How much noise can one guitarist and one drummer make? This question has guided Brian King and David Prowse of Japandroids from their early lo-fi days to their current status as one of the best rock ‘n’ roll groups around. Four and a half years following their critically-acclaimed sophomore album “Celebration Rock,” Japandroids finally returned with “Near to the Wild Heart of Life,” once again proving they are one of the most underappreciated groups in the industry.
“Near to the Wild Heart of Life” isn’t a simple retread of Japandroids’ past efforts — they’d already written the perfect rock song with “The House That Heaven Built.” Instead, they’ve taken a more mature and experimental approach to their songwriting, pushing their boundaries despite using only two instruments. Following a conventional opening track that bears the same name as the album, “North East South West” kicks in with a Springsteen-style acoustic opening only to gradually build towards its final grandiose moments. Giant backing vocals and a 90-second Americana breakdown at the end make for a stand-out track that would have fit in previous albums.
Elsewhere, the seven-minute “Arc of Bar” showcases the greatest level of experimentation ever attempted by King and Prowse. Utilizing a guitar loop that becomes more of a noisy backing than a melody or a riff, King uses the background grime music to emphasize the down and dirty lyrics about the worst of bar life. “Some men offer confession / For their souls and grace of God / For others women, women are for mercy / And mosquitos they’re abuzz” is an unsettling depiction of late-night stints at the pub.
The powerful closer “In a Body Like a Grave” nicely rounds out the record’s themes. King is not naive to the hardships of life, listing them off before lamenting it’s “Just the way it is.” In one of the best moments in recent rock history, however, the song’s bridge acts as a triumphant manifesto for how to live vivaciously: “Gather the gang and make that night / An ultimatum to the universe, f--k or fight.”
It’s far too easy to judge this as a call to hedonism, but King’s passionate pleas for sex, booze and rock ‘n’ roll are wrapped up in a fierce romantic desire to live life to the fullest while still young and capable. This bridge serves as the counterpoint to all the anxieties facing King throughout the record — a return to the ideals of “Celebration Rock” in the face of inevitable aging and death. “And it’s all in a lifetime / And all in a body like a grave” becomes a call to arms, not a reason to weep. This passion represents a fierce love for life and people beyond simple pleasure.
“Near to the Wild Heart of Life” finds Japandroids caught between growing up and ferociously living their youth. “And it’s all out war for the soul between / Dreams that are hungry and the fears that feed” captures this sentiment perfectly. It’s only halfway to maturity, but it’s exactly this transitory nature which makes the record so compelling. The hiatus has done little to stall the evocative power that solely two guys playing rock music can deliver. And even if it weren’t for all this, King would still have the best guitar tone around.
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