Lamp Lit Prose

Lamp Lit Prose
Studio album by Dirty Projectors
Released	July 13, 2018
Studio	Ivo Shandor (Los Angeles, CA)
Genre	Progressive pop[1]
Length	37:19
Label	Domino
Producer	David Longstreth
Dirty Projectors chronology
Dirty Projectors (2017) Lamp Lit Prose (2018) 5EPs (2020)
Singles from Lamp Lit Prose
"Break-Thru" Released: May 2, 2018[2] "That's a Lifestyle" Released: June 14, 2018 "I Feel Energy" Released: July 12, 2018

Lamp Lit Prose is the eighth studio album by American experimental rock group Dirty Projectors, and was released on Domino Records on July 13, 2018.^[2]

Production

The album was produced by David Longstreth at his Los Angeles studio.^[3]

Release

The band supported the album with a tour, which began in May 2018 with significant personnel changes.^[4]

They released the first single off the album, "Break-Thru", on May 2 along with a music video.^[5][6] In Spin, Andy Cush described the single as sounding "more immediately Dirty Projectors-ish than anything on the self-titled album" released in 2017.^[3]

On June 14, they released a second single, "That's a Lifestyle", with an animated music video by Kitty Faingold.^[7] In Stereogum, Chris DeVille also contrasted this single with the tenor of Dirty Projectors, saying "That's A Lifestyle" echoed earlier albums "Bitte Orca and Swing Lo Magellan, the pop-minded prog exercises that transformed Dirty Projectors from underground oddities to full-fledged indie rock stars. It's a magnificently pretty guitar tapestry that never lets its complexity smother the pop appeal."^[8]

On July 12, the day before the album's release, the band released their third single, "I Feel Energy".^[9]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.3/10[10]
Metacritic	77/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
The A.V. Club	B+[13]
Entertainment Weekly	B[14]
The Guardian	[15]
The Independent	[16]
Mojo	[17]
NME	[18]
Pitchfork	7.4/10[19]
Rolling Stone	[1]
Uncut	8/10[20]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 77, based on 27 reviews.^[11] At Rolling Stone, Will Hermes called the album "a flood of ideas and magnificent vocal arrangements" which he found "by turns dazzling and exhausting."^[1] Jazz Monroe of Pitchfork praised the album's "more hopeful, chipper kind of songwriting."^[19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by David Longstreth, except "(I Wanna) Feel It All" by Longstreth, Nat Baldwin and Mike Johnson

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Right Now" (featuring Syd)	3:39
2.	"Break-Thru"	3:47
3.	"That's a Lifestyle" (featuring Haim)	4:22
4.	"I Feel Energy" (featuring Amber Mark)	4:37
5.	"Zombie Conqueror" (featuring Empress Of)	3:45
6.	"Blue Bird"	3:49
7.	"Found It in U"	3:27
8.	"What Is the Time"	3:14
9.	"You're the One" (featuring Robin Pecknold and Rostam)	2:18
10.	"(I Wanna) Feel It All" (featuring Dear Nora)	4:21
Total length:		37:19

Bonus tracks^[21]

No.	Title	Length
11.	"What Is the Time" (Early Orchestration)	1:23
12.	"You're the One" (Early Orchestration)	2:19
13.	"That's a Lifestyle" (Early Instrumental)	4:14
Total length:		45:15

Personnel

Musicians

• David Longstreth – acoustic guitar (1, 3, 5, 8–10), 12-string guitar (1, 3, 5, 8, 10), electric guitar (1, 3, 5, 8, 10), Juno (1), Rhodes (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10), vocals (all), piano (1, 8, 10), drums (1), drum production (1–4, 6–8, 10), guitars (2, 4, 6, 7), Wurlitzer (2, 4, 6, 8, 10), string arrangement (2, 4, 6, 8, 10), bass (2–8), horn arrangement (4, 6, 8, 10), organ (7)
• Syd – vocals (1)
• Lorely Rodriguez (Empress Of) – additional vocals (1), vocals (5)
• Teresa Eggers – additional vocals (1, 4)
• Mauro Refosco – surdo (1), percussion (1, 3, 4, 6, 8)
• Tyondai Braxton – modular processing (1, 8)
• Todd Simon – trumpet (1, 4, 6, 8, 10), cornet (4, 10), flugelhorn (4, 8, 10), French horn (8, 10), euphonium (10)
• Tracy Wannomae – tenor saxophone (1, 6, 8, 10), baritone saxophone (1, 6, 8, 10), bass clarinet (6), recorder (6, 10), alto saxophone (10)
• Mike Johnson – drums (2–8, 10)
• Benjamin Jacobson – violin (2, 8, 10)
• Andrew Bulbrook – violin (2, 8, 10)
• Jonathan Moerschel – viola (2, 8, 10)
• Eric Byers – cello (2, 8)
• Danielle Haim – vocals (3)
• Alana Haim – vocals (3)
• Este Haim – vocals (3)
• Amber Mark – vocals (4)
• Juliane Graf – trombone (4, 6, 8, 10), bass trombone (4, 6, 8, 10), tuba (8)
• Björk – higurashi recording (4)
• Daniel Luna – güira (8)
• Francisco Javier Paredes – bongos (8)
• Nat Baldwin – bass (9, 10)
• Robin Pecknold – vocals (9)
• Rostam Batmanglij – vocals (9)
• Katy Davidson (Dear Nora) – vocals (10)

Technical

• David Longstreth – mixing (except 2)
• Manny Marroquin – mixing (2)
• Greg Calbi – mastering
• Sonny DiPerri – drum engineering (1, 2, 8), percussion engineering (1, 4, 8), guitar engineering (1)
• David Tolomei – drum engineering (3–7, 10), string engineering (2, 4, 10), horn engineering (1, 4, 6, 8, 10), percussion engineering (6), piano engineering (10)
• Miro Mackie – vocal engineering (1, 3–10), piano engineering (1), guitar engineering (9, 10)
• Ryan Tuttle – guitar, Wurlitzer and Rhodes engineering (2, 8), piano engineering (8)
• Robby Moncrieff – guitar engineering (3–7), Rhodes and Wurlitzer engineering (4, 10), bass and organ engineering (7), additional engineering (10)
• Nikolaj Nielsen – Robin Pecknold's vocal engineering (9)
• Logan Patrick – Rostam Batmanglij's vocal engineering (9)

Artwork

• David Longstreth – art direction
• Joe Cariati – glass sculptures
• Jason Frank Rothenberg – photography
• Kelsey Fugere – prop styling
• Teresa Eggers – prop styling
• Rob Carmichael (Seen) – design

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22]	122
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[23]	153
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[24]	17
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[25]	17

References

1. Hermes, Will (July 13, 2018). "Review: Dirty Projectors' 'Lamp Lit Prose' Is Full of Dizzying, Exhausting Prog-Pop". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
2. Kaye, Ben (May 2, 2018). "Dirty Projectors announce Lamp Lit Prose". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
3. Cush, Andy (2018-05-02). "Dirty Projectors Announce New Album 'Lamp Lit Prose'". Spin. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
4. Rettig, James (2018-04-18). "New Dirty Projectors Release Lamp Lit Prose Revealed By Shazam". Stereogum. Retrieved 2018-06-30.
5. Sodowsky, Sam; Monroe, Jazz (May 2, 2018). "Dirty Projectors Enlist Haim, Robin Pecknold, More for New Album, Share Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
6. Patterson, Adreon (May 2, 2018). "Dirty Projectors Announce New Album Lamp Lit Prose, Release Peppy New Single "Break-Thru"". Paste.
7. Blais-Billie, Braudie (June 14, 2018). "Listen to Dirty Projectors' New Song "That's a Lifestyle"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2018-06-30.
8. DeVille, Chris (2018-06-14). "Dirty Projectors – "That's A Lifestyle" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved 2018-06-30.
9. Daramola, Israel (July 12, 2018). "Dirty Projectors – "I Feel Energy (feat. Amber Mark)"". Spin. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
10. "Lamp Lit Prose by Dirty Projectors reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
11. "Lamp Lit Prose by Dirty Projectors Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
12. Deming, Mark. "Lamp Lit Prose – Dirty Projectors". AllMusic. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
13. Adams, Erik (July 13, 2018). "Dirty Projectors, Lamp Lit Prose". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
14. Feldberg, Isaac (July 11, 2018). "Dirty Projectors rediscover romance on Lamp Lit Prose". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
15. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (July 12, 2018). "Dirty Projectors: Lamp Lit Prose review – lovedrunk swoons from hip-pop heroes". The Guardian. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
16. Shepherd, Jack (July 12, 2018). "Dirty Projectors – Lamp Lit Prose, album review: a unique indie record". The Independent. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
17. Doyle, Tom (August 2018). "Dirty Projectors: Lamp Lit Prose". Mojo (297): 91.
18. Smith, Thomas (July 13, 2018). "Dirty Projectors – 'Lamp Lit Prose' review". NME. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
19. Monroe, Jazz (July 16, 2018). "Dirty Projectors: Lamp Lit Prose". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
20. Troussé, Stephen (July 26, 2018). "Dirty Projectors – Lamp Lit Prose". Uncut. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
21. "Lamp Lit Prose". Hostess Entertainment Unlimited (in Japanese). Retrieved September 21, 2020.
22. "Ultratop.be – Dirty Projectors – Lamp Lit Prose" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
23. "Dirty Projectors". Oricon. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
24. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
25. "Dirty Projectors Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2019.