Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

Saddle Creek

April 16, 2008, 05:41 PM

If band names were a competition, Tokyo Police Club would win for one of the least relevant names in history. Neither are they from Tokyo nor police as far as I can tell. If they are a club it would appear to be quite an exclusive club. ‘Elephant Shell’ is the debut album from the Newmarket, Ontario quartet. They’ve honed a unique sound and mix aggression with melody for the greater part to create and promote this.

There is a combination of many musical elements and instruments in various songs. Everything combines to further express the sound which Tokyo Police Club have developed. Vocally in parts they sound like another Canadian band, The Weakerhans; but vocally is the only way that comparison ever sees the light of day as this is completely different offering. Tokyo Police Club offer an interesting new brand of indie, they sound instantly like an old friend and there’s an instant familiarity within the music. It’s stuff like this which make for a good band, the fact that they sound instantly recognisable when you haven’t heard them before.

They recreate this grand feel throughout, songs like ‘Centennial’, ‘Graves’ and ‘Tessellate’ stand out for giving Tokyo Police Club that infectious sound. Their immediacy is a great tribute to what they manage, every song is tripping over itself to get into your ears as quickly as possible. ‘The Harrowing Adventures Of...’ and ‘Listen To The Math’ stand out as the more epic and grand moments, but in truth everything on the album is grand in its own way. Tokyo Police Club are typical of a band with an aim to make something more of themselves than what the usual constraints of their chosen genre would allow. They create a new take on indie-rock, a glorious debut album full of innovation and style. Tokyo Police Club are well worth a listen.