With the release of their 2009 full-length debut album, Post-Nothing (of which I briefly reviewed here), local noise-punks Japandroids not only put themselves on the international indie-rock map, but shamelessly propelled Vancouver into the center of their calculated madness. Outside of Vancouver, Post-Nothing was an unexpected gem that garnered the band a fair amount of critical praise, resulting in multiple international tours, festival appearances, and a late-night television performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. However, before Post-Nothing, Japandroids had cultivated quite the following within the Vancouver scene. Part of that process included the production and release of two incredibly rare, out-of-print EPs, 2007’s All Lies and 2008’s Lullaby Death Jams, which the band has graciously compiled together for re-release in the form of No Singles.For the most part, No Singles is a heavier, more abrasive record that bridges the gap between the virtually unknown musical beginnings of Japandroids and their current song-writing tendencies. The record is rawer than Post-Nothing, chronicling the development of the chemistry between guitarist/vocalist Brian King and drummer/vocalist David Prowse as they experiment with the qualities that makes Japandroids refreshing and unique. This includes King’s relentlessly loud guitar-work and Prowse’s excitably frantic drumming in support of the reckless dual vocals.While No Singles embodies much of the youthfulness of Post-Nothing, it is less reflective, directly engaging with all of the situations and emotions associated with adolescence and early adulthood. For example, on the opening track “Darkness on the Edge of Gastown”, King frustratingly wrestles with seemingly negative relationships (“tell her I can see the future/ her future is bleak/ tell her I’m the future”) punctuating his pessimism with a hopelessly unsatisfying (and frighteningly relatable) night in downtown Vancouver (“tell her I’m still in love/ tell her I’m still alive/ tell her to come pick me up/ tell her I’m downtown”). On other tracks, like the hyper-punk “No Allegiance to the Queen” and the anthemic closer “Press Corps”, Japandroids exclaim their dissociation with the adults in-charge, in the latter of which King repeatedly belts in discontent, “give us something to wake up for”.Although No Singles contains some of Japandroids best work, a few tracks lack the attractive pop sensibilities of Post-Nothing. For example, “Lovers/Strangers” picks up where former dance-punk kings Death From Above 1979 left off, citing the band’s most furiously uncontrolled moments, while the Mclusky cover, “To Hell With Good Intentions”, comes off as silly in it’s presentation of the lyrics and vocals (i.e.”my band is better than your band/ we’ve got more songs than a song convention”).The only major flaw with No Singles is that it exposes new listeners to a vulnerable and unpolished period in Japandroids’ early career. Regardless, No Singles provides new listeners with a vital steppingstone in the establishment of one of the most important bands out of Vancouver in the past decade.At the beginning of 2010, Japandroids announced their intention to release five 7” singles with a side-A that features an unheard cut from the Post-Nothing sessions and a side-B that features a cover. The first of these installments is the Art Czars 7”“Art Czars”, the previously unreleased original track, lives and breathes much like the other tracks on Post-Nothing. Being a loud, mid-tempo sing-along, “Art Czars” works as a reasonable, mid-set segue, but lacks the personality of other Japandroids tracks. Instead of communal party-punk, Japandroids takes direct aim at the critics of their higher production value. King professes that this doesn’t signify that the band has sold out, singing, “I’m really sorry if you want more screaming/ you missed my heart, but you got my ears bleeding”. King’s response to the critics is simple: “here’s your money back/ here’s your punk rock back”.The B-side boasts a raucous cover of Big Black’s “Racer-X”. Prowse does a true-to-form take on the vocals, singing with paranoia and intentional discomfort. The cover departs with the drone of the original, replacing it with high-energy, meant-to-make-your-body-ache-the-next-day punk, that almost borders on metal. “Racer-X” is the apparent standout on the first of the 7” releases, as it embodies the unabashed madness that makes Japandroids so loveable.Written by: JAMIE CESSFORD