Their fans are called "WIGheads," suggesting a sea of rabid sports enthusiasts in rainbow Afros. But there's nothing jock-rock about
West Indian Girl's trippy, multilayered indie sound. Co-founders Robert James and Francis Ten first met in Detroit, eventually defecting to sunny California to craft one track that would embody WIG's aesthetic. According to the band's bio, "Dream" was so impressive that Astralwerks cut the two a deal before they were even a band. Only in Hollywood. Now WIG is a well-traveled five-piece backing James' stream-of-consciousness lyricism and Mariqueen Maandig's powerful, haunting supporting vocals. The band is an odd fit among the hard-edged groups of the Los Angeles scene, but its breezy psychedelic jams evoke the softer side of Jane's Addiction, the city's signature act 15 years ago.
