“Young Hearts Spark Fire”
from the album Post-Nothing
2009
iTunes
In general, album titles are not particularly evocative of the music contained within. Sometimes they might suggest a mood or theme, but they’re usually pretty unimportant, hence why TV on the Radio names an album Return to Cookie Mountain.
Vancouver garage rock duo Japandroids seem to be a special case; by titling their debut record Post-Nothing, they’ve perfectly described it as well. It’s a straightforward scuzzy indie rock album that does not try to be anything beyond that. Thankfully, it doesn’t need to try to be anything beyond that, as it already contains some of the most infectious rock music of the past few years.
Japandroids make it clear what they’re about with Post-Nothing‘s stunning one-two punch of an opening. The group sets the scene with “The Boys Are Leaving Town,” the first propulsive anthem of many, but it’s on album highlight “Young Hearts Spark Fire” that they really start making an impression. Somehow possessing both a layer of fuzziness and a remarkable crispness, it’s both song and thesis statement. These guys are throwing on as many noisy riffs, recalling indie rock heroes both past (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) and present (No Age), and cymbal smashes as possible, all while shouting every lyric as loud (though still maintaining melodicism) as they can. The combination gives the idea of a certain carelessness, but one that’s somehow purposeful and meaningful.
Lyrically, this kind of carelessness really comes through. Lines like “I don’t want to think about dying / I just want to think about those sunshine girls” (from “Young Hearts Spark Fire”) and “We run the gauntlet / Must get to France / So we can French kiss some French girls” (from “Wet Hair”) don’t really sound particularly appealing on paper, but the band carries them on their own enthusiasm. In a way, they’ve managed to make their lyrical deficiencies an asset by not weighing themselves down with anything too heavy. Things might get a little melancholy with sentiments like “We used to go out / Get drunk / And get sad” on “Rockers East Vancouver” but Japandroids make that sadness into something more triumphant and anthemic.
With a 35-minute run time, the record’s a fairly quick listen with an impressive amount of momentum. It’s only when that momentum slows that the album stumbles a little. The six-minute “Crazy/Forever” attempts a slow-burn with sparkly, churning guitars. It’s not entirely unsuccessful, but it’s also easily the album’s least memorable track. Matters aren’t helped by the somewhat awkward placement of the song. It comes off as something that should be a centerpiece, yet shows up too late on the record to actually be one. Had the track been pushed back a few slots, it might have made for something a little more effective. Dirge-like closer “I Quit Girls” is far more effective in slowing down the group’s breakneck pace, functioning with the thickness of mid-90s emo groups like Sunny Day Real Estate.
It’s a testament to Japandroids that their biggest failing here is that they simply weren’t able to accomplish more. However, that’s also somewhat of a comfort; with plenty of bands out there trying to make grand artistic statements, it’s good to see that someone is in the business of making simple, universal rock music. It’ll be nice to see if they can branch out even further on future releases, but for now, they should be content with making 2009’s greatest debut thus far.