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Rating:
If Post-Nothing was a dive into the '80s noise-rock à-la Dinosaur Jr and Celebration Rock reminded of the glory of bands like Superchunk, with their new album, Japandroids aim to learn only from themselves. And this time, they succeed excellently, producing, in the opinion of this writer, their masterpiece.
There are still eight songs and under 40 minutes, the perfect formula for an album according to Japandroids.
If the singles "Near To The Wild Heart Of Life" (a line taken from Joyce's autobiographical novel, Dedalus) and "No Known Drink Or Drug" made us think of a Celebration Rock vol.2, the rest of the album's songs present the Vancouver duo in an unprecedented guise (as far as this is possible for their music).
"North East South West" is the first of these eight tracks to introduce them in a new form. An acoustic ballad that opens in the final chorus into an anthem about travel, showcasing all the road covered by this Vancouver duo and all the drinking under "scarlet fire skies." Bruce Springsteen would be proud of this song. The next two tracks could be seen as a single, grand declaration of love. "True Love And A Free Life Of Free Will" is perhaps the most romantic piece written by Brian King in Japandroids' decade-long career. This piece, accompanied by "I'm Sorry (For Not Finding You Sooner)," is no longer aimed, as in the two previous albums, at an ideal woman with indefinite traits who made us get drunk and travel aimlessly. When Brian King writes these tracks, he thinks of his new Mexican girlfriend, and it shows.
"Arc Of Bar," the longest track on the album, brings a new level of epicness for Japandroids, with a synth accompanying the duo on a journey in an undefined land between the USA and Mexico, indeed. It is certainly the peak of this album.
Everything closes with "In A Body Like A Grave." The last ballad of the album, in the face of all life's difficulties, this piece is a heartfelt plea not to lose heart and to always be happy. Or at least try.
Tracklist
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