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All Music Guide:
Japandroids are an indie garage rock duo from Vancouver comprised of Brian King (guitar) and David Prowse (drums), who share singing duties. Founded in 2006, the band self-released a pair of five-track EPs, All Lies (2007) and Lullaby Death Jams (2008), before making its full-length album debut with Post-Nothing (2009) on the Canadian label Unfamiliar Records. Though Japandroids were more or less unknown at the time of their album debut, Post-Nothing got a big boost from the tastemaking website Pitchfork, which championed the album as one of its "Best New Music" selections. In 2010, Polyvinyl released a compilation that lumped together All Lies and Lullaby Death Jams, titled No Singles. This singles-mindedness continued in 2011 as the band released a series of 7"s in five installments. They also debuted new material during a late summer tour, and upon returning to the studio, aimed for songs that stadium crowds would feel. The results, aptly titled Celebration Rock, followed in June 2012.
Wikipedia:
Japandroids is a Canadian rock duo from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group consists of Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums, vocals). Formed in 2006, Japandroids rose to prominence in 2009 following the release of their debut album Post-Nothing. The group toured extensively throughout 2009–2010, earning praise for their energetic live performances.
Their sophomore album, Celebration Rock, was released on May 29, 2012 in Canada and June 5, 2012 internationally.
History [edit]
Early years (2006–2008) [edit]
Japandroids was formed in 2006 by Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums, vocals). The two met in 2000 while attending the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia, and upon discovering a mutual interest in music, began attending live shows together regularly in Victoria and Vancouver. In 2003, Prowse moved to Vancouver, transferring to Simon Fraser University. Eager to form their own band, King agreed to relocate to Vancouver following his graduation, doing so in 2005. Heavily influenced by the raw and energetic recordings of The Sonics, King and Prowse began writing and recording music in 2006, hoping to emulate the same style. While they originally intended to find a third member to act as lead vocalist, they later decided to forego having a specific lead singer and simply share vocal duties. The name Japandroids came from two other band name ideas: Japanese Scream (from Prowse) and Pleasure Droids (from King). Occasionally they would spell it without vowels, as JPNDRDS.
Frustrated by the lack of support for live music in Vancouver, as well as the difficulty of 'breaking into' the local music scene, King and Prowse regularly set up their own shows. Inspired by the do-it-yourself methods of bands like Fugazi, they would often arrange for a venue or space to play, rent PA equipment, design and distribute fliers and posters, as well as arrange for their friends to help run the shows. Japandroids performed their first live show on December 30, 2006. Over the next 2 years, they would perform regularly in Vancouver, but managed only short, sporadic tours due to conflicts with King's career in Geology. During this period, Japandroids self-released two EPs, 2007's All Lies, and 2008's Lullaby Death Jams. Each EP was limited to 500 copies, and would later be re-released as a compilation titled No Singles.
Japandroids recorded their first full-length album, Post-Nothing in the summer of 2008, with the intention of self-releasing it in 2009. However, by the fall of 2008, King and Prowse had become convinced that the band was going nowhere, and mutually decided to call it quits at the end of the year. It was agreed that their appearances at Pop Montreal in Montreal and CMJ Music Marathon in New York City would be their final live performances. It was also agreed that they would self-release the album early in 2009, but would not promote it. By December 2008, King was already attempting to assemble a new band.
Post-Nothing (2009–2010) [edit]
In January 2009, Japandroids signed to independent Canadian label Unfamiliar Records, who were eager to release the album, despite the band's reservations about continuing. Frustrated by label interest only after they had decided to break-up, King and Prowse reluctantly agreed to continue Japandroids temporarily, and began performing live again. In March 2009, taste-making website Pitchfork Media awarded the song "Young Hearts Spark Fire" a 'Best New Track' designation, instantaneously exposing the band to a large audience outside of Canada. Their debut album, Post-Nothing was released in Canada in April 2009, originally on vinyl only. Pitchfork immediately championed the album, awarding it a 'Best New Music' designation, and praising its rawness, energy and reckless abandon. Japandroids were subsequently signed to Polyvinyl Record Co. in June 2009.
Post-Nothing was released worldwide in August 2009 to widespread critical acclaim, especially in Canada where Exclaim! named it the second best album of 2009. It was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize as well as nominated for the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. The album was also well-received internationally, appearing on many year-end lists including Pitchfork Media (#15), Spin (#16), NME (#39), The A.V. Club (#25), Pop Matters (#35), Stereogum (#21), and reached No. 22 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.
Japandroids toured extensively to promote the album, and quickly gained notoriety for their energetic live performances. The Post-Nothing Tour consisted of 7 individual legs, and included over 200 shows in more than 20 countries. While primarily headlining their own shows, Japandroids also toured supporting acts such as A Place To Bury Strangers and Health in Europe, and The Walkmen in North America. The tour was originally scheduled to begin on April 23, 2009 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. After performing only one show, Japandroids were forced to postpone and reschedule the remainder of their first full-scale North American tour due to a health emergency. On the morning of April 24, 2009, King was checked into Calgary's Foothills Medical Center to undergo emergency surgery for a life-threatening perforated ulcer. Among the canceled dates was their show at the Sasquatch! Music Festival. Touring resumed June 13, 2009 after King's recovery with a performance at Vancouver's Music Waste festival. The final show of the Post-Nothing Tour took place on October 27, 2010 at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey, though two New Year's shows at Schubas Tavern in Chicago officially marked the end of the Post-Nothing album cycle.
Initially, the duo desired to include several more tracks on the album, but were unable due to insufficient funds. Many of the un-included tracks that the duo had written for the album were later recorded and released in 2010 as series of limited edition 7" singles. These tracks include "Art Czars", "Younger Us", and "Heavenward Grand Prix". The same year, Japandroids re-released their first two EPs as a compilation titled No Singles. The band has stated that both the 7" singles series, as well as the No Singles compilation, were designed to appease fans desire for more music, as they would not be able to record a 2nd album until 2011 due to an extensive touring schedule.
Celebration Rock (2011-present) [edit]
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/September playing primarily smaller, intimate venues in order to test out their new material prior to the recording of their second album. During these shows, the band debuted several new songs including "Fire's Highway," "Adrenaline Nightshift," and "Evil's Sway." On March 26, 2012, Japandroids announced that their second album Celebration Rock would be released by Polyvinyl Record Co. on May 29, 2012 in Canada and June 5, 2012 internationally. The album gained wide praise from critics, earning a Best New Music designation from Pitchfork and a 9 out of 10 score from Spin. It also made Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 albums of 2012. A limited edition 7" of the album's first single "The House That Heaven Built" was released on May 15, 2012. In 2013, the album made Ballast's list of top 50 Canadian albums of all time. A limited edition cassette was released by Joyful Noise Recordings.
On February 27. 2013, it was announced that the band's single "The House That Heaven Built" had been named the entrance theme for the Vancouver Canucks professional ice hockey team.
