was a more laid-back outing, embroidered with playfully slinky guitar melodies and rickety drumming that only worked some of the time. About To Die, the band’s EP also released last year, is probably a better example of Dirty Projectors’ ability to mix an at-times overwhelming amount of ingredients and still come out with a delicious cornucopia. (Eric Sandy)