With Drenge’s self-titled debut album still on the edge of
everyone’s tongue, the two piece alternative rock band is as successful as
ever. But it’s not just Derbyshire’s Drenge that are making the most of the set
up; across the pond (and north a bit) a rock duo is making even bigger ripples.
That band is Canada’s Japandroids; Brian King and Dave Rowse’s musical lovechild. Japandroids are fresh back from their whopping 200+ show tour for their sophomore album- Celebration Rock, and despite all this, Japandroids are nowhere near as well known as they should be. For my post this week, I've written a bit of a description type thing, so you can get dip your toes in Japandroids' universe.
Japandroids’ punk and noise-rock inspired debut first hit
the shelves in 2009, albeit at the cost of the band as it was self-released. Post-Nothing
received good reviews, it didn’t sell well in the UK. The band released no
singles from the record, but notable highlights were the epic Crazy/Forever and
the closer I Quit Girls. The record being a mere 8 tracks long was completely
filler free making it an easy yet enjoyable listen. The band then took to the
road to tour the album, and played a whopping two hundred shows before settling
down to work on the sophomore record; Celebration Rock.
In 2010 Japandroids released two wonderful yet angsty standalone
singles that couldn’t be included on Post-Nothing; Art Czars, and Heavenward
Grand Prix. The former yielded a magnificent cover of Big Black’s Racer X,
which to this day remains one of the greatest cover versions ever released to
back the punk rock inspired single. These songs, however, were nothing compared
to the masterpiece that the Canadians were brewing.
2012 was the year for Japandroids; they brought out the
stunning Celebration Rock and toured extensively with DIIV. Celebration Rock
was launched to an overly harsh reception last summer, and was originally
supposed to capture the energy of a Japandroids live show. It did just that,
and sounds almost as if it was done in one take.
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| The House That Heaven Built 7" sleeve, with the video above it. |
The first side is the side at which the duo’s lyrics are at their
best, whereas the second side is more based around capturing the searing energy
from a gig. When the record is put on a turntable, the first thing that’s heard
(and indeed the last) is the pop, fizz and bang of several firecrackers; like
you’d hear if you were lucky enough to see Albini’s Big Black live. Track 2,
Fire’s Highway is an early highlight, as is For the Love of Ivy- which is a
cover of a song by the 80’s punk-blues band, the Gun Club.
I personally think that the album’s second side is even greater
than the first, as it features the band’s most renowned song; The House That
Heaven Built. THTHB is Japandroids’ signature tune, and often the closer of
live shows. The Side also features Younger Us, which was earlier released as a
single and is every bit as anthemic as THTHB. Overall, the album itself flows
brilliantly from one song into another, and has been labelled by a number of
people as their summer album. It sounds much less punky, or angsty than the
debut, but is much more fun lovin’ and musically brilliant.
Celebration Rock is still one of my favourite albums of all
time, and my third favourite by a Canadian band (behind Arcade Fire’s Funeral
and Reflektor)(yes, I keep mental lists like this). I think Japandroids are a
very unique band, and well worth a listen. On top of all this, they are one of
the greatest live acts in the world, and you’d have to be out of your mind or
part of the Loveless family to think otherwise. At this year's Latitude, the band headlined the i Arena, and got the place really moving. The duo's set was arguably the greatest of the festival. Japandroids are due to release
some new stuff soon, and it should be well worth a listen no matter what,
because with two musicians as amazing as Rowse and King you cannot go wrong.
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| Japandroids stun the Latitude 2013 crowd with an unbelievable set. (courtesy of thisisfakeDIY.com) |
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