Django Django

Feb

posted by tommy

This one’s been in the dome for a few weeks now as it’s been a long process establishing whether or not I really do dig what I’m hearing. The album is a work release which means I’ve heard it time after time during business hours and I’ve had a level of exposure that plenty of sterling artists will never benefit from. So, I’ve had to see if it’s been a case of “We’re releasing an artist that isn’t Jason Derulo” or “This is a genuinely strong record” and thankfully it’s the latter (but thankfully it’s also the former)

The London based quartet have spent four years on this record, something I’d normally call out as bio hype, but they released a double A-Side single of ‘Storm’/'Love’s Dart’ (both on the new record) back in ’09 which proves a minimum of three years, and I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on the fourth. I have a healthy regard for artists that don’t easily discard their earlier recordings in favour of their newest body of work. That doesn’t mean I don’t like Sufjan’s ‘I-only-play-my-current-album’ attitude or Valar’s ‘Everything-we-have-written-before-this-current-EP-is-awful’ thing, but it takes cojones to retain accountability for your early art. Truly Django Django sound unlike any other current, emerging artist. The soundscape they create must surely be the amalgamation of multiple places, things and artists, the most readily identifiable of these being the Beach Boys and I don’t know if I’m going talking nonsense here, but the Western as a film genre. Tribal drums and repeated chants may sound old hat but you’ll have to trust me when I say it’s been worked into something noteworthy. There are moments where the beat will appeal to your dance sensibilities and other times where sound lends itself more to border-expanding psychedelia.

Django Django – ‘Default’

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Even if you don’t buy into artists’ wordsy descriptions of their own music, this one is pretty rad: ” “rollicking sing-alongs, galloping into disco sunsets like whisky-addled and leather-saddled bandits on the stolen backs of prairie wild mustangs.” Stream their first single ‘Default’ and keep your ear out for the self-titled record releasing 23rd of March.