Tokyo Police Club have managed to be so damned pleasing by melding two usually disparate elements from indie rock writ large: awkward, self-concious lyrics verging on emo and poppy dance rhythms.
The Strokes without the swagger, Bright Eyes you can (sort of) dance to. They've also managed to be inoffensive. Dave Monks is a shrinking violet of a frontman as much as practicality allows. In interviews, he discusses how a dirty old set of bass strings help him get the right tone, not lyrics. Live, he retreats from the microphone, leaving Graham Wright or Josh Hook to introduce songs. They've also kept virtually every song under three minutes, never letting anyone get bored.
All of this was under threat on Elephant Shell. Attracting increasing independent and mainstream attention and signing to mopey Saddle Creek, their full-length debut could have imploded. The good news: Elephant Shell is everything the TPC fan could want. The gang are all here: stuttering rhythms, spacey keyboards, and high-gain guitars. The songs are short: the album is 4 tracks longer than the CD release of A Lesson in Crime and 12 minutes longer. The fun, charming, and slightly naive touches, too: handclaps, group shouts, though not the Julian Casablancas telephone mic from ALiC opener "Cheer It On".
Also familiar is "Your English Is Good", released as single last year and revived with a few minor tweaks. It remains a winning track, along with lead album single "In A Cave" and "Tessellate". "Juno" brings in breakneck drum and bass a la Klaxons. Tempo changes abound, moreover, it seems to be TPC's calling card. Several songs emerge from jazzy futurism into hardcore jams, or attempt the opposite trick. Late-album "Nursery Academy" and "Listen to the Math" both showcase Dave Monks' emotional and academic range, taking on more sophisticated romantic themes and slighty edgier politics.
Of note, the production is somewhat changed from ALiC or the Smith EP: the vocals are very high in the mix. Dave Monks' vocals outshine the formerly raucous drums and keyboards. Chalk it up to the Omaha influence from the distinctive vocal stylings of Tim Kasher and Conor Oberst are prominent. Where would Cursive and Bright Eyes be if saxophone, lap steel guitar, and trumpet perpetually overcame vocals? The same problem crops up on Two Gallants' self-titled, released on Saddle Creek last year. I recommend seeing TPC live at a second-rate venue where the crew won't quite zero in the microphones.
So Elephant Shell is a modest evolution for TPC and a solid first album. It won't set the world on its ear, but it's a professional effort from a rapidly rising band. In a post-Vampire Weekend world, it could even go unnoticed by folks not already won over by A Lesson in Crime.
7.7/10.0
-RJR
3 comments:
Nice review. You make a good point about this album possibly going unnoticed after what we've come expect from Indie Rock in 2008. TPC definitely has the songwriting chops and I do wish they'd not have produced the album with so little a focus on the guitars.
TPC still has a chance of becoming an American answer to the Arctic Monkeys, themselves an answer to the Strokes. They need to produce their music outside of the Omaha scene and maybe bring in a James Ford or something to spice things up.
There's a real hole in exciting American Guitar music and I wish TPC would live up to their promise to fill it.
That being said, I'm seeing them live today and I hope the music fills out a bit more.
Sorry to burst your bubble there, Carlos... but TPC is Canadian.
Well, that still makes them American, doesn't it? From North America ;-)
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