It's been a while since Django Django dropped their self-titled record in Australia, sending fans into a frenzy - a frenzy only to be built upon with their blazing energetic first live performances in the country a few years back. Today, the British band returns with the follow up to the 2012 debut, releasing the enticing and huge sounding Born Under Saturn. Playing with sonic textures and vibrant music has been an element of the Django Django creative output that has put (and kept) them on the radar successfully over the past few years and singles taken from this album prior to its release showed that the band was only pushing it further on this new album.
As the band describes, each track on Born Under Saturn (taken from the term implying an artistic temperament, also reflected in the cover - a 19th century statue called ‘The Sluggard’) has its own identity and story - read on to find out a bit more about the singles you can be getting around now!
"Giant"
The track "Giant" began from the initial piano riff and grew from there, we always imagined it would kick off the album. The title was suggested by the same piano riff which felt like a giant’s footsteps. We then wrote the lyrics around the idea of an ‘Atlas’ figure, the idea of a character who carries the weight of the world on their shoulders.
"Shake and Tremble"
"Shake and Tremble" came together from a studio jam between Vinnie and Jim. The lyrics were written whilst visiting the Italian volcanic island Stromboli, after being asked by the artist Haroon Mirza to collaborate on a project. They were inspired by the idea of the ‘Ten Commandments’ and the fictitious idea of sacrifice on an island.
"Found You"
"Found You" tells a Faustian/Mephistopheles story of someone who has made a deal with the devil. It descends into a Kafkaesque court scene where the jury is the devil himself. This track began as an instrumental recorded for The Royal Shakespeare Company's production of The White Devil.
"First Light"
"First Light" is kind of [a] fable about leaving behind the status quo and starting over. A line in the lyrics references a situationist slogan used in the 60s Paris student riots that made sense in the context of the song. The song itself began with a synth line; we then jumped between the guitar and piano to work out the chorus and structure of the song.
"Pause Repeat"
"Pause Repeat" (FKA "Tommy Disco") was a consequence of the band messing about in the studio with the synths over a LinnDrum that they had just purchased. The lyrics play with the notion of déjà vu - experiencing the same thing/situation more than once, in this case, repetitively and not feeling in control of your destiny. As if you are living your life from a film script, a bit like Groundhog Day/The Truman Show.
"Reflections"
Vinnie’s fiancé Claire inspired these lyrics. Her fascination with the engagement ring he gave her sparked "Reflections". An ancient stone that had the ability to capture her imagination. The lyrics depict a fable about someone who has dedicated their whole life to finding something, but only then realizing that what they left behind was more important. Initially, Vinnie played this guitar track completely minor, but many parts were finally changed in to major. It features Roller Trio's James Mainwaring in the middle 8 on the saxophone.
"Vibrations"
With "Vibrations", Dave had come up with a bass line then Vinnie, Jim and Tommy worked out the bridge and chorus to the song. Dave had used a sample of bird song in the demo, so we had the idea to write it about birds of paradise. It tells the story of someone tracking the birds through the rainforest, slowly becoming disorientated by the sights and sounds around them.
"Shot Down"
"Shot Down" is kind of a western story, about two friends who are both planning on cheating each other out of their share of a haul of money. Jim had just bought a compilation record called Ecstasy of Gold, which is full of old Italian Western composers he had going around his head as he was writing lyrics.
"High Moon"
"High Moon" is another tune that began as a sort of dark gothic instrumental for The White Devil. Thumb tacks were pushed into the hammers of the band's piano at their studio to recreate a sort of harpsichord. The recordings were then reworked, shifting the key from minor to major; some new melodies and lyrics were written [for the album version] and then had Tommy write the original instrumental part on the harpsichord. When we wrote the lyrics, we were thinking about a New Moon – the beginning of the lunar cycle when the moon rises and sets at the same time as the sun. It isn't present in the sky at night and during the day, it is invisible to us as only it's dark side is facing the earth. The song was originally called "New Moon".
"Beginning To Fade"
"Beginning To Fade" was one of the first demos to be finished. It was written at home and I [Jim] was struggling to think of a theme for the song, so I ended up writing about going round in circles and the things that were distracting me. Basically, I had cabin fever when it was written.
"4000 Years"
"4000 Years" describes the age of civilization. "4000 Years" was the final track we wrote on the album. After listening through to the other songs, we wanted to write something looser and more garage-y to balance out the more electronic tunes we had previously written. It came together quickly and distinguished its sound fast, without being overworked, spawning from a small guitar riff from the original "WOR" demo track. We also drew inspiration from looking at some early Tom Wolfe writings about Las Vegas, writing these lyrics. We thought about the city and how insignificant it can appear in the greater scheme of things, when the world will be covered in sand again one day and be forgotten. More saxophone at the end comes from fellow Mercury nominee James Mainwaring (Roller Trio), who also features on "Reflections".
"Break The Glass"
With "Break The Glass", we were keen to do something that reflected our live set. The lyrics talk about somebody who finds it difficult to separate dreams and reality. We were also influenced by the book A Journey Around My Room– how the inner world can be just as rich as the real world.
"Life We Know"
"Life We Know" is based on a bass line that was re-visited from the scraps of Django Django’s self-titled first album. A late night Ouija board experience at Angelic studios involving a haunted piano influenced the lyrics of "Life We Know", invoking past lives and previous meetings between people.
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Born Under Saturn by Django Django is out now through Because Music/Warner Music Australia.
