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| Drownedinsound |
 Japanther make a glorious racket, the sound of the knockabout sugary melodies of new-school punk and ska colliding with the lo-fi dirtiness of a previous generation’s approximation of guitar-based rebellion. The tracks all clock in around the two minute mark, little teases that tongue kiss and hint like they might use their hands too, but never stick around long enough for that. Romance of one kind or another is never far from the surface. When, on ‘The Dirge’, Ian Vanek sings “I love you no matter where you spend the night, you can always come back to me, because I’m nothing and you are everything”, it's not a disappointing slide into self-pitying emo, more the mantra of a kid high on glue and unrequited love, whose heart caves in a little every time the object of his affections gives him the time of day. If they were in a John Hughes film, Japanther would definitely be the leather-clad punk brats who somehow manage to corrupt the homecoming queen before the credits roll. Everything about Japanther is fun, and fast, including the band's prolific output in the eight years since their formation as students of the Pratt Institute in New York....full text |
| Popmatters |
| Japanther has always been a band that embraces extremes. They write extremely catchy pop-punk songs but obfuscate them with layers of noise and distortion. They embody Brooklyn’s sweaty warehouse party scene but are equally comfortable curating video installations for some of Manhattan’s most renowned museums. Given their proclivity for breaking down boundaries, it’s not surprising that for their latest LP, Tut Tut, Now Shake Ya Butt, the Brooklyn duo has attempted to marry punk rock with spoken word poetry. Unfortunately, the resulting record stands as a reminder that adventurous artists are only as good as their quality control mechanisms. Japanther’s songs, at their core, have always been accessible but Tut Tut, Now Shake Ya Butt finds the band veering even closer to mainstream pop-punk territory than they have in the past. Sure, all of the hallmarks of the Japanther sound remain—the fuzzed out guitars and synths, the weird samples and tape loops, the vocals yelled through telephone receivers—but this time around, the melodies are more grandiose, the hooks meatier. All crashing cymbals, handclaps and soaring choruses, “Um Like Yer Smile Is Totally Ruling Me Right Now” kicks off the album proper with a two-minute blast of pure pop bliss. “Bumpin’ Rap Tapes” adds a carnival organ to the mix, to great effect, while New Bad Things cover “The Dirge” ups the tempo to breakneck speeds as its lyrics invert the traditional folk number “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” (“I love you/No matter where you spent the night”). “Radical Businessman”, the album’s most exhilarating track, features MC Spank Rock on guest vocals, chanting “1, 2, 3, 4, fuck the cops” on the choruses amid crashing cymbals and a snaking synth line....full text |
| Blogcritics |
| Japanther, an amusing, Brooklyn, experimental, trash punk rock act has recently released Tut Tut Now Shake Ya Butt on Wantage Records. This twosome do-it-yourself band has been going strong for over seven years thanks to their inimitable style and rareness. If you are artsy or into performing arts, chances are you may have already heard of this duo. Far from being in the spotlight, they hold their own having played shows in famous NYC museums and venues but have caught a taste of mainstream recently opening for Against Me! I heard their band name before I ever actually heard their music and I must say after checking out Tut Tut Now Shake Ya Butt I have to say this is a weird yet interesting band reminding me of Negativeland meets the Dead Milkmen. It’s good though in the sense that the duo, art school heroes, do things all by themselves with limited assistance. Opening tracks “Um, Like Your Smile Is Totally Ruining Me” sounding like a high school basement project and the unusual “Bloated Corpse” made it clear that these guys are in their own little world. Their sound is not what I thought at all but I found myself enjoying it....full text |
Japanther lyrics
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