What the hell is a Django? It must be pretty important to British indie act Django Django for reasons that should be obvious. I’ve only heard the term in one other instance: in the title of Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming Western, Django Unchained, which looks like it’s going to be off the chain (sorry)! A Google search unturned a plethora of answers, mainly relating to Spaghetti Westerns. This made a lot of sense.
Django Django’s self titled debut is a psychedelic Western mirage. It’s a trippy Sergio Leone film that unearths images of rolling desert, chasing bad guys on horses and rubbing shoulders with Clint Eastwood, except that the desert is purple, the horses are robots and Eastwood is a lizard. It’s all at once refreshing and suffocating, and entirely hallucinogenic. The introduction track is imbued with Ennio Morricone references, the revered Spaghetti Western composer (you’ll know this one), over a wobbling synth sound. This sets the scene for the rest of the album with heavily layered and distant sounding vocals, crisp guitar rhythms, the odd synth effect, and a strong Western flavour.
Most of the tracks bleed into each other, painting a blurry desert journey throughout the album, taking us through the rolling hills, cracked river beds, horse chases and dingy bar fights.
Every track has a great beat that fits nicely within the groove of modern taste, which is then layered with psychedelic sound. It’s just accessible enough to hook you in, sucking you into this cowboy fever dream. Default, the current single, is easily the most accessible track. With its hypnotic beat and creative vocal sample, it makes you want to jump into the album with both feet, its beating tambourine like spurs stamping across the saloon floor.
This is a highly creative album. It’s daring and experimental and boldly explores a forgotten musical theme. Love’s Dart is a driving, galloping track peppered with sounds reminiscent of a rattlesnake, while Skies Over Cairo is their answer to Arabian Nights. Really, the whole album is a modern homage to the epic adventures of classic Hollywood long faded from popular fascination. Django Django update this fascination for modern audiences, putting classic adventures through a psychotropic filter and making it one hell of a ride.
Though this is an undoubtedly fascinating project, I wonder what could possibly be next for Django Django. This album, their name and their concept are so heavily intertwined, what direction could the next album possibly bring? A hallucinatory take on film noir? An old school science fiction trip? Would the band have to change their name to make something new? What ever comes next, I’m excited to discover it, but for now I can’t wait to watch A Fist Full of Dollars with this album blaring over the top.
-Nat Tencic
via Nat Says “Miaow”
