The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
CD Reviews  |  Classical  |  Live Reviews  |  Music Features
Nominate-best-2010

Japandroids | Post-Nothing

Polyvinyl (2009)
By RYAN STEWART  |  July 7, 2009
2.5 2.5 Stars

090710_japandroids-main

I was tempted to write off Japandroids as just one more lo-fi punk band who've overdosed on fuzz. I found them entertaining, but tough to distinguish from a sea of similar acts. If I had heard No Age's Nouns with Post-Nothing's opener, "The Boys Are Leaving Town," inserted as track seven, I doubt I would have batted an eye, though Japandroids are more adept at fist-pumping, foot-stomping rabble rousing. But after further listening, I decided that Japandroids don't share all that much with their alleged peers.

For starters, they seem like more-accomplished musicians. I'm no Berklee grad or anything, but I'm pretty sure I heard seventh chords in "Rockers East Vancouver." Beyond that, the way Brian King and David Prowse strain their nasally little voices at the top of their lungs and shoot for anthemic chant-along choruses recalls '90s indie pop more than anything — think a really repetitive Superchunk.

"Young Hearts Spark Fire" showcases their gleeful exuberance, but even on more subdued numbers like "Sovereignty," they still sound like two kids who don't yet know their own strength.

Related: A case of the Mondays, Roll credits, Painfully sweet, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music,  More more >
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
HTML Prohibited
Add Comment

[ 02/08 ]   Main Street Cruisers  @ Wolf Den @ Mohegan Sun
[ 02/08 ]   2nd Annual Middle Eastern Festival  @ Berklee Performance Center
[ 02/08 ]   Collage New Music conducted by David Hoose  @ Longy School of Music
[ 02/08 ]   "Beat Research"  @ Enormous Room
ARTICLES BY RYAN STEWART
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   INTERVIEW: PATTON OSWALT  |  February 02, 2010
    For someone who came up as part of the "alternative comedy" scene of the 1990s, Patton Oswalt is becoming increasingly mainstream.
  •   LONELY ISLAND  |  January 29, 2010
    This Tuesday, the sixth and final season of Lost will launch onto home screens (ABC; February 2 at 9 pm). When the show last left us, you'll recall, it appeared to have killed off one of the Island's main string pullers, Jacob (Mark Pellegrino), in 2007 while simultaneously detonating a nuclear bomb underneath the Island in 1977.
  •   LOS CAMPESINOS! | ROMANCE IS BORING  |  January 19, 2010
    Toward the end of "In Medias Res," the first song on Los Campesinos!' third album, Gareth Campesinos (the entire Cardiff septet have adopted the surname) asks, "Is this something that would interest you?"
  •   PREP YOURSELF!  |  October 14, 2009
    So the economy sucks, you’re in a miserable rut at work, and you’re not getting any younger. What are you going to do about it?
  •   ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALLZ?  |  September 17, 2009
    These days, thanks to Internet-related information overload, football fans are more educated than ever. So why, exactly, do we need idiotic TV commentators telling us what we already know about how talented Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson are, or that the game all comes down to turnovers?

 See all articles by: RYAN STEWART

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2010 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group