Billboard, May, 2001
Ink Nineteen
CMJ New Music Report Feb, 2001
Friday Morning Quarterback, Feb, 2001
Music Morsels
Amplifier
The Aquarian
TimeOut NY
CMJ New Music Report
Friday Morning Quarterback
TimeOut (London)
Good Times
Songwriter's Monthly
Vassar Miscellany News
Independent Florida Alligator
Other Press Articles

BILLBOARD
May 12, 2001
RANTING: There are days when tracing the activities of folks who make rock'n'roll can be downright exasperating. Our complaint is age-old, but it reamains as relevant as ever. How do some of the flat-out worst bands in the business get major-label deals, while true talent often has to struggle to stay alive?

  Yeah, yeah...we know that there's no solid answer to such a subjective question. But it's hard not to ponder such things on an afternoon during which we've trudged through a dozen big-money releases that don't deserve a dime of marketing money -- only to discover Laying Low and Inbetween by Django & the Regulars, a project that demands the attention of anyone who wonders why rock music is so darn tedious these days.

  Laying Low and Inbetween is the second full-length collection by the New York-rooted jangle-pop trio led by Django Haskins, a singer/tunesmith whose affinity for the classic recordings of Elvis Costello and Tom Petty are undeniable. However, there's nothing derivative on this set, which was produced by the singer with Don Fleming (Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub), Andrew Hollander (David Johansen, Mr. Henry) and Mike Daly (Whiskeytown).

  Rather, Haskins uses his influences as inspiration for songs that are as fresh and infectious as they are comfortably familiar. The subject matter of his songs rarely strays from the subject of love in its various forms, and that's just fine. Such tunes as "Disappointment Book" (which is starting to get airplay from college radio stations on the East Coast) and "Sooner" reveal Haskins' flair for weaving intimate yet relatable lyrics.

  Haskins, who's also a formidable guitarist, has been leading bands and cutting solo material for 10 years now; In addition to this new set, his work can currently be heard on the Varese Sarabande soundtrack to the film Steal This Movie. Speaking of movies, a cut from a still-to-be-confirmed tune from Laying Low will be featured in the indie film The Manhattan Dating Project.

  Django & the Regulars, which features Byron Isaacs on bass and Neil Nunziato on drums, will be spending much of the spring and summer on the road. If you want to hear a great band making even better music, hunt this one down. For more information, check out modmusicrecords.com.

back to the top of the page

Ink Nineteen
Feb 19, 2001

DJANGO & THE REGULARS | Laying Low and Inbetween (Alyosha)
Billed to sound like a cross between Tom Petty and Elvis Costello, to these unrefined ears this band sounds like neither of those artists. Instead, the sound of Django and the Regulars evokes the music of Whiskeytown circa Strangers Almanac, albeit with more of a pop inflection. The songs on Laying Low and Inbetween are concise stabs at pop heaven that cover the range of bad dreams ("12 Gauge Microphone"), sychophants and status climbers ("Dumbed Down"), and lost loves ("Sooner"). Musically, the band has been labeled with the unfortunate tag of "jangle-pop." While the music incorporates melodies and guitar playing that recall elements of early R.E.M. or The Byrds, this should not detract from the fact that Django and crew are willing to cut loose with searing rockers as well as heartfelt ballads with low key strumming. Upon repeated listenings, Laying Low and Inbetween reveals itself to be a memorable and catchy album full of punchy melodies and plenty of hooks. It also reveals Django & the Regulars to be a talented pop band.

back to the top of the page

DJANGO & THE REGULARS | Laying Low and Inbetween (Alyosha)
Laying Low is a nostalgic experience, a collection of songs that recall golden autumns and endless senior-year Friday nights. Appropriating equal parts country and jangle-pop, Django treads lightly between both, forging a new sort of shimmering Americana of songs that glimmer and glide. Each reads like a diary entry, of a memory of past heartache ("Sooner") and disappointment ("Laying Low"). Like an Andy Partridge from Tennessee, Django lets his voice soar high into Wilson territory ("12 Gauge Microphone") as slide guitars weep on the ground beneath. Even the sad, smoky "Time and Again," which billows up over gently strummed guitar, speaks more of opportunity than oppression, with Django swearing "I will put down roots and I will mend time and again."   - J. Edward Keyes

Recommended if You Like: Marshall Crenshaw, Matthew Sweet, the Wallflowers.

back to the top of the page

Django & The Regulars, Laying Low and Inbetween (Alyosha)
Django Haskins' third - with tracks produced by Haskins and Don Fleming (Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub, Posies, Smithereens) and Whiskeytown's Mike Daly - offers up something for everyone. Tracks range from introspective to danceable Rock and Roll. "Disappointment Book," "Sooner," "Time And Again," "Radiowave," "This One, That One," "Finally Falling," and the title-track are all candidates for airplay. Don't take your eyes off this guy!

back to the top of the page

Music Morsels
Sept, 2001

Django & The Regulars,Laying Low and Inbetween (Alyosha)
This is album number two from this New York City trio headed by singer/songwriter Django Haskins, and it not only shows maturity, but a knack for weaving several popish influences into a raucous musical ride. Of course, it seems like no pop-oriented rock band can escape the influence of the Fab Four, and track one "Disappointment Book" solidifies that right off the bat. But you can hear a bit of the later stuff by The Replacements, and perhaps a touch of XTC with Django's voice sounding a bit like Andy Partridge. His jangly guitar strumming gives the music a nice touch of personality, sometimes showing several sides in one song. "12 Gauge Microphone" is a good example of this where the chops range from avante garde fuzzy twang to brash punk-tinged fire. The moody ballad "Time and Again" gives another glimpse to the versatility of Django's writing. The music is fleshed out nicely by occasional harmonious vocal turns, and the solid rhythms of bassist Byron Isaacs and drummer Neil Nunziato. But the real enjoyment hear comes from the songs themselves, as Django proves that he can take styles that have been really overdone in the recent past and make it very listenable and pretty fun to boot. - Mark E. Waterbury

back to the top of the page

Amplifier, June 2001
Sept, 2001

Django & The Regulars,Laying Low and Inbetween (Alyosha)
Django Haskins has obviously listened to a lot of Elvis Costello, and it infused his writing. Not that Laying Low and Inbetween apes that sound, but this janglepop trio (Haskins, Byron Isaacs, and Neil Nunziato) has lyrical smarts and melody lines which hark back to Costello. Django and the Regulars make some infectious rock music here, especially "Dumbed Down," a smiling but scathing swipe at submitting to starmaker machinery (boy bands, are you listening?). Some of the best moments include the catchy "Disappointment Book," "12 Gauge Microphone," and especially "Time and Again" which has the emotional impact of, well, Costello's "Allison" or "Party Girl." The album, produced by Don Fleming (Sonic Youth, Hole, The Smithereens) is engaging, not overly sunny for pop, and tends to grow on you.

back to the top of the page

The Aquarian, August 2001
Sept, 2001

Django & The Regulars,Laying Low and Inbetween (Alyosha)
With three tracks produced by the legendary Don Fleming, you knew Django would be slinging some stellar hooks your way, but damn, the chiming compositions here are anything but regular. The groove is in the heartbreak here with shades of Pernice Bros. casting a dark side to the moonlit melodies. Grade: A-

back to the top of the page

This Brooklyn artist's debut album is marked by consistently high quality songwriting and a promising kind of stylistic inconsistency--two qualities that, when found together, are the hallmarks of an artist with a bright future ahead of him. Backed by various musicians on different tracks, Haskins is nonetheless the album's chameleon-like driving force, delivering tunes that vary from tear-in-beer ballads to Beatle-esque love songs to rollicking country tunes in rapid succession, each of them true to their genre and solid examples of Haskins's clever songcraft. His voice is as crucial as his songs, too; he's got a malleable set of pipes that can joyfully warm the room as much as they can yank your heartstrings. Recommended to anyone looking for fresh songwriting talent. - Cheryl Botchick

back to the top of the page