How inspired they are by their jazz guitarist namesake is up for debate, but Django Django’s name suits them – a screwball, percussive brace of words that matches their madcap-yet-taut music. First emerging a couple of years ago with the loping stomp of the first single “Storm,” the group slipped into a fine tradition of psychedelic English eccentrics from Syd Barrett to The Beta Band – the brother of drummer and producer Dave Maclean used to play with the latter.

And it’s to those oddballs that Django Django can perhaps be most closely compared: Like the Beta Band, they are as comfortable with acoustic guitar strumming as with electronic explorations and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. You can also hear the rambunctiousness of the Coral, and Hot Chip’s moments of clown-car wackiness.

The undertow that draws these potentially disparate elements along is a brilliant rockabilly twang, particularly on “Wor.” The calm, star-gazing lead vocals of Vinny Neff, enriched with close harmonies, are another distinctive layer. Neff has a way with unexpected melodic flourishes that can enliven potentially generic moments, such as the meat-and-potatoes blues-rock bass line of “Default.”

The tempo ranges from peppy to frantic, and that constant rubbery energy might exhaust some listeners. But once… read more »