Somewhere deep in the wiring of my brain, there are some jumbled up synapses. This is the part of my brain that decides to ignore hype—even when the thing being hyped is squarely in my Q-zone.

This has led to some gaps in my musical knowledge that make no sense. And in the case of Japandroids’ brilliant sophomore record, the exact overlap of my sensibilities are so close to the thing being hyped that you can see a perfect impression around it, like the swimming pool scene in Hollow Man. 

Because friends, there has been a Celebration Rock shaped hole in my life.

Let’s run down the list.

Exciting guitar parts? As a two-piece, Brian King has a lot of space to fill, and boy does he. He has a brilliant way of creating melodies within his chord changes that I love. Check.

Engaging vocals? Brother, every single vocal part on this record is sung with every ounce of passion that the human vocal cord can muster. Every line is jubilant and triumphant. It calls itself Celebration Rock and it delivers. Check.

Interesting grooves? David Prowse (not that one) plays across the drum set like he’s dancing on it. The interplay between his drumming and King’s playing is the stuff of magic. Big ol’ check.

So obviously, it took me thirteen years to give it a shot. And mostly just because I found it in the wild. But now that I’ve finally overcome the knot in my brain, it’s time to listen to this on repeat until it builds some new pathways.