Search - Tokyo Police Club :: A Lesson in Crime

A Musical Police Parade; criminally short

M. Swinney | Flower Mound, TX | 05/26/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Tokyo Police Club hails from Newmarket, Ontario...yeah that'd be another up and coming gifted band from Canada. You can't swing a Canadian Bacon sandwich these days without hitting one. Though they aren't quite as good as The Meligrove Band, another young Canadian up and comer, they are good. If I had to tag them, I'd say they are the coming of the Artic Monkey's on the North American shores.



"A Lesson in Crime," was released in 2006 trying to strike while the buzz iron was hot and it does contain some little modern post-punk gems. But, here's the big but. But, it clocks in at 16 minutes and the price isn't even an EP price. Lotta money, little music. Download the mp3's here at Amazon or wherever you like, forego the album art, and enjoy hearing the Police Club sound.



The standout hit here on "Crime Lessons," is "The Nature of The Experiment." It's got some great male and female vocal interplay for the chorus, a bouncy bass line that bounces all the way through, kicking it off with an infectious, "GO!" Good stuff. Another highlight is "Shoulders and Arms,"--a song that features some 80's synth and nice rim shot understated drums. And then there is the song, "Be Good," which has the same ubiquitous drum line but includes some great fast shot vocals, "Waltzing right out of the room / Be good when your parents stay over in June / I heard the news I'll send a card / Cellar door, Friday night Long johns, hold tight / Put it on a page Put it on a line /

Get the story down." Well, I didn't say it was deep. After all singer and bassist, Brandon Monks and his Police crew were merely fresh out of High School lads when they formed and cut this EP.



Catch the Canadian wave, the musical renaissance up north with Tokyo Police Club...download now. --mmw

"