Django Django
Edinburgh, Scotland
(Ribbon Music)
“Masterful, celestial Brit-pop with catchy, hook-filled tribal underpinnings”
Django Django has unquestionably delivered a 2012 masterpiece. The self-titled album beckons from the laurels earned from the Guardian (4.5 out of 5) Pitchfork (7.2 out of 10) and NME (8 out of 10). The Edinburgh-by-way-of-London quartet offers an inspired, sophisticated (but not elitist) and thoughtfully produced debut of psychedelic, yet highly approachable gems.
Storming the gate with the flourishing “Hail Bop,” the song is tensioned by a synthesized, science fiction intro giving way to a throbbing, rakishly harmonized verse. The result is a bit tongue-in-cheek, yet achieves high, both poetically and sonically, on nailing the futuristic target; plus, it rocks with classic guts.
“Hail Bop” flows seamlessly into the first single, “Default,” which carries on the chugging stride. “Default,” like all songs, is rhythm-heavy and boasts Brit-pop coupled vocals ( as on other standouts: “Firewater” and “Waveforms”) electric guitar chugs, flying-saucer effects and hammering percussion.
Several critics acknowledge African rhythmic influences (“Lovers Dart”), which steer the album into the avant-garde, but truly triumphs from serving the influence with incomparable listenability. Even when artists like Animal Collective infuse foreign beats, the result is often unapproachable for the common listener. Django Django boldly turns the strange, tribal persuasions into digestible anthems.