Tokyo Policeman Goes Solo

Surprise! Tokyo Police Club keyboardist Graham Wright released his solo debut today.

The Lakes Of Alberta EP was recorded earlier this year at Chemical Sound Studios in Toronto with producers Dean Marino and Jay Sadlowski. Wright had resolved to release the EP before the end of the year, and since he was running out of time, decided to post it today. You can download the album for free as MP3s or in fancier formats for $5 here.

"I've been writing songs since long before Tokyo Police Club existed, and for a long time, all of my musical plans centered around that," Wright said in an email to ChartAttack. "Then Tokyo Police Club took off, and the rest of my plans fell by the wayside for a while, but I was always writing.

"It's always been a given that, despite my mother's suggestions, my songs don't really fit the Tokyo Police Club mold."

The Lakes Of Alberta was inspired by a tour stop last year in Lake Louise, Alta.

"I was really struck by how tranquil and beautiful it all was," says Wright. "There's something about Alberta in the winter that gives a really good atmosphere to write around."

The EP comes on the heels of Tokyo Police Club's televised debut last night as Coldsplash in an episode of Desperate Housewives.

"It was one of those experiences that you never expect to have, and those are always the best ones," Wright says. "There was still a lot of sitting around, which it seems we can't escape, but at least there was a lot of interesting stuff going on to watch. Plus the food was great."

Here are the tracks on The Lakes Of Alberta:

"The Lakes Of Alberta, Pt. II"
"Medicine Hat"
"Canmore Hotel"
"The Lakes Of Alberta, Pt. I"
"When I Get There"

Here are TPC's upcoming tour dates with the Jingle Bell Rock Tour:

Dec. 12-13 Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
Dec. 15 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
Dec. 16 Saskatoon, SK @ Saskatoon Prairieland Park
Dec. 17 Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Conference Centre
Dec. 19 Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
Dec. 21-22 Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre

Here's Tokyo Police Club's appearance on Desperate Housewives: