The current lineup of Dirty Projectors is Dave Longstreth (vocals, guitar, other instruments), Nat Baldwin (bass), Mike Johnson (drums), Maia Friedman (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Felicia Douglass (percussion, keyboards, vocals), and Kristin Slipp (keyboards, vocals).
Based in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn with connections to the Portland, OR music scene, the group has produced a distinctive sound of electronic experimentation, melded with traditional instruments and harmonically complex vocals. Their recordings range from Prince-style one-man-recording-studio productions (The Glad Fact), to arranged orchestrations (the "Slaves' Graves" half of Slaves' Graves & Ballads), to basic voice over nylon-string guitar (the "Ballads" half of the aforementioned) to an amalgamation of all these tactics (the 'glitch opera' of The Getty Address and the mixed nature of New Attitude EP). Throughout, Longstreth's aggressively melodic vocals provide a consistent identity for otherwise widely divergent approaches to pop music. Longstreth claims influences ranging from Don Henley to Mariah Carey. The former's influence is most easily seen in The Getty Address album, which is a conceptual opera written from the point of view of Henley as a Spanish Conquistador, though the latter's vocal gymnastics clearly provide a clue to Longstreth's approach. Rise Above is an attempt to re-imagine the lyrics of Black Flag's DamagedDamaged album from memory over complex music that sees influence from the contemporary African blues and funk of such artists as Ali Farka Toure and Konono No. 1.
Members of Dirty Projectors collaborated with Björk to perform an original composition by Longstreth, written for five voices and acoustic guitar, as part of a charity concert to benefit Housing Works, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing shelter for homeless men, women, and children suffering from AIDS.
Two Doves
Dirty Projectors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Skin like silk and face like glass
Don't confront me with my failures
Kiss me with your mouth open
For your love, better than wine
For your cologne is really fragrant
Call on me, call on me, call on me
Your two eyes are like two doves
But our bed is like a failure
All day up in the family
At the waning of the light
To the chamber that conceived me
Call on me, call on me, call on me
Geranium killer
Throat of soil of and mind like stone
Please don't defend a silver lining
Around the halo of what is already shining
When all the planets are aligning
For an afternoon that's never ending
Call on me, call on me, call on me
The song “Two Doves” by Dirty Projectors is a melodious representation of the ups and downs of a romantic relationship. The song is beautifully written and conveys a strong message of love and hope. The first stanza of the song introduces us to the singer and his lover. The singer finds his lover's skin soft as silk and her face as clear as glass. He is lost in her love and doesn't want to be reminded of his failures. Instead, he wants her to kiss him with her mouth open. He praises her love and cologne, and he wants her to call on him.
The second stanza describes the physical traits of the lover. The singer compares his lover's hair to an eagle and her eyes to two doves. However, their relationship is like a failure because they spend most of the day fighting. As the night sets in, they retire to their chamber. The singer begs her to call on him, hoping that things will change, and their relationship will flourish again.
In the third stanza, the singer describes his lover as a "geranium killer" meaning that she is capable of taking care of things. Her throat is like soil, and her mind is like stone. He pleads with her not to defend a silver lining because it is unnecessary since what they already have is shining brightly. He envisions an afternoon that never ends and asks her to call on him.
Line by Line Meaning
Geranium kisser
Your lips are as sweet and enchanting as the scent of a geranium flower.
Skin like silk and face like glass
Your skin is soft and smooth as silk, and your face is flawless and perfectly clear like glass.
Don't confront me with my failures
Please don't remind me of my past mistakes and shortcomings.
Kiss me with your mouth open
When we kiss, I want your lips to be parted and your breath to mingle with mine.
For your love, better than wine
Your love is intoxicating, more precious than any fine wine.
For your cologne is really fragrant
Your scent is captivating, evocative of a delightful, alluring fragrance.
Call on me, call on me, call on me
Please reach out to me, I am always here for you.
Your hair is like an eagle
Your hair is as majestic and soaring as an eagle's feathers.
Your two eyes are like two doves
Your eyes are as gentle and pure as two doves.
But our bed is like a failure
Despite our love, our physical relationship is faltering and unfulfilling.
All day up in the family
We spend our days together surrounded by our loved ones.
At the waning of the light
As the day comes to an end, we retire to our bed in the dimming light.
To the chamber that conceived me
We retire to the bedroom where we conceived our love.
Geranium killer
Your kiss is so intense that it overwhelms my senses, like a poison from a geranium.
Throat of soil of and mind like stone
Your voice is deep and earthy, and your mind is unyielding as stone.
Please don't defend a silver lining
Don't try to find something positive in a situation that is already difficult or negative.
Around the halo of what is already shining
Adding anything extra to something that is already perfect and radiant is unnecessary.
When all the planets are aligning
When everything is falling into place perfectly.
For an afternoon that's never ending
For a moment that is so enjoyable, it seems like time has stopped.
Call on me, call on me, call on me
I am always here for you, whenever you need me.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: DAVID DONNELL LONGSTRETH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind