PHOTOS BY ZAC WOLF

The temperature in Boston was definitely below freezing last night (Dec. 5), but noise-rock oddities Dirty Projectors blasted their hot, raucous tunes to a packed audience at the Middle East club. Deer Tick warmed things up at the start with a goosebump-inducing rendition of the Beatles' "I'm So Tired." From there, the New England-based collective offered a soothing retro vibe courtesy of singer John McCauley's, dusty, Dylan-like vocals, and War Elephant cut "Standing at the Threshold" was especially toasty with its aching riffs and sweeping percussion.

As the tight crowd of hoodie-sporting scenesters and unassuming bookish types whooped excitedly between songs, Dirty Projectors highlighted an infectious selection of songs from their latest LP, Rise Above. On tunes such as the cacophonous "No More" and the funky, more eardrum-friendly "Gimme Gimme Gimme," vocalist Dave Longstreth's melody-defiant vocals cracked and screeched across the scale, while the girlish pop sheen of guitarist Amber Coffman and bassist Angel Deradoorian pushed the harmonious title track to the limit. On such a winter's night, the Dirty Projectors' maniacal blend of layered riffs, pounding drums, and calculated, disheveled vocals were strangely pleasant -- definitely an aurally mystifying set.

We asked: Dirty Projectors' latest release Rise Above has been described as a "reimagining" of Black Flag's 1981 album, Damaged. If you could "reimagine" an album, what would it be and why?

Name: Andy Arch
Age: 29
Hometown: Cape Cod, MA
Occupation: Musician
"The Band's Music From Big Pink, because it has a specific place in musical history and it could be done in a different way."

Name: Crystal Kelley and Paul Calvert
Age: 25, 29
Hometown: Medford, MA, Redlands, CA
Occupation: No answer
"The Bends and Rumors. Radiohead should re-record Rumors and Fleetwood Mac should re-record The Bends."

Name: Alyson Dane
Age: 26
Hometown: Maine
Occupation: Student
"Tom Waits' Closing Time, I think. I just love it and would do it from a gravelly-throated female perspective."

Name: David Bellona
Age: 28
Hometown: Waterford, CT
Occupation: Art director
"Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. It was all done in one take and I'd love to go back and do it with a Phil Spector kind of sound."

Name: Shane Kerr
Age: 18
Hometown: New Hampshire
Occupation: Student at the University of Vermont
"Radio-Activity by Kraftwerk. It was about the modern age and it could be done better now as opposed to then."

Name: Mike Scarloa
Age: 27
Hometown: Malverne, NY
Occupation: Civil engineer
"Spinal Tap's This Is Spinal Tap. I'd make it more acoustic."

Guitarist Amber Coffman / Photo by Zac Wolf

Frontman Dave Longstreth / Photo by Zac Wolf

Drummer Brian McOmber / Photo by Zac Wolf

Bassist Angel Deradoorian / Photo by Zac Wolf

Coffman brings the pop to the Middle East / Photo by Zac Wolf

Deer Tick's John McCauley / Photo by Zac Wolf