Album Review: Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

By: Kendall | in: Music |

Tokyo Police Club follows up two EP’s with Elephant Shell, their first full length release for Saddle Creek Records. The album is a great follow-up, directly related musically, to their first release A Lesson in Crime. The instruments and the uneasy/desperate feel remain the same, but they do seem to have taken on a bit of the milder Saddle Creek somberness. Don’t let that fool you into thinking this could, in any way, be a lesser record for it. It clocks at about 28 minutes with 11 tracks and it can still rock. “Your English is Good” is a spacious bass led track, clicked out by drum sticks hitting one another. “Tessellate” is up beat, hand-clappy, and led into a hi-hat keyboard stomping into a keyboard hook. “Graves” lends itself to a garage rock rant reminiscent of the strokes first album. When it’s time to bring things down a notch “The Harrowing Adventures of…” is a welcome break, with cello crooning you to keep it light, while the xylophones prance their way through the song to spike your interest. Listen to the Math is another more down tempo track that drops most of the jagged guitars and replaces them with a light picked melody, and less angular chords. The drums are loaded with reverb, and are almost the main instrument in the verse sections.

If there is a happy medium between art rock, and post-punk pop, Tokyo Police Club have found it. They don’t need to follow the normal ABABCB pop dredges, but manage to make you want to sing along, get up and dance, and give them your vote. Another interesting thing is how disinterested a vocal can sound, and still lend itself to such melody. A lot of the background vocals are group yelling, giving it a close relation to Bang Camaro at times. Overall if you are fan of the previous EP’s Tokyo Police Club will not disappoint. There is just enough variety to keep it interesting, and they keep close enough to where they started to not lose any fans, and will be sure to gain new ones.

Tessellate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa7JRuLEp-w

Your English Is Good - Live in Glastonbury 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyk20kIK7cA

[Tokyo Police Club - Official Website]

[Tokyo Police Club on MySpace]

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Posted on April 22, 2008

Comments

6 Responses to “Album Review: Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell”

ihateyouloser on April 22nd, 2008 2:27 pm

you suck monkey!!!!!!!

Kendall on April 22nd, 2008 2:53 pm

awwwwww….

new release: tokyo police club / elephant shell on April 22nd, 2008 2:54 pm

[…] we’re totally biased, check out a review of the album from our friends over at The […]

Charbarred on April 22nd, 2008 4:10 pm

I don’t understand Kendall, did you buy a lolipop? why would that person claim you suck?

DThompson on April 23rd, 2008 5:22 pm

Is he French? Is that why he’s accusing you of sucking “mon” keys? Hey, Frenchie! Kendall isn’t interested in your stupid keys! Go suck yourownkeys!

Itax on April 24th, 2008 9:27 am

I am going to add this into my search-for-it-in-one-month file. Since it is so new it is doubtful I can find it used. It is also neat to see Kendall and his BFF hit it off so well.