Although you wouldn’t wish it on anyone, a breakup sometimes has positive consequences – for an artist it can even be a blessing in disguise, a source of inspiration behind some truly great work.
This holds true for the self-titled eighth album from Dirty Projectors, released last year. On it, multitalented visionary frontman David Longstreth (who has collaborated with David Byrne, Joanna Newsom, Solange, Bombino and others) exorcises his relationship with Amber Coffman, a former member of the group. The thirtysomething multi-instrumentalist uses sophisticated samples and R&B sounds that drift towards hip hop. This spectacular transformation also comes to life onstage, where he is joined by other musicians to bring these new futuristic tracks and his lush repertoire to life