Tokyo Police Club: Elephant Shell

Label: Saddle Creek

Arriving just in time for spring is the debut LP from young-and-hungry literary pop kids Tokyo Police Club. TPC make a case for exuberance through brevity, with only one of the eleven tracks making it past the three-minute mark, but all of them stuffed with pop hooks and energetic personality. Some songs could come off as a younger brother of The Weakerthans or a better-read Maritime, vocalist/songwriter Dave Monk clearly having been a member of the same book club as Decemberists’ Colin Meloy back in the day, and eager to cash in on both fifty-cent words and Neutral Milk Hotel phrasing. The first single “Tessellate” a being a strong example of both. Driving, catchy, and crowded with both ideas and melody, Elephant Shell is a capsule of fresh-faced pop perfect for the longer days and breezy times. (Fred)