Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
 |
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Reviewer: Greg Hutton |
No Singles collects the Japandroids’ first two self-released EPs, All Lies (2007) and Lullaby Death Jams (2008), presented here in reverse-chronological order. Considered all together, the elements that made 2009’s Post-Nothing so enjoyable are all accounted for including the high-energy, distorted dual-vocal dynamic, flanged-out guitar, and shifting song structures. However, those looking for this to be the next big step for the group need to keep in mind that this is not a follow-up album, but rather an expanded release for EPs that were originally limited to the 500 CD-Rs of each produced by the band. It is tempting to liken No Singles to Nirvana’s Incesticide, which was released after the success of Nevermind; although Incesticide often meandered into strange territories, its purpose of familiarizing the hordes of fans that had amassed nearly overnight with the band’s back catalogue and influences largely carries over here. That said, No Singles is much more cohesive than Nirvana’s odds-and-sods collection.
Lullaby is considerably darker than its companion EP, and often finds the band channelling their inner Big Black. The jerky, one-chord riff of opener ‘Darkness on the Edge of Gastown’ and the ascending speed-riff of ‘Lovers/Strangers’ sound like Steve Albini on a good day; ‘Darkness’ in particular appears to draw from Big Black’s ‘Racer X’ (which the band covers live) as both build along a repeating stop/start riff.
Conversely, the cheery major chord progression of ‘No Allegiance to the Queen’ and its anthemic chorus would not seem out of place on Post-Nothing (or as a Grant Hart contribution to a Husker Du record). ‘Sexual Aerosol’ is a rare misstep thanks to a gratingly nasal vocal performance that borders on obnoxious. The nearly seven minute ‘Lucifer’s Symphony’ finds the band exploring darker timbres, alternating back and forth from plodding and foreboding to explosive and energetic, and would have served as an excellent closer to the original EP. Lullaby’s five tracks never stay in the same place long, and the Japandroids’ ability to seamlessly weave shifting song structures together allows these transitions to remain organic, rather than becoming a distraction.
The All Lies half of the collection is significantly more upbeat than its opening section. ‘Couture Suicide’ and ‘Coma Complacency’ are borderline gentle, with the latter representing the closest thing to a ballad the band has yet released. ‘To Hell With Good Intentions’ is a standout of the collection, combining bravado (“Our band is better than your band… My dad is bigger than your dad, etc.”) with a wild high-register vocal performance that highlights the common element of fun that runs throughout the band’s output. Overall, it’s likely that the Post-Nothing devotees will find themselves more at home with the brighter, less experimental All Lies.
Like Incesticide, No Singles could either be a great access point for someone unfamiliar with the band or it could fail spectacularly in attempting to engage a listener. On one hand, these releases can be a great overview of a band’s beginnings and influences, and can facilitate understanding of a discography. As counterpoint, they can suffer from sub-par production values and sonically may be too challenging a listen (case in point: even though No Singles has been remastered, the vocals are often buried in the mix, detracting from the anthemic sing-along quality that the band exhibits when at its best). It may take some patience and perseverance in approaching No Singles, but the effort is well worth it.
