Still, I knew that lots of smart people loved Rise Above and that Bitte Orca was getting the kinds of reviews that English professors could use as journalistic examples of hyperbole.

In other words, there will be no nose-in-the-air Graceful Fallen Mango drops here - I needed wikipedia just to make that comment! I came a little late to The Dirty Projector party - I'm barely conversant about Rise Above, the band's previous release before Bitte Orca, and not at all knowledgeable of anything before that. Even the most jaded, critically belligerent writers are absolutely shitting themselves over it. In my humble, amateur music critic opinion, I feel that the release and subsequent critical fawning over The Dirty Projectors new album, Bitte Orca, is just such an event. Sometimes, though, there are events that are high-profile enough that commentary seems merited, even if it isn't always upbeat or celebratory. Most of the time, I like to write about the cool stuff I like - and think you readers might like, too - and ignore the dross. Before you read the rest of this review, please allow me to preface with the following statement: I don't ever set out to slag anyone.