One of the solid releases from January this year came from Canadian duo Japandroids. In 2012, they dropped Celebration Rock and generated a respectable hype, mostly thanks to positive reviews on trendsetting music portals. From then on, they had several successful world tours, and they generally have a reputation of concert attraction not to be missed.
Japandroids were on a five year hiatus caused by a prolonged vacation and geographical separation of the members. The band wanted to collaborate with Peter Katis, a producer known for his work with The National and Interpol.
Not being pretentious is their forte. Self-confidence never turns into annoying narcissism with this guys. Contrary to its predecessors, Near to the Wild Heart of Life is slightly less powerful. Lo-fi aesthetic and noisy garage rock is replaces with contemporary indie rock sound, still enthusiastic and passionate enough to strike the cord. Brian King and David Prowse decided to evolve their sound, so take this record as the result of their unfinished evolution.
Punk with catchy melodies and choruses make you remember few songs right after the first listen. The advanced lyrics are obvious, as the topics are not only about drinking beer and chasing girls anymore. For example, the title track is about migration and it contains strong Joyce references. In fact, the title of the record is taken from Joyce’s famous novel A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man. While reading Near To The Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector, I was inspired to try and write a song that mimicked both the style and structure of the novel, somehow hoping to retain what I could of the tone and themes, while at the same time incorporating my own ideas and experiences, said Brian King in the statement on the band’s official website.
Standouts tracks include True Life and a Free Life Of Free Life and No Known Drink or Drug. The rest of the album is equal in its entice quality. To summarize, there is nothing epochal, but you are definitely not wasting your time If you are listening to this record.
