Japandroids - Celebration Rock

If a more perfect opening track ever met an as-perfect album title, it "The Nights Of Wine & Roses" from Celebration Rock. "We scream like hell to the heavens".

A pair of garage rockers fond of big choruses don't just stop there. This whole album is a collection anthems that beg to be shouted by a club or even an arena full of summer-sweated kids just beginning to find out what it means to be alive. (And maybe also to old fogeys who can find their youth somewhere through the haze.)

There are a ton of "Oh yeahs!" and "All rights!" in this collection. But instead of it sounding sloppy, lazy or naive, it sounds like the righteousness of of the ages amoung all of those who have earned these expressions. As pure and true as when Chuck Berry called it out. But there are also plenty of thoughtful and unique ways of spreading this joy.

"We all cut loose our gold

'Cause we need fire and only kindling can it buy"

 

"Remember that night you were already in bed
Said fuck it, got up to drink with me instead"

In eight short songs, Japandroids take the best of what The Hold Steady, The Gaslight Anthem and The Thermals have done pretty well, amped it up and created an even bigger fire. A highlight of the year. (5 of 5 stars)