Celebration Rock | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 5, 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2010–2011 | |||
Studio | The Hive Creative Labs, Vancouver | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 35:10 | |||
Label | Polyvinyl | |||
Producer | Japandroids | |||
Japandroids chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Celebration Rock | ||||
|
Celebration Rock is the second studio album by Canadian rock duo Japandroids, released on June 5, 2012, by Polyvinyl. Recorded in Vancouver with Post-Nothing engineer Jesse Gander, the band aspired to capture the spirit and energy of their live shows, thus forgoing standard studio techniques such as double tracking and overdubbing, while consciously taking into account the perceived reaction of their audience to hearing the songs live in concert. [1] [2]
The album was released to widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its blending of classic rock and punk rock influences. [3] [4] The Globe and Mail named it the best Canadian album of 2012, while CBC declared it the best rock album of the year, later ranking it #91 on its list of The 100 Greatest Canadian Albums Ever. [5] [6] [7] The album was also well received internationally, with Rolling Stone calling it one of The 10 Coolest Summer Albums of All Time, and Spin naming the duo Band of the Year. [8] [9] Pitchfork later recognized Celebration Rock as one of best albums of the 2010s, describing it as "the most beautiful, life-affirming rock record of the decade". [10]
Japandroids toured extensively in support of their first album, performing over 200 shows in more than 20 countries between June 2009 and October 2010. Following two New Year's shows December 31 and January 1 at Schubas Tavern in Chicago, the band decided to discontinue touring in support of Post-Nothing, and return to Vancouver to begin work on a new album. [11] [12]
After taking the bulk of 2011 off to work on new material, Japandroids revealed that they would tour North America with Bass Drum of Death throughout August and September playing primarily smaller, intimate venues in order to test out their new material prior to the recording of their second album. [13] During these shows, the band debuted several new songs including "Fire's Highway,"", "Adrenaline Nightshift", and "Evil's Sway". [14]
Following the tour, the band temporarily relocated from Vancouver to Nashville to continue writing. [15] The duo cited disillusion with Vancouver, as well as the difficulty of returning to a sedentary lifestyle following two years of continuous touring, as the primary motivations for the move. [16] Both "The House That Heaven Built" and "Continuous Thunder" were written during this period.
The album was recorded in Vancouver with Post-Nothing engineer Jesse Gander. The band has said they intended for the album to capture the spirit and energy of their live shows, [1] thus foregoing standard studio techniques such as double tracking and overdubbing, while consciously taking into account the perceived reaction of their audience to hearing the songs live in concert. [2] On recording the album, guitarist Brian King said "Technically speaking, the process for recording Celebration Rock was almost identical to that of our previous records: same studio, same engineer, same equipment, same techniques, etc. To me, the progression lies in the songwriting, the captured performances, and the mixing/production of the album, all of which are simply reflections of our shared knowledge and experience since recording Post-Nothing ." [17]
In an interview with Pitchfork, drummer Dave Prowse cited Appetite for Destruction as a specific influence on the album's sequencing. [12] Rather than having a traditional ‘Side A’ and ‘Side B’ structure, Appetite For Destruction is split into ‘G’ and ‘R’ sides: the former 'Gun' side dealing with violence and debauchery (‘Welcome To The Jungle’, ‘Paradise City’), while the latter 'Roses' side focused on love and sex (‘Sweet Child o' Mine’, ‘Rocket Queen’). As King further explained, "We had this idea of the album having two sides, where [like Appetite For Destruction] ‘Side A’ is super-intense and ‘Side B’ is softer and poppier." [12]
The music on Celebration Rock has been described as "one part classic rock, one part punk", [3] due to the blending of classic rock influences such as Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, with punk rock influences such as The Replacements and Hüsker Dü. [18] [19] [4] [20] Critic Steven Hyden described Celebration Rock as "taking a mighty lunge at the pantheon of great rock records," commenting that the album "addresses the teenage wasteland with the bombastic mix of fury and empathy that derives from Who's Next ; traffics in the same streetwise rock-patter drivel originating from Born to Run ; has the drunkard's sentimentality of Let It Be, and the tour-weary determinism of Appetite for Destruction . It's a beefy, pop-conscious punk record in the mold of Nevermind , and it's destined to become, like White Blood Cells , an important battle in the never-ending war to end bass playing as we know it." [21]
The band has repeatedly cited Live at Raji's by The Dream Syndicate as a major influence, stating that it was the record they had listened to the most during the writing and recording of Celebration Rock. [22] The song "The Nights of Wine and Roses" is an homage to The Dream Syndicate song "The Days of Wine and Roses". [22]
Lyrically, Celebration Rock has been described as a callback to classic rock conventions for its use of universal, mythic rock & roll language, including the use of contrasting themes such as good and evil, heaven and hell, life and death, young and old, etc. As Ian Cohen of Pitchfork noted, "Japandroids have gone from having almost none at all [lyrics] to packing their songs with an astonishing command of legend and literalism that all but dares you to feel something." [4] Regarding his use of language and themes, King stated:
Personally, I really like the concepts of good and evil, heaven and hell -- the extreme boundaries of how people can feel and how fast things can change. I like that language. I'm not talking about just some night you felt a certain way, I'm talking about the night you felt that way -- that one time. People have always alluded to those extremes as a way of characterizing the most intense feelings since blues and the early days of rock. A blues singer won't say, "We broke up." He'll say, "Satan stole my baby from me." You just pick it up.
King has cited the novel Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry as a primary influence, inspiring him to try using more descriptive and poetic language in his lyrics: "In retrospect, the only work I can see reflected in the lyrics of Celebration Rock is Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry, a book I read twice during 2010-2011." [17] [23]
World tour by Japandroids | |
Location | North America South America Europe Asia Oceania |
---|---|
Start date | March 8, 2012 São Paulo, Brazil |
End date | November 10, 2013 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Legs | 13 |
No. of shows | 228 North America (101) South America (8) Europe (89) Asia (15) Oceania (15) |
Japandroids concert chronology |
On March 26, 2012, Japandroids announced that their second album Celebration Rock would be released by Polyvinyl on June 5, 2012, [24] preceded by a limited edition 7" of the album's first single "The House That Heaven Built" on May 15, 2012. [25] On May 27, 2012, Celebration Rock was streamed in its entirety on NPR Music. [26] The album was released in the band's native Canada on May 29, 2012. On June 8, 2012, the band performed the songs "Fire's Highway" and "The House That Heaven Built" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon . [27] On February 25, 2013, the band performed the song "The Nights of Wine & Roses" on Conan . [28] On February 27, 2013, it was announced that "The House That Heaven Built" had temporarily been named the entrance theme for the Vancouver Canucks professional ice hockey team. [29] On June 20, 2013, the band performed the song "Adrenaline Nightshift" on Late Show with David Letterman . [30]
A video for "The House That Heaven Built", Japandroids' first music video, was released in August to promote the single. [31] The black-and-white video, directed by Jim Larson and produced by Pitchfork.tv, documented one week in the life of Japandroids on tour using footage from the east coast portion of their spring 2012 U.S. tour, including live footage from shows in Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York City, Brooklyn, and Washington, D.C. [32]
Japandroids toured heavily in support of Celebration Rock, performing over 200 shows in more than 40 countries between March 2012 and November 2013. [33] The Celebration Rock Tour consisted of 13 individual legs across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, including numerous festival appearances: Coachella, Bonnaroo, Sasquatch!, Pitchfork, Firefly, Governors Ball, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Free Press Summer Fest, and Metallica's festival Orion in the United States, Primavera Sound, Optimus Alive!, Paredes de Coura, Pitchfork (Paris), OFF, Latitude and Longitude festivals in Europe, Vive Latino in Mexico, Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, and Laneway Festival in Australia. [34]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 8.0/10 [35] |
Metacritic | 83/100 [36] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [37] |
The A.V. Club | A [38] |
Chicago Tribune | [39] |
The Irish Times | [40] |
MSN Music (Expert Witness) | A− [41] |
NME | 6/10 [42] |
Pitchfork | 8.8/10 [43] |
Rolling Stone | [44] |
Slant Magazine | [45] |
Spin | 9/10 [46] |
Celebration Rock was released to critical acclaim. On Metacritic, the album has a score of 83 out of 100, based on 33 collected reviews. [36] The A.V. Club's Kyle Ryan wrote, "Maybe it's because the songs were so hard won after that long dry spell that they sound especially lively, but Celebration Rock starts strong and stays there over the course of its eight songs and 35 minutes." [38] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork gave the album a "Best New Music" designation, writing that even though Celebration Rock was recorded the same exact way as Post-Nothing,Celebration Rock "[..] dwarf[s] its impressive predecessor." Cohen continued: "[I]n writing about something other than the experience of being Japandroids, the duo taps into a power greater than itself to address impossibly vast and elemental topics-- friendship, lust, revenge, art, self-actualization-- with songs every bit as big." [43] Megan Ritt of Consequence of Sound felt that the band had "retained the energy that pulses below the surface of the best tracks on Post-Nothing and infused it with more focus. Where Post-Nothing melts into a hazy dream, Celebration Rock does exactly what it claims to do—it burns on and on like the best sort of party." [47]
Not all reviews were positive, however. NME 's Alex Denney gave Celebration Rock a mixed review, writing "Japandroids know how to bring the ruckus. But elsewhere the power-chord pummelage gets a bit one-note — and The Gun Club cover only reminds us that journeymen like these have no business dancing with the bones of Jeffrey Lee Pierce." [42] Now 's Carla Gillis criticized the album's repetitiveness, writing "[..] the band's refusal ever to let up on volume, bombast, group-shouted vocals, fast-strummed chords or smashing drums makes Celebration Rock an exhausting sonic assault in need of variety." [48]
The album peaked at number 37 on the Billboard 200.
Celebration Rock was nominated for the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. [49]
On June 14, 2012, the album was named as a long-listed nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize. [50] On July 17, Celebration Rock was named as a shortlisted nominee, making it one of ten possible candidates to win $30,000 and the recognition as the best Canadian album of the year as voted by jury of Canadian journalists and broadcasters. [51] The album lost to Feist's 2011 album Metals .
Celebration Rock appeared on many critics year-end best-of lists:
Metacritic lists the album as #5 on its 2012 Music Critic's List, which collects and tallies the individual year-end Top Ten lists published by major music critics and publications. [69] In Canada, The Globe and Mail (Canada's newspaper of record) named Celebration Rock the best Canadian album of 2012, [5] while CBC declared it the best rock album of the year, later ranking it #91 on its list of The 100 Greatest Canadian Albums Ever. [6] [7] The album was also well received internationally, with Rolling Stone listing it as one of The 10 Coolest Summer Albums of All Time, and Spin magazine calling it the third best album of 2012, later naming Japandroids 2012's Band of the Year. [8] [9]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Nights of Wine and Roses" | Japandroids | 4:02 |
2. | "Fire's Highway" | Japandroids | 4:44 |
3. | "Evil's Sway" | Japandroids | 4:27 |
4. | "For the Love of Ivy" (The Gun Club cover) | Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Kid Congo Powers | 4:13 |
5. | "Adrenaline Nightshift" | Japandroids | 4:26 |
6. | "Younger Us" | Japandroids | 3:33 |
7. | "The House That Heaven Built" | Japandroids | 4:49 |
8. | "Continuous Thunder" | Japandroids | 4:59 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
9. | "Heavenward Grand Prix" | Japandroids | 3:55 |
10. | "Art Czars" | Japandroids | 4:02 |
11. | "Sex and Dying in High Society" (X cover) | Exene Cervenka, John Doe | 2:38 |
12. | "Shame" (PJ Harvey cover) | PJ Harvey | 2:18 |
13. | "Racer-X" (Big Black cover) | Big Black | 3:17 |
14. | "Jack The Ripper" (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds cover) | Nick Cave | 3:55 |
15. | "Younger Us" (7" Version) | Japandroids | 3:35 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
9. | "Jack The Ripper" (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds cover) | Nick Cave | 3:55 |
10. | "Heavenward Grand Prix" | Japandroids | 3:55 |
11. | "Shame" (PJ Harvey cover) | PJ Harvey | 2:18 |
12. | "Art Czars" | Japandroids | 4:02 |
13. | "Racer-X" (Big Black cover) | Big Black | 3:17 |
14. | "Younger Us" (7" Version) | Japandroids | 3:35 |
15. | "Sex and Dying in High Society" (X cover) | Exene Cervenka, John Doe | 2:38 |
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 | 37 [70] |
US Billboard Independent Albums | 7 [70] |
US Billboard Alternative Albums | 9 [70] |
US Billboard Rock Albums | 17 [70] |
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located in Montreal.
The New Pornographers are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1997 in Vancouver. Presented as a musical collective and supergroup of singer-songwriters and musicians from multiple projects, the band has released nine studio albums to date. The band have received critical acclaim for their use of multiple vocalists and songwriters, as well as for the elements of power pop incorporated into their music. Pitchfork has described the band's sound as "peppy, gleeful, headstrong guitar pop", while Stereogum has retrospectively praised the band's debut album Mass Romantic as "one of the greatest and most immediate power pop albums ever rendered".
Of Montreal is an American indie pop band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontperson Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance between Barnes and a woman "of Montreal". The band is identified as part of the Elephant 6 collective. Throughout its existence, of Montreal's musical style has evolved considerably and drawn inspiration from 1960s psychedelic pop acts.
Deerhoof is an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. They consist of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band, Deerhoof became widely renowned and influential in the 2000s through their self-produced albums.
Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up also includes former core member Sarah Neufeld and multi-instrumentalists Paul Beaubrun and Dan Boeckner. Each of the band's studio albums features contributions from composer and violinist Owen Pallett.
Mint Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based independent record label founded in 1991, by friends and campus radio enthusiasts Randy Iwata and Bill Baker. Mint has put out over 150 releases, several of which have won Juno Awards.
Black Mountain is a Canadian psychedelic rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. The band is composed of Stephen McBean, Jeremy Schmidt, Adam Bulgasem, Amber Webber, Arjan Miranda. Since forming in 2004, Black Mountain has released five LPs, Black Mountain (2005), In the Future (2008), Wilderness Heart (2010), IV (2016) and Destroyer (2019); two EPs and a number of singles, mostly on the Jagjaguwar label.
Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The label also has satellite offices in New York, Austin, and the Bay Area. Polyvinyl has put out over 400 releases to date.
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was increased to $30,000 for the 2011 award. In May 2015, the Polaris Music Prize was increased to $50,000, an additional $20,000, sponsored by Slaight Music. Additionally, second place prizes for the nine other acts on the Short List increased from $2,000 to $3,000. Polaris officials also announced The Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, an award that "will annually honour five albums from the five decades before Polaris launched in 2006." Details about the selection process for this prize are still to be revealed.
Japandroids were a Canadian rock duo from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 2006. The band consisted of Brian King and David Prowse.
Post-Nothing is the debut studio album by Canadian rock duo Japandroids.
No Singles is a compilation album by Canadian rock duo Japandroids.
"Younger Us" is the second 7" single by Canadian rock duo Japandroids. It was released by Polyvinyl Record Co. on July 20, 2010. The initial pressing was limited to 2500 copies on clear vinyl. The song has been later included on Japandroids' second album Celebration Rock.
The discography of Canadian rock band Japandroids consists of three studio albums, one compilation album, two extended plays, ten singles, and two music videos.
Destroyer is a Canadian indie rock band from Vancouver, formed in 1995. The band is fronted by founding member Dan Bejar, with a collective of regular band members and collaborators joining him in the studio and during live performances. Alongside Bejar, Destroyer currently includes longtime producers John Collins (bass) and David Carswell (guitar), Nicolas Bragg, Ted Bois (keyboards), JP Carter (trumpet) and Joshua Wells (drums).
"The House That Heaven Built" is the fourth 7" single by Canadian rock duo Japandroids. It was released by Polyvinyl Record Co. on May 15, 2012. The initial pressing is limited to 2000 copies on clear vinyl. The song is the first single from Japandroids' second album Celebration Rock.
PUP is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 2010, originally under the name Topanga. PUP's debut album PUP was released on October 8, 2013, on Royal Mountain Records. In December 2013, PUP signed with SideOneDummy Records and re-released their debut album in the United States on April 8, 2014. The group was in the studio in late 2015 recording their second album The Dream Is Over which was released on May 27, 2016, through SideOneDummy. The band's third album, titled Morbid Stuff, was released on April 5, 2019. This Place Sucks Ass, a six-track EP, was released on October 27, 2020. Their fourth album, The Unraveling of PUPTheBand, was released on April 1, 2022.
Alvvays is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and subsequently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan (keyboards), Alec O'Hanley (guitars), and Sheridan Riley (drums). Their self-titled debut studio album, released in 2014, topped the US college charts. Their second studio album, Antisocialites, was released on September 8, 2017. Their third studio album, Blue Rev, was released on October 7, 2022.
Dilly Dally were a Canadian alternative rock band from Toronto. The band consisted of Enda Monks, Liz Ball, Annie Jane Marie (bassist) and Benjamin Reinhartz (drummer). They announced their breakup on March 2, 2023.
Near to the Wild Heart of Life is the third studio album by the Canadian rock duo Japandroids, released on January 27, 2017, by ANTI-. Described by the band as their first attempt at making a "proper studio album", it features a more polished aesthetic than their previous releases.