Somewhere in the deluge of bands that was this year’s South by Southwest music festival, we were lucky enough to catch Vancouver’s Japandroids. I’ve been into their songs since their 2009 debut, Post-Nothing, but, them being a duo, you never know how their recorded sound will translate to a live show. Turns out, pretty damn well.
Collegiate friends Brian King + David Prowse (guitar/vox + drums/vox) bring their noisy, jangly, kinda emo, kinda garage sound to life on stage with about as much vigor as anyone could expect without one or both of them following up the show with a hospital visit. They play loud and infectious songs that are simple enough to get you hooked and tapping along but somehow keep you from getting sick of the mishmash of guitars and strained singing and hard-hit rhythms that’s become their formula for song-writing. Honestly, I’ve liked their recordings for a good while now, but I think the earnestness and excitement you see in both of them on stage connects any missing dots one might encounter just listening to the album tracks.
All that said, I couldn’t convince them play live for your viewing pleasure via this blog. I can, however, let you have a listen to “Younger Us,” one of my favorite tracks form their forthcoming sophomore full-length, Celebration Rock, out in June on Polyvinyl. Click on the Polyvinyl link and you can pre-order the album and hear the another great, driving track from it, “The House That Heaven Built.”
