David Longstreth, of Dirty Projectors fame, found inspiration for his album "Song of the Earth" during the devastating wildfires in California. In 2020, with his pregnant wife, he escaped to Alaska, where the contrasting lushness of nature sparked profound reflections on environmental themes. Their surreal experience of escaping smoke-filled Los Angeles for the clarity of Alaska evoked thoughts about nature's aggression and resilience. Longstreth's journey emphasizes the beauty, peril, and interconnectedness of life, encapsulating the stark realities of climate change through music and personal narrative.
When they got to Juneau, the landscape was cool and lush, and the air was clear. 'The idea of the forests as the Earth's lungs, it felt literal,' Longstreth recalled.
Longstreth is a musician, composer, and producer, best known for his work under the band name Dirty Projectors. The group, which he started as a college student, was a paragon of the Obama-era indie-rock ecosystem.
The irony of burning more carbon to escape the consequences of burning too much carbon wasn't lost on them.
'The assertiveness of nature felt different,' he said. 'The number of birds in the sky, in the trees-just teeming life everywhere.'
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