Django Django | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Although this psychedelic art pop quartet formed in Dalston, London at the end of 2008, the bandmembers had met earlier in the decade at the Edinburgh College of Art. Vocalist and guitarist Vinny Neff and drummer Dave Maclean played their first impromptu East London live dates with Duncan Marquiss of Glasgows the Phantom Band on bass. Jimmy Dixon soon stepped in to replace him, however, and graphic designer Tommy Grace joined on keyboards to complete their core lineup. By the time of the release of the July 2009 debut 7" "Storm," critics had already latched onto their vocal and experimental similarity to cult folktronica pioneers the Beta Band. In fact, drummer Maclean was the younger brother of Beta Band and Aliens keyboard player John Maclean -- a link that both raised their profile and justified the comparisons. Django Django similarly betrayed a knowledge and love of electronic music and Joe Meeks production techniques, alongside an ability to throw together seemingly disparate styles. Filled with sirens, bells, and surf guitar, their second single -- April 2010s "Wor" -- sounded like the Ventures jamming with Hot Chip. While friend and Glaswegian video artist Cara Tolmie provided vocals and cello on the equally playful flip, "Skies Over Cairo," Grace designed the minimalist artwork that housed this inventive material. The groups self-titled debut arrived in 2012 and was a Mercury Prize nominee. In early 2014, Django Django were tagged to curate a compilation album for the popular British series Late Night Tales, for which they also recorded a cover version of the Monkees "Porpoise Song." A year later, in May 2015, they delivered their sophomore LP, Born Under Saturn. The band returned in 2018 with their third record. Marble Skies was produced by Maclean and featured guest appearances from Metronomys Ann Prior and Slow Clubs Rebecca Taylor. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 6 Title: Hi Djinx! Django Django Remixed Released: 2012 Tracks: 12 Duration: 54:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Hail Bop [Djangos Bail Hop edit] (05:11) 2 Default [Tom Furse remix] (03:24) 3 Firewater [Nick McCarthy Drunk remix] (03:35) 4 Waveforms [Mickey Moonlight remix] (04:36) 5 Zumm Zumm [DJ Mujava Pitori remix] (04:43) 6 Hand of Man [Gulp version] (03:12) 7 Loves Dart [Rude Pravo version] (03:44) 8 Wor [Adrian Sherwoods Hey Gringo remix] (05:38) 9 Storm [Andy Wakes Lunar Storm version] (05:46) 10 Lifes a Beach [Steve Masons Priests of Sound remix] (06:02) 11 Skies Over Cairo [Bullion version] (03:37) 12 Silver Rays [Chris Carter remix] (04:32) |
 | Album: 2 of 6 Title: Django Django Released: 2012-01-30 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:07:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Introduction (02:12) 2 Hail Bop (04:03) 3 Default (03:05) 4 Firewater (04:49) 5 Waveforms (04:26) 6 Zumm Zumm (05:19) 7 Hand of Man (02:36) 8 Loves Dart (03:49) 9 Wor (04:31) 10 Storm (03:14) 11 Lifes a Beach (03:05) 12 Skies Over Cairo (03:32) 13 Silver Rays (03:50) 14 Drumforms (06:23) 15 Bail Hop (05:10) 16 Skies Over Cairo (Adrian Sherwood On U Sound dub) (03:33) 17 Default (Tom Furse remix) (03:26) |
| Django Django : Allmusic album Review : Three years after their double A-side single "Storm"/"Loves Dart" prompted claims that they were the saviors of the guitar band scene, London-based Edinburgh four-piece Django Django finally commit their quirky brand of intelligent art rock to a full-length album. While the group risked missing the boat with such a lengthy wait, the recent success of fellow avant-garde purveyors Everything Everything and Metronomy suggests their refusal to rush has worked in their favor. Indeed, with indie audiences now eschewing the usual ramshackle "meat and two veg" outfits in favor of something a little more stimulating, its timing couldnt have been better. Theyll certainly find plenty of intrigue here, as frontman Vincent Neffs sun-soaked harmonies weave their way around an array of jerky rhythms, spacy electronic bleeps, and acoustic folk-pop riffs on 13 tracks that sound like Franz Ferdinand, the Beach Boys, and the Beta Band (whose keyboardist John is drummer Davids brother) have collided in one almighty experimental jam session. Initially, its a thrilling listen, with the jangly surf-pop of "Hail Bop," the video-game funk of "Zumm Zumm," and the glitchy jazz-blues of "Firewater," the latter the only time they venture anywhere near the same territory as the legendary guitarist who inspired their moniker, all proving the bands hyperactive nature doesnt get in the way of an infectious melody. But halfway through, the band seem to run out of ideas, with several uninspired Wild West pastiches (the Tarantino-ish foot-stomper "WOR," the twangy Americana of "Lifes a Beach") and a meandering instrumental ("Skies Over Cairo") that borders on the gimmicky. Django Django may be just a bit too obtuse to repeat the success of their Mercury-nominated labelmates, but while it doesnt quite live up to their early hype, its still an encouraging first offering, suggesting that they might do with album number two. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 6 Title: LateNightTales: Django Django Released: 2014-05-11 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:14:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Tennessee Toad (02:33) 2 Game Love (02:47) 3 Nautilus (03:30) 4 Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) (03:03) 5 Bone (03:32) 6 Sweet Green Fields (02:45) 7 Floe (03:07) 8 To Claudia on Thursday (03:09) 9 Surfs Up (04:05) 10 Carry Me Home (04:34) 11 Man Next Door (03:59) 12 Buggn (02:56) 13 Slum Beautiful (02:41) 14 Why Cant We Live Together (03:32) 15 Gabriel (Live Garage mix) (05:18) 16 Coconut (03:13) 17 Poor Moon (04:02) 18 Bass Drums (02:38) 19 Future Directions (02:34) 20 Porpoise Song (06:23) 21 Flat of Angles, Part 4 (04:14) |
 | Album: 4 of 6 Title: Born Under Saturn Released: 2015-05-04 Tracks: 14 Duration: 2:01:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Giant (05:55) 2 Shake and Tremble (04:19) 3 Found You (04:43) 4 First Light (04:49) 5 Pause Repeat (03:30) 6 Reflections (04:20) 7 Vibrations (03:09) 8 Shot Down (05:10) 9 High Moon (04:43) 10 Beginning to Fade (03:16) 11 4000 Years (04:18) 12 Break the Glass (04:31) 13 Life We Know (03:25) 1 Come Together / Tusk / Stop Bajon / Groove Me / [unknown] / Armagideon Time / I Want Your Love (version) / Justice Tonight (dub) / Nah Run Weh / Sleng Teng Version/Under Me Fat Thing / Bos Bounce / Jungle Obsession / Day Tripper / Ungewa Pt.2 (Way Out Guiana) / Kamphopo / Magic Carpet Ride / Yellow Fly / Hippie Hippie Hourrah / Let the Sunshine In / Shes a Lady (1:05:38) |
| Born Under Saturn : Allmusic album Review : When they arrived in 2012, U.K. indie quartet Django Django offered a sound like no other, blending single-note surf/Western guitar lines with vaguely psychedelic-electro undercurrents and big, clamoring rhythmic stacks that fell somewhere between Devo and drum corps. On top of it all were their strict, vibrato-less vocals, often sung in unison before breaking apart into close, sophisticated harmonies. On their 2015 follow-up Born Under Saturn, the former Edinburgh art students build on what can now be considered their signature sound with another clever, adventurous, and bold set of songs. Theres a certain solidarity to Django Django in the way they present themselves and their music as a very complete, closed circuit. Songs like the excellent "Giant" and lead single "First Light" feel less like the work of a rock band and more like something made by a team of workers, in perfect sync with their internal machineries. Theyre not austere or cold; in fact theyre quite playful, especially on upbeat rockers like "Shake & Tremble" and "The Life We Know," but they manage to keep a bit of distance between themselves and the audience that somehow makes them more fascinating. The masterful "Found You" is an album high point with its mysteriously snaking melody lines, elegant chorus, and staggered vocal rounds that conclude among exultant bursts of chirpy 60s organ. Like any great band, Django Django have taken notes, instruments, and sounds that have existed through the ages and found a previously unused combination well suited to their combined talents and personalities. A mishmash of disparate influences like the Beach Boys, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, and Ennio Morricone can all be heard on Born Under Saturn, yet it never feels derivative or even very referential. Produced again by drummer David Maclean, the rhythms and vocal melodies remain at the very front of their sound, with enough space between the elements to let the songs breathe. Their only real misstep here is in the albums length, which, at nearly an hour, starts to drag and feels about two to three songs too long. There are no outright clunkers in the mix, but a light trim would have further distilled the power of this excellent sophomore release. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 6 Title: Marble Skies Released: 2018-01-26 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Marble Skies (04:26) 2 Surface to Air (03:41) 3 Champagne (04:43) 4 Tic Tac Toe (03:54) 5 Further (03:21) 6 Sundials (04:00) 7 Beam Me Up (03:31) 8 In Your Beat (03:49) 9 Real Gone (05:49) 10 Fountains (03:01) |
| Marble Skies : Allmusic album Review : Following 2015s excellent, if a bit too lengthy, Born Under Saturn, U.K. art-pop architects Django Django turn in a more focused though still exploratory effort with their third album, Marble Skies. Landing immediately on a signature sound can be a blessing and a curse and with their first two records, the London-based quartet have firmly established their distinctive amalgam of metered Krautrock, rockabilly guitar grooves, and richly melodic electro-pop with psychedelic flourishes. Of course, jam-packed within each song are the hundreds of other eclectic influences and offbeat details that make Django Django such a unique act, but in the context of a full-length album, theyve set up expectations of what listeners are likely to get. Without dramatically breaking form, Marble Skies manages to forge a handful of new paths, while also dialing in on some of the home-built charm that made their Mercury Prize-nominated debut so arresting. While catchy lead single, "Tic Tac Toe," could have slotted in beautifully on that first record, mid-album standout "Sundials" is a lush, clarinet-adorned piano pop gem that sounds unlike anything else in their catalog. A pair of outside collaborators in Slow Clubs Rebecca Taylor (aka Self Esteem) and Metronomy drummer Anna Prior also add new colors to the groups paint box with the former taking over lead vocals on the plucky electro-R&B of "Surface to Air." Produced by drummer David McLean, much of Marble Skies -- which, unlike its predecessor was self-recorded in their own cozy digs -- has a greater emphasis on sprightly new wave synths and piano, melding bright plastic artifice with nutty human zeal in a way that is undeniably fun. Even on "Further," a nimbly chugging rocker in signature-Django mode, the band still seems to tap into an infectious creative energy, coming off like a four-headed Trevor Horn churning out crafty classics for the 21st century. More nuanced than previous releases but recognizably brand-related, Marble Skies is another win for Django Django. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 6 Title: Winters Beach Released: 2018-10-12 Tracks: 6 Duration: 22:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Winter’s Beach (02:42) 2 Sand Dunes (04:07) 3 Swimming at Night (02:56) 4 Flash Forward (04:46) 5 Ghost Rider (04:09) 6 Blue Hazy Highs (03:35) |