Indie darlings Tokyo Police Club continue the long-standing tradition of putting out blisteringly fast rock songs on Elephant Shell, a quasi-debut glistening in the wake of their 2007 EP A Lesson in Crime. The seven-track EP was responsible for sending then-unsigned TPC to small-time fame on the wave of infectious anthems like "Nature of the Experiment," "Citizens of Tomorrow" and "Cheer It On." Elephant Shell seamlessly fits in with the previous release in the way it picks up from where these ballads left off.
Don't blink though, or you might miss the transition. While still maintaining the group's quick temporal theme (its eleven tracks clock in at under 30 minutes), Elephant Shell's subject diversity contrasts with that of their previous release -- it opines much more on love and relationships. Keyboardist Graham Wright writes on the band's blog, "A Lesson in Crime was a record for Friday nights. But when the party's over, and you're giving a ride home to the girl you have a crush on, that's when you put Elephant Shell on. It's the record that you listen to when you're driving around town in the dark, wondering if she likes you."
First single "Tessellate" has recently taken up residency on MTVu, while songs like "The Harrowing Adventures of." and opener "Centennial" owe much more to James Mercer and David Berman-esque Northwest poetics. The album's greatest accomplishment is making the necessary sonic (if not topical) advancements to help the band secure not only a swathe of new fans, but bigger fonts on festival posters this summer. TPC is gaining a stronger foothold in the highest echelon of the emergent new class of North American rock.
