Tokyo Police Club: Elephant Shell

Let me give you topic: The Tokyo Police Club are neither from Tokyo, nor are they a police club—Talk amongst yourselves.  In fact, this band from Newmarket, Ontario wasn’t even supposed to happen. In 2004, the four members—Dave Monks, Graham Wright, Josh Hook, and Greg Alsop—were merely looking for something to fill the void while they cleaned up the loose ends from their failed side projects. So, when they hit the stage as Tokyo Police Club at the Montreal Pop Festival in the summer of 2005, not a member of the band had any idea this performance would prove central to their existence; one that would solidify them as a full-time mega-band-in-the-making. 

            Set afloat by enthused bloggers and a rash of MySpace mania, Tokyo Police Club (named after a nonsensical lyric from one of their first songs) embarked on an unstinting 3-year tour. During that time they promoted their 2006 Paperbag Records’ EP, A Lesson in Crime, as well as gaining music cred from their peers and audience with their unique sound—a catchy combo of eccentric post-punk and quirky vocals. With nothing less than blue collar grit and English bulldog determination, their debut tour de force release—Elephant Shell—was brought to our ears a mere two years later. 

            Track one, “Centennial”, blasts through the cellar doors with quick-step drumming, artfully juxtaposed by Monks’ unhurried vocals and plucky bass line. “In a Cave”, “Graves”, and “Juno” are all amazing efforts; each presenting a veritable cornucopia of sing-along turmoil, set to party-starting hooks, wrapped up in a velvet coat. Incorporating themes of retreat, secrecy, and dire measures, Monks croons some of his most crafty lyrics yet on the ‘80s-esque standout track “Tessellate” (“The pounding waves crashing up against the weakened water gates…”). “Sixties Remake” cuts the rug hard with its moody and smart framework, while the sweet “The Harrowing Adventures of?” and the rhythmically-sound “Listen to the Math” seem to round out the LP perfectly. Elephant Shell barely gets going when it starts to wind down with the restless “Your English is Good”, “Nursery, Academy”, and finally, cumulating with “The Baskervilles”. Take my word for it, young ruffians—this disk should be in constant rotation at your local plastic palace, as it is one of the most under-rated and energizing releases of 2008. (For more information about the band, visit: www.tokyopoliceclub.com.)

by Chris Duca