Sonic Sandwich: The House that Japandroids Built

I try not to re-read my reviews. Once I post them, I give them another once-over to make sure all the points I wanted to get in are in there, and sufficiently supported. Sometimes, when listening to-and-then-writing about music, I get very in my own head and it's hard to translate what I'm feeling. The blog has always been more or less an attempt to negotiate with that. I'm usually satisfied when I hit "publish," and then a few months down the line, if I happen to check back in, I'll inevitably wince. It's kind of the reason reviews have slowed to a trickle lately, I want all the time I can get to make sure I'm saying it right.

As time moves on after a review, I'll usually keep listening to the album, and I'll think "I wish that occurred to me at the time." Not only do I think of better ways to say what I said, I think of better ways to think of the album. Opinions change over time. I never post anything I think I might contradict down the line, and that holds true for every review I've written. But I inevitably hear new and better things in them.

This is what's been going through my head tonight as I've had a brief exchange with my friend and colleague James Leask about Japandroids' excellent 2012 album Celebration Rock. Apropos nothing, he tweeted me:

@scottowilliams That “And they will!” In response to “When they love you and they will” in “The House That Heaven Built” is boss as SHIT

— James Leask (@Leask) April 12, 2013

Looking back over my write-up, my praise of that album was pretty general. Enthusiastic, sure, but still general. I found it a viscerally thrilling album, praised that they were able to keep that energy up for the full 35 minutes, and didn't really ask anything more of it. And that's still somewhat true, I believe that's the best level to enjoy music on, but I don't want to short change this album any credit. Though it's blunt in its approach, it's still subtle in its construction: the exact placement of the ohs and yeahs, the very economical lyrics, which are basic but loaded and perfectly chosen. You don't have to have sophisticated tastes to appreciate it, but it's not simple music. I was listening to "Continuous Thunder" today and it really hit me hard, "If I had all the answers / and you had the body you wanted..."

This isn't about recanting my position on Celebration Rock. I loved it then and I love it now, and maybe I understand that love differently with six months between the two. My reviews are for a time and place, and I believe you can hear something 100 times and then suddenly on the 101st it hits you differently, for better or worse. If professional critics publish their reviews with more certainty in their words than I do, then I'm impressed, because in the back of my head I always know that in a few weeks I may see each piece of music a bit differently. I'm still learning, I'll probably never finish.

But this doesn't cast doubt on any of my reviews or recommendations. One thing I will always trust is my instincts, and I have never given my approval to an album that I wish I didn't. And every post on this site, every proper review is that stamp. But I can't just say "Scotto recommends this, so enjoy!" I need to say why. I need to navigate that dialogue, and that's something I've known is an issue since day one and will continue to try to get better at.