After taking a brief hiatus from declaring a record of the week, we are back with a good one. There are some pretty high profile releases out this week with the new Sonic Youth, Deerhunter’s new EP, and Coalesce coming back to life with their new full length but one stood head and shoulders above all of them. Dave Longstreth has been plugging along under the moniker Dirty Projectors and with his new full length Bitte Orca he really has delivered what looks to be his defining album.

Bitte Orca is a winding album of strange twists and turns, off-kilter rhythms and melodies standing on Longstreth’s warbling voice. Whereas most artists who work in the realm of playing such music might sound forced or use the strangeness of it all as a crutch, Longstreth truly doesn’t know any other way to make music. This guy is a legitimate weirdo yet he continually churns out these perfect pop gems, one after another on Bitte Orca.

Longstreth has finally seemed to solidify a lineup behind him and let’s hope it sticks. Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian’s(who also put out a pretty good solo EP a couple weeks ago) voices match up with Longstreth’s bizarre delivery incredibly well and each get a track in which they take the spotlight(Coffman on the single “Stillness in the Move” and Deradoorian on “Two Doves).

Dirty Projectors got quite a bit of attention when they appeared on the Dark Was the Night compilation with David Byrne in tow. They’ll no longer have to worry about guest appearances of such caliber soon as Bitte Orca is sure to have them getting plenty of press for years to come. Recommended if you like Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Talking Heads, or pop music that hangs on the fringe of insanity.

Honorable mentions for June 9th Record of the Week:

• Deerhunter – Rainwater Cassette Exchange (Kranky)
• Gregg Kowalsky – Tape Chants (Kranky)
• Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador)
• Quest For Fire – Quest For Fire (Tee Pee)