"Some hearts bleed...our hearts sweat."
Toronto's annual North by Northeast Music Festival and Conference (a.k.a. NXNE) officially kicked off yesterday. That means hundreds of local, national and international musicians are currently performing, roaming the streets, doing interviews or maybe even appearing on MTV.
Yesterday, I went to see Vancouver garage rock duo Japandroids perform on MTV Live.
For a band that expresses so much nostalgia for youthful abandon in their music, singer/guitarist Brian King and drummer David Prowse are incredibly energetic onstage. I don't know how old these guys are, but they look damn youthful to me. You've still got time, fellas. Give me hope.
Even with lyrics like "We used to dream/Now we worry about dying" or "Give me younger us," their music is much more of a cheeky and almost celebratory reminiscence rather than a purely despondent one. They're angsty without being emo, passionate without being too serious — and they know a thing or two about bringing the noise.
Click to watch Japandroids performing on MTV Live or listen to their latest song "Younger Us" below — another tune bursting with angsty reminiscence, but in the best possible way:
Remember when we had them all on the run?
Happy NXNE everyone!
