This album starts off with “Marble Skies”, and they’re certainly starting out with a sound I can really dig. I mean, 20 seconds in and this is already more psychedelic and adventurous than anything on the band’s second album. Also, while the grooves aren’t as strong as they once were from Django Django, I do appreciate that the band is going back in a more electronic direction. It’s a very breezy, carefree intro that honestly does really stick with you a lot. The melodies are memorable, and I have to say that in a weird way there’s almost a real old school approach to what Django Django are doing with their electronic elements. Like, a lot of them sound directly out of the early 80’s. But the very colorful atmosphere and lively performance makes this one come off as updated. So far, so good. But immediately we’re thrown right back into “meh” territory with “Surface to Air”. This track really doesn’t affect me nearly as much. As a matter of fact, this track is borderline unlistenable. I do like the vibrant atmosphere, but this one features vocal duties 100% by Self Esteem, who aren’t nearly as interesting or as melodic or as memorable as anyone singing in Django Django. The result is one of the most faceless Indie Pop songs I’ve heard in ages. It’s almost like some bland Indie Pop act teamed up with any number of no-name Dance artists of the mid 90’s. It’s not catchy and certainly not interesting, and is literally putting me asleep by the minutes. I don’t know what Django Django were doing with “Surface to Air”, but it’s NOT good. “Champagne” is up next, and I really don’t know about you, but this is just a little too sweet and sunny for my liking. I’m down for catchy and colorful pop. But this to me just comes off so incredibly phone with some shallow appeals for a flashback to the 60’s sound. I have no problem with this band whatsoever going for a more fleshed out sound as far as their instrumentals go. As a matter of fact, some late tracks here going for that actually come off really snappy. But this one for me is just tasteless, even if it is catchy. While I don’t mind these guys branching out. hearing them get right into “Tic Tac Toe” makes me so damn happy. This one is much more intense and is a much more straightforward Electronic tune. It’s still very catchy however, and it still has a more instrumentally vast sound with all of that great drum work throughout. “Tic Tac Toe” is much more upbeat and likable for Django Django. On top of that, these are some of the catchiest and most distinct vocals I’ve heard from Django Django in forever, I love how they’re just so free sounding and soaring. While overall “Tic Tac Toe” isn’t as heavy into the groovy structures of their early recordings, it’s still a GREAT sound for them.
Up next we have "Further", and this is a seriously interesting totally different direction for Django Django. This one has some bizarre Southern Rock elements deep down that are sort of goofy but at the same time totally badass thanks to that awesome bass line. Not to mention, these are some of the most legitimately cool vocals I've heard from Django Django in ages. There's almost a swagger to this one that's seriously something to behold. It's a snappy tune that has some of the more epic moments we've heard here. I mean, at the end of the day I would really prefer for the guys to stick to a single sound and really run with that. But this one really brings back those hypnotic grooves Django Django got started with years ago. Quite frankly, this track rules. But these slower tunes like "Sundials" continue to not really do as much for me. For starters, I'm really not into the vocals on this one at all. I feel like everything that made their vocals stunning and really stand out years ago have just gone downhill. I will say this though, as this track progresses and gets to be a little more upbeat, "Sundials" becomes a whole lot more tolerable. But I just can't get past these very feathery instrumentals. The very smooth, almost classic rock feeling instrumentals though do come off nice, this one certainly did have potential. On the other hand, "Beam Me Up" is a ridiculously interesting new sound for Django Django. In a bizarre way, this song sounds exactly like a Depeche Mode track, early Depeche Mode at that. I love just how cold and uninviting this one is. It's got some seriously slick grooves though, and it's just got a Synth Pop sound that we don't get to hear any more. The music of Django Django is almost always full of life somehow, whether it be through massive grooves or majestic vocals. But this is the exact opposite, and a sound that I would love to hear them do more with. Then we have "In Your Beat", which may be the closest thing I've heard to a straightforward tune I've ever heard from Django Django. They do really nail it though, with bouncy synths that get pretty intense from time to time, as well as a really lush, stunning atmosphere. There are some pretty wild moments on here that quite frankly I just didn't expect to hear, Django Django certainly does have some surprises. Plus, it's moments like this that make me totally get why people go absolutely nuts for their vocal style. I have nothing bad at all to say about "In Your Beat".
"Real Gone" begins to wind this album down with one of the vastest and wildest sounding atmospheres here so far. The attention to detail here almost reminds me of something that Com Truise would do. Not only that, but Django Django are really taking their time to let this one breathe and become one of the bigger tracks here. I'm totally into the swirling electronic elements and just how wild everything comes off. And while yes, this is about two seconds away from being EDM, I feel like Django Django hold their own. Even without vocals for over 2 minutes, I'm totally fine with "Real Gone". Then these very memorable and hypnotic vocals come in that make this even more out there and more bizarre. Moments like this really help me get the hype behind this band and make me interested to hear more. "Fountains" on the other hand is a bizarre finale. The very breezy instrumentals are certainly a joy to listen to. But as far as everything else goes, man, this one isn't very good at all. The vocals that are usually such a stand out have become so stagnant and faceless. Nothing about this is hypnotic, Django Django just sounds desperate for attention in an attempt to try and sound cool. While I do like the atmosphere here quite a bit, everything else about this finale is a chore.
Rating: 7.2/10
Give A Listen To: “Marble Skies”, “In Your Beat”, “Further’, “Beam Me Up”
Genre: Electronica / Neo-Psychedelia / Electronic Rock / Psychedelic Rock / Art Rock
Overall Thoughts: This is easily, SO much better than the last time Django Django released an album. While the band continues to drift away from their repetitive, groove-centered sound that got them fans in the first place, I feel like they're making some serious steps in the right direction. The band's return to focusing on more electronic elements is quite frankly a breath of fresh air, and leads to some of their best songs in years. But there are still a handful of tunes on here that are laughably bad, and even more so, completely faceless. Django Django started years ago with a very distinct sound, and completely through that out with their last album. But this album shows them slowly start to recover that.
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