Celebration Rock

Imagine a different Eighties: The Replacements made Born in the USA, Hüsker Dü were Hulk Hogan’s entrance music, and indie rock was the keggercrushing choice of Top Gun America. On their second LP, Vancouver drums-guitar duo Japandroids sing about lost youth and sex and drinking atop hammer-of-the-geeks distortion swirls and holler-along refrains a gorilla could pump some paw to. It’s just eight songs (including a scorchedearth oldie by Eighties L.A. garage scumbos the Gun Club), but ‘Roids singer-guitarist Brian King doesn’t need much time to make their point: “She’ll kiss away your gypsy fears/And turn some restless nights to restless years.”

Listen to ‘Celebration Rock’:

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