Tokyo Police Club

So, I looked. And I have not written a post about Tokyo Police Club yet. Which is absolute blasphemy. Who am I and what am I doing with my life? Oh yeah, getting a new job that's what! Sorry it's been awhile folks, just finished the first week at my new gig. A publishing company called Elsevier that I am just loving so much. It's awesome sauce. But enough about me, back to my favorite four Canadians! Besides Mucca Sorenson from whom I get my Canadian love/blood from. She was the ultimate Canadian. Enough about Canada! (But I gotta represent my 25%!)
I found TPC in a rather round-a-bout way. Their song "Nature of the Experiment" came on a compilation album called Canadian Blast, I kid you not, from I believe the delightful people who bring you Q magazine. This was a long time ago. Right when they were just starting out, and their rollicking 7 song album A Lesson In Crime, all about robots taking over the world, was just what 16 year old me wanted to hear all day every day. Literally. I love that album so much. It's only 15 minutes long. There is no excuse, go listen to it right now. (My favorite part is how they sing about it being 2009 as the year the robot apocalypse takes place.)
Pretty soon after, their second album Elephant Shell dropped and if possible I loved it even more. To this day it is one of my top 10 favorite albums. A great go to, for me, it's nostalgic and relevant at the same time, reminding me of rainy high school/college days and being so excited about discovering new music. I'm listening to it right now and it never fails to put me in a good mood. "In A Cave," one of my favorite TPC songs ever, gives you obscure images of traveling, wearing elephant skin, and growing up backwards, Benjamin Button style. Visuals so bizarre that I just loved them for their obscurity. "Nursery, Academy," which is about being in an insane asylum, I'm pretty sure, (Dave, if not, correct me on that one) is a great song nonetheless. And even though the lyrics are out there, the music is catchy and upbeat. The album flows together nicely and is short enough to listen to all at once and not get bored or overwhelmed, "Tesselate" and "Your English Is Good" being the most accessible songs. Although not necessarily my favorites from the album, they are usually my choice if I'm making a mix for someone. And while TPC have two other albums, Elephant Shell will forever be my favorite.
So, taking a stroll through Best Buy, yes, this was when Best Buy actually had music, and not just that, good music, I suddenly came across Champ, the third album by Tokyo Police Club. Now this was the days before social media was really that much of a thing that I cared about, so I had no idea that this album existed. It was like Christmas day. And while I wasn't as taken with it as I was with Elephant Shell, there are some gems on that album. Take the song "Bambi," for instance. Whatever kind of effect they use on that song, I want it in my life all the time. I cannot listen to that song while I'm walking, I get my music video face on and that just can't happen in public places. The album, not quite as pop-y or catchy as the former, is quite possibly more put together. Ideas come full circle and songs even blend together, the sound staying very similar to the gloriousness of their second LP. It's not an album I usually listen to, but when I do, I'm always glad I did, and I'm always surprised by it. I forget how good it is. I think that's the only difference, it's not quite as memorable as Elephant Shell. But it is still a very good, solid album.

A few sad, silent years went by and somewhat recently the boys released their fourth and latest album Forcefield, which is sort of like Tokyo Police Club on steroids. It's bigger, louder, more intricate, more produced, more put together, more electronic and pretty freaking awesome. The 8-minute opener, "Argentina (Parts I, II, III)" rolls through movements of sound, almost like a symphony, leading right into the simple, summer song, "Hot Tonight." My favorites, well, no, the whole album is good. It's definitely different from the indie rock sound that their first three albums perfected, but as times have changed and music has changed, especially in the indie rock scene, they made their transition into the pop/electronic groove smooth and admirable. But I'm a sucker for a pop hook and anything TPC does, so there might be some bias there...now just to see them live!!
Dave, since you liked my tweet about my last post that was about your solo album, and obvi since we're besties now, can you and the boys please come to Missouri? I would love you forever. Oh wait, I already do.

Songs That I Get Music Video Face To:
Nature of The Experiment
I wanted to try to list the songs from Elephant Shell, but I literally can't decide. Just listen to the whole thing.
Breakneck Speed
Bambi
Gone
Frankenstein
Miserable
Tunnel Vision
Through the Wire

"All my hair grows in, wrinkles leave my skin, but still, don't fade, I'll be back again when the tide is in some day."