Tokyo Police Club broke out hard and fast with A Lesson in Crime as one of the few Canadian bands to get noticed immediately out of the starting gates back in 2006. After touring for the last two years, they have finally unleashed their first full-length album, Elephant Shell, to the masses on the uber-hip Saddle Creek Records out of Omaha, Nebraska.
One thing is immediately evident throughout the collected works of Tokyo Police Club: these guys can write one mean pop song. The singles, like “Tessellate” and “Your English is Good,” are foot-stamping, pogo-ready tunes for the shaggy-haired teens that make up their fan base. But Elephant Shell doesn’t really stick out from the band’s peers’ releases in the indie rock, post-punk revivalist genre.
The Born Ruffians and Vampire Weekend both released albums this year. Tokyo Police Club is releasing Elephant Shell into an already-crowded group. Outside of the singles, Elephant Shell doesn’t really do much for the listener. At only 30 minutes for 11 songs, it’s just a pleasant–if a bit bland–listen. There’s nothing wrong with short releases if they are memorable, but unfortunately, Elephant Shell is two or three good songs sandwiched between a lot of mediocrity.