2012.06.25 Japandroids - Post-Nothing

Color: Black (Dammit! Missed out on the white copy!)

Release Date: 2009, August 14

Label: Polyvinyl

Hype is a dangerous thing, kids. It can make or brake a band. In this case, hype didn’t keep me from purchasing this album but it definitely prevented me from giving it the proper attention. Let it be known though, that I am always at least interested in whatever the folks at a damn fine label like Polyvinyl are releasing. I guess for me the band got lumped into the “flavor of the month” club because of all the press they were getting at the time. Butcha’know something? Sometimes the hype is generated with good reason. Of course, for Post-Nothing I wouldn’t immediately know that. A few days ago, someone put on the just-released second album from this Vancouver duo and I liked what I was hearing. The next day, a different co-worker put on this record. It was hard to deny the riffs, coupled with a heavy dose of catchiness and a dash of punk rock fury. A prime example of this is the excellent “Young Hearts Spark Fire” with it’s anthemic cry of “We used to dream. Now we worry about dying… I don’t want to worry about dying.” Truer words, kids. Then there is the closing, gorgeous “I Quit Girls” which seems to take a (welcome in this listener’s ears) page from the HUM play book. The design of the record is nothing fancy at all. It’s well done but very bare bones with its black and white, Futura-heavy layout. It’s if the band is saying “We don’t really want to deal with any of the trappings… we just want to rock” (gee, intentional ya think?).