Comprised of Spike Punch, Vincenzo Del Negro, Shidi Amin (aka Sideboard Ford), Cavalio Nero (aka Hornelle Equinox) and Shattered Guru (aka Jingle Bello), the quintet of Total Giovanni, originally started in Milan, Italy and relocated to Melbourne, Australia. And in both locales, the quintet quickly developed a reputation for their live shows, in which they’ve whipped small venues into a frenzy. 

Interestingly, their debut single “Human Animal” with its use of polyrhythm, shimmering and angular guitar and vocals delivered with an off kilter, detached irony and sinuous bass reminds me quite a bit of Fear of Music and Remain In Light-era Talking Heads. In other words, the song is funky and yet possesses an anxious, neurotic tension just underneath.