REVIEW: Tokyo Police Club - Champ

Tokyo Police Club - Champ

MMM3/4

After a few highly regarded EPs, Tokyo Police Club released their debut LP in 2008. There seemed to be, at the very least, some curiosity as to whether or not the band would be able to keep up the energy brimming from their two EPs and carry it across a full-length album. The band succeeded and is now back with LP number two, the simply titled Champ.

More so than ever before, the band sounds like a cross between The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Bloc Party (pre-Intimacy) – in all the best ways. But what’s the point of throwing around comparisons when Champ proves that, when it comes down to it, Tokyo Police Club sounds like Tokyo Police Club: a garage rock band aiming for the skies, with huge melodies and the unmistakable signature of David Monks' voice and bass lines and Graham Wright’s keyboard/synthesizer. Monks and Wright might be primarily responsible for giving the band its voice, but it's Josh Hook's razor-sharp, laser-quick, epic-sized guitar riffs that propel the band past the confines of the tag “garage rock.” And last but not least, drummer Greg Alsop is tasteful in that he knows when to fire sixteenth notes from the hi-hat and when to keep things simple with a ride cymbal and steady kick and snare drum pattern – credit him for holding it all together.

Champ is as much frenetic as it is straightforward. On “Bambi” things never get too out of hand, but the dance between the upper register guitar riff and the skipping tempo of the staccato in the initial guitar riff* provides for a captivating marriage of sound. It illustrates the band’s ability to weave different riffs and phrases through one another, keeping things consistently interesting. And yet, they still manage to somehow streamline it all together with a precise amount of punctuality. "Big Difference" is a fast-paced and emotive song that evolves into an anthem with Hook's absolutely massive guitar riff supplying an added amount of weight to a song already armed with a powerful punch (I feel you'll be hard-pressed to not want to pick up your air drumsticks or air guitar on this one). “End of A Spark” begins with a guitar riff that possesses a fair amount of alt country running through its veins. It's a different but welcomed change of pace, containing a bit more of a rustic feel that runs together fairly well with the band's more grand post-punk voice. In some respects the primary riff sounds familiar, but it’s a noteworthy cut as it shows the band's willingness to take risks with their sound.

It might not end up being the most remarkable record of the year, but Champ is fun, well-executed, and certainly comes with definite replay value. Tokyo Police Club play with a great deal of passion and demonstrate a deep focus on their song structure. Monks sings lyrics that are heartfelt and consciously aware with just the right amount of attitude to accompany the attack of the music. The band knows how to produce songs that are both intriguing and easily digestible. Champ highlights the immediacy of the band's music as well as their ability to transcend boundaries. It reaches for your heart; it comforts you; it helps you dance your way through anything. Whether they're tackling the melancholy or the jubilee, Tokyo Police Club will make you think as you bob your head and tap your feet.

Champ is out today on Mom + Pop.

BUY: Get it right here.

*Or is that a sample/synthesizer? Tricky gents!