Anti- Records, June 26, 2020
Japandroids bring the rapturous noise to Massey Fucking Hall
Vancouver’s Japandroids put out one of my favorite records of the past ten years or so when they dropped Celebration Rock in 2012. It was sandwiched by the solid Post-Nothing and the excellent slight-detour Near To The Wild Heart Of Life. On all three records, Japandroids were at their best when they reached a fever-pitch of passion that yielded soaring guitars, shouted vocals, and thundering drums. The songs were great, but the energy was addictive. On their new live record, Massey Fucking Hall, Japandroids brings that contagious energy to the Toronto audience.
Massey has some of my favorite songs from Post-Nothing, Celebration, and Wild Heart, and they get the full energy treatment on here. The roar of Post-Nothing’s “Young Hearts Spark Fire” is deafening and when singer Brian King and drummer Dave Prowse do the “whoa”, you face a nearly constitutional requirement to sing along. Same goes for the Celebration song and Massey closer “The House That Heaven Built”. There is so much pure energy here that it feels like the song might just go on forever. Sure, it’s loaded with all the magnificent imperfections of any real live performance. But I want to feel like I’m there, a part of something. And thankfully, Japandroids pretty much obliges. “The Nights of Wine And Roses” does the same thing. When that insistent guitar starts up and King shouts out “long lit up tonight and still drinking”, I get shivers. And the whole “yell like hell to the heavens” part is made for the live thing. Whenever I listen to the Celebration version in my car, I’m sure the people I’m driving around think I’m losing my mind as I sing along. But the live thing is next level in its wonderful imperfection.
A couple of lesser favorites of mine also fare well in a live setting. I’ll admit it, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life has been a slow grower for me. I’ve liked it, but it’s never resonated with me quite the same way that Celebration Rock did. But the songs from the record are some of my favorites on Massey. In particular, “Arc Of Bar” digs in the reverb, churning out a hypnotic groove that reminds me fondly of seeing Secret Machines live many, many years ago. And “No Known Drink Or Drug” gets by on stubborn energy with guitars that alternately serrate and twinkle in the hall. King sounds mostly weary, but determined. Each has me wanting to dig back into Wild Heart, and each shows the real greatness of the right band live, with nothing to hide behind and nothing else to do but go for it.
Massey Fucking Hall is a torrent of guitars and howls and drums and sweat. The natural reverb of the venue is on full display and makes for a great sounding record. All together, Japandroids gives us a live performance that makes me want to get past our current quarantined reality all the more. Worth a listen.
You might like this if:
- You like Japandroids and need some live music energy right about now
You might not if:
- You don’t like Japandroids, fun, or live records
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
