And then? He blows it.įrom the very first line (“ Hustlers, whores…”) hope wavers. He obliges, soaring over New Orleans, and adopting the role of bard to fill us in on the fleeting magic of the band’s time there. The cinematic scope of the song gives King a well-earned opportunity to air out his literary inclinations. It’s not the principle of the song that’s the issue though. Unashamedly epic in length and slick in production, ‘Arc…’ grabs your attention from the off with its synthesised loop and liberal use of reverb, a foundation that veers away from Japandroids’ signature elbow grease. This nagging feeling rears its head a few times over the course of the record, but the epitome of it is the album’s seven-minute centrepiece ‘Arc of Bar’. Because whilst the production ensures the drums and vocals hit crisp and clean, they just don’t quite hit as hard as they could. It’s irrepressible, self-mythologising and charming as hell.īut there’s a ‘but’. ‘Near to the…’ is vintage Japandroids, a joyous burst out of the gates that’s fuelled by the desire to “ make some ears ring” and get you “ all fired up” all over again. Last - but by no means least - a matured sense of perspective.Ĭase-in-point for the first two is the title-track: the album’s opener, first single, and a manifesto of sorts. Three, to be specific.Ī substantial step-up in production values for one, paired with a relatively sizeable gearshift down in intensity as a second. It’s no surprise then, that the time away has made some significant changes to the make-up of their third record.
For a band that trades in fast and loud, having the handbrake on and the engine off is an unexpected development. Which is why the five years since the critically acclaimed and aptly named Celebration Rock are so significant.
The raw, riotous, romantic racket he makes with drummer Dave Prowse captures that point-of-view to a tee, a sound that’s pure unfiltered distillate of youth. Lyrically, frontman Brian King is one of life’s optimists, unafraid to celebrate the sunny side of life or paraphrase the Barney theme tune (try to un-hear that on ‘True Love and A Free Life of Free Will’). In 11 years of irony-free turning it up to 11 though, Japandroids have swept up a seriously committed choir of the converted to preach to from the sizeable remainder. Prone to eye-roll at the very concept of rock ‘n’ roll? This may not be your cup of tea. Fortunately, your decision to give their latest album Near to the Wild Heart of Life can be quickly made by a simple self-assessment. Your enthusiasm for Japandroids stands in direct correlation to your levels of cynicism. " Remember there’s heaven in the hellest of holes".įirst things first: a disclaimer for the uninitiated.
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