DJANGO DJANGO - Born Under Saturn

Recovering from a hangover of critical acclaim for a debut album is never easy. The after-effects of media overexposure lead straight to a hefty load of expectations from industry insiders, and more often than not the freshness guaranteed by anonymity becomes a thing of the past.

Django Django probably wouldn't have bet much at the outset on their ability to capture the attention of critics and audiences, especially such a varied crowd, so quick to fall for their mix of sixties-style vocals, psych/folk atmospheres, surf guitars and electronic keyboards (a formula that also proved a winner with older fans, notoriously more inclined to actually buy music).

There's nothing to stop us thinking that, even if unconsciously, the choice of the new title "Born Under Saturn" might have been influenced by grappling with the tricky task of living up to such a result (being born under the sign of Saturn means having a life marked by obstacles and a certain underlying melancholy). But in any case, when you know how to write songs, there's always light at the end of the tunnel.

The ease with which the four mix late-80s madchester sound and layered vocal harmonies à-la Beach Boys on opening track "Giant" does suggest that they haven't lost their way. The tremolo-laden guitars of "Shake And Tremble", the sixties catalogue of "Found You", the synth-pop drift of "Reflections" (complete with sax solo) would in themselves still be genuine ingredients in a time-blending mix that isn't afraid of odd combinations (the verses of "Shot Down" and "High Moon" alone are enough to bring to mind even Simon & Garfunkel).

What does seem to emerge overall, though, is that Django Django have shifted toward a compositional approach largely centred on vocal textures.

Where on their successful debut the musical side and the vocal side were both players serving a perfect unity of purpose, on "Born Under Saturn" the instruments are often little more than a backdrop to something built specifically around the voices.

Nearly two-thirds of the album head in this direction, which also happens to be the direction of safe, catchy shores, and it goes hand in hand with the lack of pleasantly playful moments (in the past represented by "Default" and "Zumm Zumm") among the main differences between the two records.

Special mention goes to the closing "Life We Know", an oblique gem halfway between Syd Barrett and Oasis, and a fitting epilogue to an album that is less interesting than its predecessor due to zero-risk choices, but which still holds onto the pop spark that Django Django managed to ignite back in 2012.

Awaiting new obstacles, with all due respect to Saturn.

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30/06/2015