Elephant Shell [ENHANCED]

Tokyo Police Club

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 2008)
• Original Release Date: April 22, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Saddle Creek
• ASIN: B0014DC06O
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,003 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Their 2006 EP, "A Lesson In Crime", elicited raves from Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Interview, Blender, and Nylon, among others. Since then, TPC have been touring virtually nonstop, pausing only to release last year's "Smith" EP and the digital-only single, "Your English Is Good." Now Ontario's favorite sons offer their first full-length.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great band, good first full length album, May 1, 2008

By	evanjamesroskos "ejr" (nj) - See all my reviews

I absolutely love Tokyo Police Club's 7 song EP "A Lesson in Crime." It was 20 some odd minutes of upbeat, lyrically clever, singalong fun.

The album "Elephant Shell" is good, but doesn't reach the compact, joyous heights of the EP. And yet, it still deserves four stars -- just bear with me.

I'm at my tenth listen and have identified why the album didn't hit me as hard on the first few listens. Mainly, the vocals are not processed on this recording. The lead singer is good, but one of the things that added to the edge and energy of the EP was the distortion on his voice. (Some songs used it just on the chorus, others had it all the way through.) Here, his voice is clean throughout, which lessens the intensity of some of the songs. It wouldn't be very noticeable, except that there also aren't as many moments of backing vocals here either (the EP had shouts of glee sprinkled throughout, along with great use of clapping).

I also think Tessellate would make a better opener, with Sixties Remake a sensible #2. From there, the tracks could follow in order. (And if that's not an extremely obnoxious thing for a review to suggest, then I don't know what is.)

Tessellate, Sixties Remake, Centennial, Juno, and In a Cave are highlights, along with the previously released Your English is Good (from a 2 song EP -- it sounds more like the original EP then anything else on the new album).

I realize this review seems to pit 2 albums against one another, and that it seems really negative, but I'm actually quite excited by what band has done so early in what I hope will be a long career. Give them a shot!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great album - sophisticated and energetic, June 20, 2008

By	Brian Perry - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Elephant Shell finds Tokyo Police Club balancing their 'pulsate with purpose' driving sound with a smoother sense of transition, greater range, and more consistent focus. They still rock, and still change things up to keep things interesting, but those differences flow better. Some may like that, some not. :)

Like others have mentioned, I think Elephant Shell stands up a bit better to repeat listening.

5.0 out of 5 stars great, June 20, 2009

By	B. E Jackson (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really like the music presented on Elephant Shell. The guitar playing is superb, the vocals are quite catchy and fun, and there's just an energetic and pleasant overall feeling to the mood and style these guys are going for. I recommend Tokyo Police Club to anyone who's interested in music that's instantly memorable.