Japandroids Provide Pretension-Free Tracks
Post-Nothing positions this duo as exciting garage rockers to watch out for.
Japandroids
Post-Nothing
Released on Aug 04, 2009
When I first heard of the garage rock enthusiasts Japandroids, they fell into the elusive “I must listen to that band just because their name is so amazing” category. That’s not meant to demean their musical talent at all — I felt the same way toward Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, another talented outfit with a great moniker. So, I was incredibly excited when the opportunity to review this Vancouver duo came up. However, I was running late to work when I decided to download it, and sloppily burned Post-Nothing to take on my commute.
When I say “sloppily burned,”
I mean “I burned it in reverse.” So, the first thing I heard upon
pushing play was the decidedly awful sound of the final track “I Quit
Girls.” Now, since I messed up the order, I decided to try and isolate
each song without worrying about how they flowed into one another. I’ve
got to say, “I Quit Girls” did not impress me. With garage rock,
bands obviously walk a fine line between pointless noise, and artfully
loud production. This track quickly veers into the pointless—and repetitive—noise
category. That categorization comes as a result of hearing the same
basic chords played over and over again, and the complete lack of discernable
vocals. One can hear the faint whine of “I Quit Girls” straining
over the feedback, but the sound is not worth that much effort.
One track in, and the ‘Droids
were already disappointing me. As I listened to the rest of the album
though, it became quite clear that this twosome has something special
on their hands. No matter what order you put them in, the opening and
closing tracks are awful. They don’t provide much indication of the
excitement and raw power that listeners are about to hear, so perhaps
that’s something to work on for the next album. But the six songs
in between? Close to garage rock perfection in my mind. There’s an
energetic urgency to the tracks, but none sound harried or sloppy. Because
of their willingness to have slightly longer tracks, the two give their
songs room to grow naturally, rather than forcing them along.
“Crazy/Forever” quickly positions itself as the epic track (clocking in at six minutes), and is fantastic proof of just how composed garage rock can be. All too often, that genre is pegged as a messy one full of people who just want to rip apart their guitars. While there’s nothing soft or subtle about this track, it’s extremely easy to listen to, and the vocals come through loud and clear. There seems to be a sort of restraint at play here, and the parts come together well.
Japandroids also know how to make some pretty catchy songs — “Heart Sweats” and “Wet Hair” stand out as the gems of the bunch, thanks to a greater focus on lyrics, and slightly more upbeat instrumentation. To call the rest of the album downbeat would be a mistake, but they know how to include more melancholic sounds in addition to poppy parts.
These two have been getting plenty of hype, but unlike most bands that people get all hot and bothered about, Japandroids don’t seem like they’re going to let it get to them. There’s a refreshing lack of snobbery surrounding Post-Nothing — they’re not making a commentary on garage rock, or exposing the intricacies of a duo — they’re just making music the way that they want to. Here’s hoping that they keep their feet on the ground and continue to produce entertaining albums.
High Point
The palpable excitement that comes through on nearly all of the tracks. They’re the next band that I desperately need to live, preferably in a cramped dive bar.
Low Point
The beginning and the end. The last track is horrifically boring, and the first does nothing to get readers into the overall sound and feel of the album.
Posted by Alyssa Vincent on Jul 28, 2009 @ 6:00 am
