New Minglewood Blues: Introducing Japandroids

Perhaps you haven’t heard of Japandroids yet? They haven’t necessarily lodged their way into the mainstream since their 2006 formation, but they are steadily building a mature audience in an inspiring David and Goliath fashion.

Before they were Japandroids, they were Brian King and David Prowse, two college students from Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. At the time, Vancouver wasn’t hot on live shows, forcing King and Prowse to take matters into their own hands. And an experimentation with a more do-it-yourself method commenced. With no backing or no signing from any label, big or small, the pair set off, securing their own performance venues, renting PA equipment, making their own backdrops and posters and leaving the rest to their friends.

They finally were able to record their own debut album, Post-Nothing, on their own. Although without the support of a label, they didn’t see their group getting anywhere. King and Prowse decided that they would release the album, perform their last two shows at Pop Montreal in Montreal and CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, and that would be the end of Japandroids. After hearing of their doubts, a small Canadian label, Unfamiliar Records, offered to sign them, despite their negativity. No one is sure if it was the help of the label, or the band’s purest of musical talents, but Japandroids was instantly recognized.

Pitchfork Media, a music website, loved their sound that was neither punk, rock or indie, but a marriage of the three. They helped skyrocketed the virtually unknown band to recognition with their single, “Young Hearts Spark Fire,” which won their Best New Music award. This helped Japandroids reach audiences outside of their homeland Canada.

With the success of Post-Nothing, the duo dropped Unfamiliar Records and moved on to the more advanced Polyvinyl Record Co. in June 2009. After touring throughout North America, Japandroids rarely heard a negative review. It was almost like a revival of the punk-rock days, where the live performances were so energetic and lively that listening to a studio recording was out of the question. They gradually took hold of their audiences’ ears, minds and hearts.

Keeping up with their previous do-it-yourself method, Japandroids wanted to test out some new material before setting off to the recording studio once again. They joined forces with Bass Drum of Death in touring rather small, more intimate venues, rather than larger stadiums. They wanted to hear the audiences’ reaction to the new material rather than race to release their sophomore album.

Celebration Rock, was eventually released May 29, 2012 in Canada and June 5 internationally. Whether it was their hearty yells, demented drums or rebellious guitar riffs, they received critical acclaim. Spin Magazine even scored their album with a 9 on their 10 scale album rankings.

Where are Japandroids now? Touring (click here and scroll down for tour dates), and most likely resting until their next studio appearance. If we’re lucky enough, maybe we’ll hear some new material soon. Until then, here are some Japandroid singles. Which one do you like best?