Sometimes that comes in the form of an air of mystery created via costumes and images and the like. Sometimes, very rarely, it comes from being on the forefront of a “genre.”
But, I think most often and more importantly in comes by virtue of having a distinctly unique sound that is just off-kilter enough to make you tilt your head in wonder while simultaneously drawing you in via melody.
These kinds of bands are the winners in the annals of history.
Bands like Devo and Talk Talk, more recently The Beta Band and Hot Chip…and to the Annals of History Committee who selects bands who will be fetishized in the future, I submit Django Django.
This is not to say that they’ll only be appreciated in the future, in fact, I write this in hopes that this London four-piece will garner your attention here and now, because their self-titled debut record is a real epic affair.
Django Django – Storm by Django Django
Starting out with an “Introduction” track that sounds like the opening credits to a John Carpenter movie with a score by Ennio Morricone, the album rolls out each track blending into the next like a movie for your head. I’ve listened to it a number of times and each time the movie’s been a little different. But the most recent one was a remake of Lawrence of Arabia in which he decides to forgo the whole “war” game and instead tries to organize a rave at an oasis in the middle of the Mojave desert. During the rave, he falls in love with an alien surfer girl who needs to get to Area 51 to be picked up by her alien friends…
A lot of bands now become super popular on the strength of a blog hit, and the album as a complete work is seemingly a dying art form, however…when it comes around, it’s exciting. Django Django is just that, and worth your time from start to finish.
— Mario Cotto