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Album Details
- Artist: Tokyo Police Club
- Album: Elephant Shell
- Label: Saddle Creek
- Year of Release: 2008
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: dadair on 2008-04-09
Media
RecommendA double whammy of pedestrian, forlorn reflection in the form of ‘Centennial’ then the bass and percussion push-pull of ‘In A Cave’, signals this Canadian quartet’s siege on the more rustic and reflective musical battle ground. The latter song nutshells singer/bassist Dave Monks’ pleading stance and, at times, he is almost begging you to listen. It is as though he is pleading to a lover who has just found out that he’s been cheating on her with her grandma’s best friend.
Slowly Tokyo Police Club twist up the tempo, through the rhythmic percussion thrusting touch of Greg Alsop and the inner Brian Molko in Monks ’comes out through his stretching vocals. As this foraging debut full-length unfolds, an Okkervill River groove is settled into with the slightly theatrical tug of ‘Juno’. Continuing through to the pop friendly heart-on-sleeve, clatter percussion cruise of ‘Tessellate’.
Slow building, hand clapping stroked atmospheric tale, ‘The Harrowing Adventures Of....’ sees the timely deployment of Monks’ folk/blues gelling touch, doling out bemusement and capturing a lacklustre feeling better than Tim Henman after yet another Wimbledon exit. Moodiness is always a hit and miss tactic to deploy especially on a debut album. However, in this case it helps the tempo build and it is done with enough sincerity to keep it from treading over the borders into monotony territory. This sincerity and an earthy vibe makes the melodic indie moan of ‘Nursery, Academy’, more than bearable and it reminds you of the skill with which Air Traffic pulled off a similar number last year. The sliding electro fuzz of ‘Your English Is Good’, more than atones for the brooding material, given its fresh snap and Hot Chip eclipsing eccentricity.
Tokyo Police Club leaves a lingering sense of reflection, slight dejection and a foot shuffling sense of rhythm. Do you really want or expect anything more from a debut album?
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Tell us why this album is great or sucks ass, or correct the reviewer. If you write enough quality reviews you may find yourself on the editorial staff.
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Log In or Register to Rate Albumson 2008-09-26 kev_stev Said:
I just saw these guys and the show was absolutely incredible. This probably will be in my top 3 albums of the year; its fun, energetic, and effortlessly poppy. Plus, it plays over extremely well live. These guys know how to rock, and they're pretty nice off the stage too.
Rating: 8/10
Review:
on 2008-06-14 kev_stev Said:
I'm enjoying this album a lot more than the EP. I think the Saddle-Creek production did a good job of cleaning up TPC's sound without sacrficing their garage sound. Tokyo Police Club haven't changed all too much since A Lesson in Crime: Elephant Shell still holds the nasally vocals, foot-tapping drum beats, and the awesomely addicting melodies found on the EP, just with a more refined, well-put-together sound. Though some of the slower songs drag, tracks like "Juno," "In a Cave," "Your English is Good," and the single "Tesselate" show Tokyo Police Club at their best, making fun, catchy pop songs with amazing brevity.
Rating: 8/10
Review:
on 2008-05-29 dscanland Said:
At first I thought Tokyo Police Club's debut album, Elephant Shell would have warranted more than a 3.5 star review but upon close inspection I quite agree with Dave's review. The Toronto boys have a quite a knack for some good pop hooks but I found they tired after the full length was complete. This is most likely why they did so well with their EP, short and to the point. They've got a lot in common with fellow Canadian's The Weakerthans even if they have a little more pop to them. In A Cave is a good album but I can't see myself returning to it often. Check it out if you like your indie rock with a side of pop.
Rating: 7/10
