Although the band will be new to most, Japandroids have been
chucking albums out since 2009, when they made their debut with the incredibly ear-splitting
noise-rock sounds of ‘Post-Nothing’. The Canadian duo consisting of Brian King
and David Prowse opt for a more conventional sound for their latest LP, 'Celebration Rock', while slightly shifting from their noise-rock genre to a noise-pop sound in the process.
'Celebration Rock' appropriately kicks in with the sound of
flickering fireworks, followed by a simple yet effective drum and cymbals combo
on the opening track "The Nights of Wine and Roses", and leads into “woah-oh”
gig-ready chanting, a central piece that pops in and out of a number of other
songs on the album, such as Fire’s Highway, and lead single The House That
Heaven Built.
The album is loud, messy and distorted, but in a good way.
However, the guitars and drums take over so much that you will find yourself
forgetting Prowse and King’s shared wailing vocals almost entirely. Also, too
many of the albums 8 tracks (yes, just 8) sound too similar, which makes the ‘Celebration’
get lost in a tidal wave of percussion. Ultimately this is problematic, as any
artist with an album that contains a small number of tracks should try and
offer as much variety as they can, which Celebration Rock fails to do.
So, the disorderly sounds of Japandroids latest album moves
closer into the pop lane than any of their previous efforts, but still manages
to maintain the sound that their core fans love. Sadly, the album comes off as
repetitive at times, while failing to offer anything new.
C+
Key Tracks: The Nights of Wine and Roses, The House That Heaven Built
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