Canadian duo Japandroids have just release their latest album Celebration Rock, a more polished-sounding follow-up to 2009’s Post-Nothing. The aptly-titled album at first sounds repetitive and one-note but eventually becomes a game of hide-and-seek as you discover the smaller nuances between the melodies upon a second and third listen.
More than half the album plays off the listener’s sentimentalities as most of the songs could easily be the montage soundtrack to anyone’s summer. Tracks like “The Night of Win and Roses”, “Adrenaline Nightshift” “The House that Heaven Built” and “Evil’s Sway” are all good examples of the infectious noise-rock Japandroids are known for as they play off the same sound they created on “Post-Nothing” but is, by far, more polished and cohesive this time around.
However, while most of the album could all be one long song, there are a few tracks that manage to break away from the rest of the pack. One of the more interesting songs (if not the most out of place) is “For the Love of Ivy”, a punchy rock track with a heavy southern twist. The central track placement but complete departure from unity to the rest of the album makes this song an interesting artistic choice on their part.
“Younger Us” and “Continuous Thunder” will easily become the tracks the most people put on repeat. These tracks emphasize the “quality versus quantity” mindset King and Prowse had when writing the album and for once a band finally manages to capture the nostalgia of 80’s radio rock without being a copycat, especially on “Continuous Thunder”
But don’t just take our word for it, give the album a listen for yourself and pick up a copy on Itunes or at a Japandroids show near you as they start their tour with fellow Canadian act Cadence Weapon.
Check out “The House that Heaven Built”
06-14 San Francisco, CA — The Independent *
06-15 Los Angeles, CA — Echoplex *
06-16 San Diego, CA — Casbah *
06-19 Denver, CO — Larimer Lounge *
06-21 Chicago, IL — Lincoln Hall *
06-22 Cleveland, OH — Grog Shop *
06-23 Toronto, ON — Lee’s Palace *
06-25 Montreal, QC — La Sala Rossa *
06-26 Boston, MA — Brighton Music Hall *
06-27 New York City, NY — Bowery Ballroom *
06-28 Brooklyn, NY — Music Hall of Williamsburg *
06-29 Philadelphia, PA — Johnny Brenda’s *
06-30 Washington, DC — Rock & Roll Hotel *
07-03 Minneapolis, MN — 7th Street Entry *
07-07 Vancouver, BC — Biltmore Cabaret
07-13 Chicago, IL — Pitchfork Music Festival
08-14 Ponte Do Lima, Portugal — Parades De Coura Festival
08-18 Skipton, England — Beacons Festival
08-19 Leicester, England — Summer Sundae Festival
* w/ Cadence Weapon