![]() ![]() “North East South West” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on John Mellencamp’s Scarecrow back in ’85. There’s nothing particularly new or innovative about Near to the Wild Heart. Get it where you can, sub-genre be damned. Not in a world where quality new rock music has all but died. Those aren’t pet causes for which I’d be bothered to ride. That is as long as you’re not one of those voicing dismay about this album sounding less “punk-rooted” then its predecessors, or other similarly irrelevant tripe. With that being said, does it, you know, actually rock? Yes, yes it does. If we’re making predictions, the answer is: probably not. Is it as strong as Celebration Rock? That’s not something you can call without the benefit of more time. Because Celebration Rock, in another era, would have done that already. Will the release of this taut, eight-song, thirty-three album, Near to the Wild Heart of Life, be their tipping point? Hard to say. It’s also, more than likely, a contributing factor as to why the Vancouver-based Japandroids, aren’t full-fledged rock superstars yet. The unintended consequence of Albumism doing so, in rock’s case, underscores what the game’s been missing. It’s also part of the purpose of the site you’re currently visiting, in paying tribute to many of those great albums of years past, among which rock boasts a large chunk. Summoning the spirit that great, unadulterated, raw rock & roll generates, is something I still seek to do. Please believe, that is not for a lack of trying. But the last rock and roll album that really jumped out of the speakers was Japandroids’ Celebration Rock. You can disagree with me, while touting whatever hipster rock-hybrid title you want, or pretend Radiohead’s still putting out great albums despite not having made one in nearly a decade since 2007’s In Rainbows. ![]() ![]() Point blank, rock and roll’s been dead, for more than a minute. It’s both a testament to this band’s strengths, and a lament to long-gone days of rock & roll as a vibrant musical art form with contemporary cultural capital. While music criticism is by nature subjective, that’s a lot closer to fact than any “alternative fact” typically trotted out during this “facts don’t matter” era. Although they technically debuted in mid-2009, Japandroids remain the only rock band of record to arrive in this decade. ![]()
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