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Listen to Dirty Projectors’ Shambly Spirit Quest ‘There’s a Fire’

Dirty Projectors 'There's a Fire' B-Side Stream Swing Lo Magellan

As SPIN scribe Dan Weiss explained in his review of Dirty Projectors’ Swing Lo Magellan, a huge part of what makes that excellent LP one of our 50 Best Albums of 2012 is “mastermind Dave Longstreth’s desire to make a mess and tidy it up at the same time.” That same winning dynamic applies to the just-released B-side, spotted by Stereogum, dubbed “There’s a Fire.”

The song seems shambly at first: a mixed bag of percussion and African-inspired guitar plucking. But as Longstreth’s gently note-bending voice arrives, all comes into focus. The music itself plays light and loose as a lovely contrast to lyrics about the human search for greater meaning: “If you’ve been looking for reasons / Deep in the creases of folded-up clues,” the lead Projector sings, “I’m telling you right now, there’s a fire.”

The track initially appeared as the B-side to an “Offspring Are Blank” white label 7-inch pressed for the group’s January Carnegie Hall gig. Only 250 were made, but a few remain over at the Domino Records web store.