Tokyo Police Club — Elephant Shell

Elephant Shell

Mean Beard

Noah Love (CHARTattack)

04/22/2008 3:59pm

You can all exhale; it's finally here. Tokyo Police Club have always sort of worked within a framework that leaves their legions of fans wanting more. That's not likely to change with Elephant Shell. Following the almost hilariously short A Lesson In Crime EP, the 11-track debut full-length clocks in at — wait for it — 28 minutes. That said, not a single one of those songs is a throwaway. The longest you'll go without hearing frontman Dave Monks is about 10 seconds. His infinitely more solid vocals dominate the affair, which is an assured cross between Bloc Party's A Weekend In The City and The Weakerthans' Left And Leaving. "In A Cave" and "Sixties Remake" are both vintage Tokyo, with searing guitar lines and group shouting, while "Juno" and "Nursery Academy" are endearing rock gems. It's not a life-changing album, but on Elephant Shell, TPC prove they can handle tempo changes, infectious pop and massive expectations. The kids are gonna go crazy for it.