Japandroids

Japandroids are the guitar/drums duo Brian King and David Prowse, whose music is load, stock and barrel old school rock'n roll. There is a strong sense of DIY aesthetic to their work, which follows the same stripped down basic blueprint throughout: strong hooks and melodies that are not too far from power pop, presented through a relentlessly riffing and soloing guitar and an always-on drummer who continues to pound his set and crash his cymbals, all in the service of a powerful garage rock sound. The band is brimming with an undeniable raw energy that does not let up. The melodic core of their songs is not in the spotlight, but it comes across loud and clear. They are not a very prolific band, given the long breaks they take between albums. They are, however, a kind of band that one is just as likely to hear in a stadium setting shouting big anthems as they are to see them in a dingy bar shouting over a sea of empty beer bottles.