Japandroids - Celebration Rock
Critic Score
Based on 35 reviews
2012 Ratings: #39 / 1118
Year End Rank: #6
User Score
Based on 480 ratings
2012 Rank: #94
Liked by 36 people
June 5, 2012 / Release Date
LP / Format
Polyvinyl / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
A.V. Club

Celebration Rock finds that some of the best moments in life can come from uncertainty.

90
Slant Magazine

Celebration Rock is a tipsy toast to the very best moments in life.

90
SPIN
This is not the sound of settling.
90
Consequence of Sound

Where Post-Nothing melts into a hazy dream, Celebration Rock does exactly what it claims to do—it burns on and on like the best sort of party.

90
Alternative Press

"Continuous Thunder" is a sensitive parting shot, and cements Celebration Rock's emotional depth.

88
Pitchfork

The first thing you take from Celebration Rock is just how much they've improved in terms of capturing pure sound, everything hitting louder and clearer than before.

87
Beats Per Minute

Celebration Rock is in perpetual motion, driven by a visceral sense of urgency that most modern guitar music is so sorely lacking.

85
Coke Machine Glow
It works, but it doesn't make sense, and can't be explained. It can only be heard.
80
Sputnikmusic

Celebration Rock is near-perfect in what it sets out to do: making people happy, bringing them together.

80
Prefix

Celebration Rock is raw frenzy, tender love, and foolish cacophony.

80
Rolling Stone
Japandroids sing about lost youth and sex and drinking atop hammer-of-the-geeks distortion swirls and holler-along refrains a gorilla could pump some paw to.
80
The Fly
Bookended by snippets of crackling fireworks, the aptly-titled 'Celebration Rock' is big on anthems, euphoria and fistpumping rock'n'roll thrills.
80
The 405

With Celebration Rock, King and Prowse have constructed an album that's near impossible to dislike.

80
PopMatters

Celebration Rock isn’t a final stand, it’s a push forward.

80
musicOMH

Celebration Rock is instead a triumph, showing that those with least to lose often have most to gain. 

80
Drowned in Sound

The sheer energy pouring from this record is breathtaking: not until the very final song (‘Continuous Thunder’) does Celebration Rock’s sense of acceleration cease.

70
Uncut
At times all this vim can slip into noise.
70
No Ripcord

Celebration Rock’s high-tempo riff rock concerns itself with energy and embraces our serendipitous run-ins with those good times worth remembering.

70
AllMusic

Celebration Rock could arguably lack the powerful impact of the first record. Still, it's a hell of lot of fun.

60
Under the Radar

Aptly, the title is about as subtle and nuanced as the record itself: a short, samey burst of enjoyable, yet disposable, garage rock. 

60
NOW Magazine

Each song spills over with a breathless, unhinged vigour that impresses ... But taken all together, the band's refusal ever to let up on volume, bombast, group-shouted vocals, fast-strummed chords or smashing drums makes Celebration Rock an exhausting sonic assault in need of variety.

60
NME

The second album from noise-punk duo Japandroids works every straining sinew to convince you what enormous fun you must be having in its company, but still winds up striking a curiously sour note.

60
Q Magazine

Celebration Rock delivers more of the same good-time guitar-pop anthems about girls and night on the tiles, delivered at breakneck velocity and near-deafening volume.

50
The Needle Drop
On the band's sophomore LP, Japandroids do a great job of eliciting very righteous, life-defining emotions, but don't really surround them with anything that's terribly engaging, musically.
Rob
95

One of the most fun and anthemic rock records of 2012. I was pleasantly surprised that they were able put out another album that matched the quality of their debut.

JayCrackers
81

Japandroids most iconic album, gives some catchy, well played garage fused indie rock for an easy listen record which may not be topping or reaching new heights within the genre but offers a fun listen which in of itself makes it a great record, with never a dull moment, the record never feeling over stretched, and the instrumentals and vocals all catchy, upbeat and engaging, Celeb Ration Rock is a great 2010's indie rock adventure.

Track Review

The Nights of Wine and Roses 8.5/10.
Fire's ... read more

Bjartolini
65

i thought this was gonna be electronica or something wtf

82

simple and straightforward. this album manages to sound minimalistic and huge at the same time, giving a triumphant feeling that makes it worthy of its title.
every track is way too long, however. they do not justify 4-5 minute song lengths, and the record would be much more impactful if each song ended like a minute sooner.

Clauss
80

It really makes it spectacular with so much euphoria on display, it gives you that same vision that they have of everything.

IsaacTheeGreat
100

The House That Heaven Built is legitimately within my top 100 favorite songs of all time.
I'm not even lying, either.

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Added on: March 26, 2012