Japandroids are part of
the Canadian buzz that seems to of spread global in the past decade. The noise pop/garage
rock duo creates loud rock music for a audiences of many to enjoy. 2009's Post-Nothing laid down the
foundations for a bright and prominent career. Post-Nothing has eight tracks of
noise rock with pop undertones; much like The Jesus
& Mary Chain did 20 years ago. Japandroids are in a completely
different league, beyond the distortion and beyond the poppy hooks. This music
is fun, and one listen to 'Young
Hearts Spark Fine' will win you over. It doesn’t come as a surprise that
three years on, Japandroids are still touring intimate venues, still signed to
Polyvinyl, and set to release their second studio album, Celebration Rock.
The album opens with 'The
Nights of Wine and Roses', a thumping four minutes of soaring guitars, loud
cymbals and chunky vocals that are enough to get you dancing in your chair,
thumping the air in joy. I must note the crackling 'firework' styled opening
which takes resemblance to 2010's Fang Island self-titled album. Japandroids
have set out to release an album which is energetic and fun, for the listener.
Vocal cheers of "Hey!!" / "Oh ohhh oh" plague
the track, in what would be an epic sing-along for the close audience. The
production sounds fantastic, working with Jesse Gander for the second time. The
compact sound doesn’t stop here. The following track 'Fire's
Highway' rips through with an astonishing guitar riff with their characteristic
distortion. Japandroids have the skill to create loud, abrasive tracks, and
include one of the sweetest vocal segments and chorus you'll hear all year. The
vocals sound impeccable and the following 'crowd cheers' (as I'll give
reclamation to) astounding to hear. It's fresh and the song structure just
raises the bar completely. At 3:30 in, you will hear guitarist/vocalist Brian
King takes the breakdown with just his guitar and his voice, singing "A
northern soul in southern lands, will always find his way to southern
hands." / "So kiss away your gypsy fears, and turn some restless
nights to restless years."
Japandroids have an inability to slip under the 'one trick pony' category because
of their skillful ability to create dynamic tracks that are both as noisy as they come,
and as sweet and sensible as a Foo Fighters track. This album can be accused of sounding 'the same', but I don't feel that when listening to this album. It's why 'Evil's
Sway' carries a catastrophic sound of thunder, lightning and rain. The
crashing guitar riff never fails to surprise, with exciting layers which work
miraculously well with the cymbal smashes and heavy drumming. The lack of bass
is almost forgotten because the drums are so heavy, and the guitar is low.
Evils Sway has a perplex chorus which has the aforementioned crowd cheers, "oh
yeah" / "oh right." I must say, Japandroids can’t be
faulted this far into Celebration Rock. Three very strong tracks with energy,
great lyricism and song structures enough to make Simon Cowell jealous.
The next track pays homage to one of Japandroids biggest punk influences, The Gun Club. Covering
one of their most known tracks 'For The
Love Of Ivy'. Sitting half way on the album, this track brings to light the
heavy and punk side of Japandroids, with withdrawn distorted vocals and very contagious
guitar work. This is an excellent cover with exceptional drumming by David
Prowse. The fierce 'Adrenaline
Nightshift' has a standard Japandroids sound, with predictable chord
progressions. I can't be too negative because the guitar sound is again,
fantastic, with even louder and abrasive drumming this time round. This track
is where Japandroids step further away from that instrumental, noise duo, to a
band with lyrics. And what a track this is, "Hitchhike to hell and
back, riding the wind." / "When the thunder of the poets, thunder of
the poets guitar." / "Bein nice to my body so I can drunk at the back
of a bar." Brian King has certainly added the extra spice of lyricism
into his music, among the crowd pleasing choruses and chaotic punk sound. The
track name does nothing but good, with Adrenaline Nightshift sounding like something
out of Need For Speed Underground.
It’s fair to say that Celebration Rock is an album that captures the
listener and in turn, becomes one of the strongest albums of the year. 'Younger Us'
was released as a single in 2010, losing brownie points for its inclusion on
this album two years later. Nonetheless, it’s an amazing track. The chords
guitar riff is exciting and the song structure become unpredictable with the
rhythms and manic drum patterns. The third and final part to this track is
incredible, creating a real connection between the duo and the audience. Lyrics
such as "Gimme that naked new skin rush, give me younger us." /
"Gimme that girl’s love running wild and free, give me younger us."
With audiences screaming back 'give me younger us'. This is the shortest track
on the album, and by the most poppy. There’s just a never-ending amount of
energy and passion put into Celebration Rock, and it only gets better.
"It's a lifeless life, with no fixed address to give. But you're
not mine to die for anymore, so I must live." There’s a clear
lyrical presence on the lead single 'The House
That Heaven Built'. Among the harmonic "Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
oh", comes the exciting chorus and imaginative verses that paint a
raw picture of doom and gloom. The instrumentation is outstanding, with a very
eerie vocal which has hints of desperation and energy, with the powerful guitar
riff. It's crazy to think, underneath this track of fierce guitar work and
sharp vocals, is a verse/chorus/verse structure with pop undertones. This is
spectacular to hear, and anybody who's seen Japandroids will agree, this is
spectacular to see. It definitely doesn’t eclipse there. The listener has been
put through tracks of nostalgia, noise, pop and post-post-nothing material -
awaiting the final climax. 'Continuous
Thunder' doesn’t disappoint. The relaxed vocal is mellow and uplifting,
with severe style. The drums gain momentum and the layers of guitar come into
focus as the self-titled refrain steers the track out of the dark and back into
the light. The drumming increases vigorously, as the recording seems to fade
away from the band, turns around, walks outside... And cue the fireworks.
Post-Nothing was an excellent album which was both raw and smooth.
Japandroids followed with an album of refined material for a bigger audience.
These eight tracks are designed to be play loud, or live. Sure, Celebration
Rock has its weak points, and I'm sure Japandroids know that themselves. But
this album is exactly what it's supposed to be, fun music for fans of
Japandroids to enjoy and sing along to. Japandroids have achieved their goal.
This album is both a celebration, and a piece of rock music. Celebration Rock
is a strong contender for album of the year, and is by far the most exciting
punk related release of 2012.
~Eddie
8.9
