Japanther/ Viking Club

Two more complementary bands would be hard to find. Brooklyn’s Japanther combine a lo-fi, D.I.Y. aesthetic with a positive message, sense of humour, and intense energy to create a wonderfully fun sound that is as boisterous on disc as it is in a live setting. Particularly on songs like "Pacific N.W.” the band’s knack for catchy songwriting but desire to drench any catchiness in a layer of tape hiss and samples is at its absolute best. Toronto’s Viking Club offer a more spastic, natural, but equally strong sound, which melds math rock riffs with drumming that simultaneously blends emocore and free-jazz, while the bass holds down a solid low-end over yelps and screams that recall Blood Brothers at their most deranged. Sadly the band’s swan song, each of the tracks possesses their own unique feeling and aural aesthetic, from the rather obvious synthesisers of the aptly named "Keyboard Song” or the disjointed vocal layering of "Wingdigzs.”