Listen: Django Django, "Default," & "Waveforms"

Django Django's music has been aging quietly in its East London bedroom apartment like some complex cordial since the quartet moved there after meeting at art school in Edinburgh. Without the stress from a strong-arming producer or nagging record label, drummer and acting leader David Maclean was afforded the freedom to work with his bandmates Vincent Neff (vocals/guitar), Jimmy Dixon (bass), and Tommy Grace (synth), to create an eclectic--and delightfully eccentric--take on art rock. The result is an incredibly addictive, psych-tinged debut that melds live instrumentation and flourishing electronics with catchy rhythms and brilliant synth work. The band recently released their self-titled debut on Because Records, but Grace insists that, "[they didn't put much conscious thought into making it sound like an album--[they] thought [they'd] let any similarities between the songs come out by themselves." Apparently Grace was right--instead of sounding like an album of disjointed singles, each track on this album manages to occupy its own micro-universe, strung together, perhaps, by the extended curing process that lead to its eventual inception. This is an album that's nearly impossible to walk away from without an immediate desire to return. Check out the infectious "Default" with its spacey synth, driving Gang of Four style bass hook, bright tambourine, and robotic vocal instrumentation, and how "Waveforms" combines tinny vocals and Beach Boys harmonies with tribal drumming and steady synth-wash. Enjoy.