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“Wet Hair” – Japandroids
(Words: Brian King, music: Japandroids, available on Post-Nothing, Polyvinyl 2009) 

In between outbreaks of Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear hype, a noise-obsessed offshoot of skatepunk turned some heads.  I tried the Wavves album but couldn’t get past the murky aesthetic, so my burst of noise punk came via Japandroids Post-Nothing.  Guitarist Brian King and drummer David Prowse play off each other like two careening fireballs, trading rapid fire licks at a furious pace.  Songs like “Wet Hair” blast out of the speakers like a trebly mess of guitar and cymbals with both King and Prowse trading vocals – in this case, about pursuing unconventional girls.  Their limited lineup makes room for the chaos – King and Prowse can embellish their licks without crowding the mix because they are the complete show.  It gives King’s guitar room to feedback beneath his vocals and Prowse the excuse to go slightly overboard with his kick pedal. 

Still, there’s skill underneath the chaos – King seems to know his way around the Sonic Youth chord book, and Prowse spits out lightning fast hi-hat fills.  In this case, the technique takes a back seat to the exuberance.  The sing-songy repetition of the few lines (and the rocket propulsion of the riffs) make “Wet Hair” sound like a headrush.  It’s appropriate for the mix of lust and hedonism in the scant lines, giving it the kind of urgency that reminds me of late summer teenage hijinx.  Even if their performance on Jimmy Fallon last night wasn’t as over-the-top as I expected, it’s hard to deny that these two (and the crowd behind them) look like they’re having fun.

More on Japandroids: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm