Glowing In The Dark. Django Django

Django Django has featured many times on this blog before. It's albums have a nice spot in my record collection and the live show a few years ago (yes, they once existed) after the release of the 'Marble Skies' album was fantastic to be at. A new album is something to look forward to and with Glowing In The Dark the band's fourth studio album is there.

With the first, eponymous album the band made an instant impression on me. 'Born Under Saturn' took me a little longer to warm to, but nowadays a song like 'Giants' is one of my favourites from the 21st century. 'Marble Skies' I immediately liked and played an awful lot. The result is that expectations are tremendously high for Glowing In The Dark. Can Django Django meet them?

My first inclination is to answer no. For that the songs are too familiar in sound and a few tend towards filler. As my chance to write a review that is noticed is now and not months from now, the new album does not get the time at present to go through the slow review of years 'Born Under Saturn' went under.

After a few listening sessions though, I am more than just inclined to give Glowing In The Dark the benefit of the doubt for now. And not just because I like Django Django's albums so far, although this does play a role. There's no denying there. Why the benefit of the doubt?, you may ask. There are few reasons I can present to you.

The first is that the music of this band makes me feel good almost immediately. Upbeat elements are in the rhythm and the way the instruments are played. Not that the songs are happy songs, no, almost all have a certain layer of melancholy moods mixing with the upbeat sounds. It results in bittersweet songs that alternate between different moods within each song but end up playing with my mood in a positive way.

The second reason is the cleverness of the songs. Django Django endlessly plays with rhythms and sounds. Superficially its songs may appear to be pop ditties. Underneath that pop surface the band experiments with everything as nothing is straightforward. The vocal melodies are what remains of the pop song it may have started out with. As such the band can be seen as following in the footsteps Franz Ferdinand created a decade before it. Django Django has carved out its own set from its debut onwards. Softer, less confrontational, but not less radical in its choices. The album starts in a way that reminds me of the start of 'Always Ascending', this spiralling sound that seems to go higher and higher. Totally different songs but in a way so familiar.

The third reason is that pop element. Again on Glowing In The Dark Django Django presents (near) perfect pop songs. Listen to several of the songs twice and singing along becomes as mandatory as it's easy to do. The soft and high voice of Vincent Neff brings that pop feel to the band's music. Neff's voice is a part of the lightness in Django Django's music. It just fits this music extremely well. Like his voice hovers over the music of 'Got Me Worried', with its tribal rhythms, is masterly.

Another card played well is the lead vocals of Charlotte Gainsbourg in 'Waking Up'. On average I will call myself a fan or her singing and she adds to Glowing In The Dark. The bass gives the song an extra depths that contrast nicely with Ms. Gainsbourg's soft voice. In her way she's allowed to totally rock out in 'Waking Up'. Definitely one of the highlights of the album. She has made an album with one artist before, Air and Beck, so I see an opportunity here.

The fourth element are the otherworldly sounds Tommy Grace conjures up from his keyboards, synthesizers and whatnot. Listening is believing. In that the band is in the same class as Alt-J, were it not that it's pop feel is so much higher.

Summing it all up I have become more than convinced that Glowing In The Dark and I are going to be more than alright together. Maybe the slightly more subdued sound of the album caused my initial inclination. Since then I noticed the eastern rhythms, an instrumental suite, an acoustic guitar leading a song, there's more than enough to surprise and enjoy. First impression seems to lying, discarded, by the wayside.

Wo.

You can order Glowing In The Dark here:

https://shop.djangodjango.co.uk/

or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g