Re: Celebration Rock

I am so excited about this new record, I am nervous to even start listening to it. Pitchfork gave it an 8.8.

"Younger Us" is now the sixth song on the awe-inspiring Celebration Rock, and nothing has changed except how its context raises the possibility that it doesn't actually have to be about them. This shift in perspective is crucial to understanding how Celebration Rock can somehow manage to completely dwarf its impressive predecessor despite being made the same exact way-- same personnel, same producer, same minimal-overdub policy, same instruments, same eight-song tracklist. Hell, even the cover's pretty much the same. But in writing about something other than the experience of being Japandroids, the duo taps into a power greater than itself to address impossibly vast and elemental topics-- friendship, lust, revenge, art, self-actualization-- with songs every bit as big."

Pitchfork likes an album by a band that plays simple, guitar-based rock & roll? It must be something special.

If it's as good as I expect, the emo genre can be officially retired.

Get yer ya-ya's out compliments of NPR:

[www.npr.org]

I just started streaming it...hot fun in the summertime.

I'm finally getting around to listening to this. Digging it so far - more melodic than the earlier stuff I've heard, and they no longer seem to feel the need to go at full throttle on every song. I'm impressed.

I listened to the new record by Australia's Royal Headache the other day, and this reminds me a lot of that. Not that the two bands sound exactly the same, but there are some similarities (turbocharged pop melodies, youth, a general air of last-day-on-earth enthusiasm), especially in spirit.



Post Edited (06-08-12 15:56)

My RS friend gave it a 4 star review this week, meaning it's at least as good as the latest Mayer record. I think the record is incredible. Totally satisfying.

Quote

My RS friend gave it a 4 star review this week, meaning it's at least as good as the latest Mayer record. I think the record is incredible. Totally satisfying.

Which?

I really want to like these guys but I can't get over the uncanny similarity to Latterman. Check out "Fear and Loathing on Long Island"

[www.youtube.com]

I can hear Latterman. I need to check those guys out.

They were comparing 'em to The Hold Steady and The Gaslight Anthem on NPR's All Songs Considered podcast...?

I think Latterman is a lot more "pop/punk" than Japandroids, but I can hear some resemblance - more in spirit than anything.

I suppose if you forced Japandroids to get a bass player, practice constantly and hire a slick producer, they'd sound like the Hold Steady and the Gaslight Anthem. Otherwise it sounds like NPR just said, "Hey, all these bands have guitar and hooks - they sound alike!"

Hold Steady and Japandroids sound nothing alike. Hold Steady is wordy literate rock with spoken-sung lyrics and 70's sounding keyboards. Japandroids use about 8 words in each song, scream them, and keyboards are nowhere in sight.

I was going to grab my copy online from Polyvinyl but was in a store and noticed the local release has seven bonus tracks including covers of X, Bad Seeds, Big Black and PJ Harvey. Result!

Buy the LP from Polyvinyl. It is one of the most beautiful packagings I have ever seen with a record. Gorgeous full page book with lyrics and photos. Then skip side 1 and simlpy drop the needle on "Adrenaline Nightshift" and let it run. Emo heaven.

Those covers are simply the B-sides from the singles they have put out the last 3 years. Most are not that great.

I hear ya, that's a huge tune there.
The great vinyl reformatting project is a ways off, I'm afraid.

I go to see the band tomorrow night in Boston. I am super excited!

The Droids slayed last night. The soldout crowd left sweaty, hoarse, deaf, tired, and euphoric. I am way too old for it, of course, but they are simply a band that I cant resist joining the pit, and am covered with bruises as a result today. The new Celebration Rock songs sounded epic. The only drawback of the show was the singer talks WAYYYY too much between songs. He talked for 5 minutes before playing a note. They have played Boston 6 times now and every time they do, the singer always goes on a long ramble about how awesome their first trip to Boston was back about 3 years ago in the middle of winter. That was the show I attended where I became a total convert. Last night's show, unlike the previous 4, finally surpasses that first conversion experience. Nabbed a few 45's as souveniers. The opener, rapper Cadence Weapon, was excellent als.



Post Edited (06-27-12 10:24)

20-30 years ago, you would have been hanging on every word he said. Isn't it funny how that works

He talked a lot at the Montreal show I saw last year as well. I thought it was just because he was back on home turf, but I guess it's just his habit.

I missed them when they came through here a few weeks ago, but I am digging this new album more than I expected to. I had previously agreed with whoever it was that said on here a month or so ago that he thought Japandroids had pretty much played out their sound and there wasn't more to get excited about. And I think that's somewhat true with this new record, in that it's basically just a refinement of the earlier one, though it's somehow both slicker and tougher.

But I like it, and the Gun Club cover is a nice touch. As is the very nice packaging for the vinyl version, as nosepail noted above.

I saw Japandroids this afternoon (11/4/12) at Fun Fun Fun Fest - apparently their first show on North American soil in a few months. They were spectacular. That is all that need be said.

got Deerhoof on Friday and Japandroids next week.
looking forward to both

I saw a bit of Deerhoof at the same festival. I loathed the one record I heard, but they're a lot less ADD live and rocked a lot harder.

I decided to skip them this time around when they play Boston this week. All ages show, guaranteed to be amateur hour. Maybe I'm getting old(er) and grumpy(-ier).

both were amazing shows and the total ticket price for both ($15.00 + $20.00) did not even come close to the ticket price for Primus who played the same week ($65.00).

Primus, motherfucking Primus, gets $65 a show? Man, things are out of control.

yes, and actually knew people who went to Primus instead of PIL. PIL tickets were a whopping $25.00