Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson In Crime

On first listen, Tokyo Police Club are the Canadian version of The Cribs. Defiantly raw, and with the same kind of rambling riffs as the Wakefield boys, it’s hardly the most groundbreaking of stuff on opening track ‘Cheer It On’.

Then there’s ‘Citizens Of Tomorrow’. This track is the amalgamation of everything DIY loves about Canada. The clapping backdrop of The Most Serene Republic, playful spoken word of Ninja High School and the soundscape of the mighty Broken Social Scene are squashed in to less than three minutes of pure effort.

And that’s what ‘A Lesson In Crime’ has in bucketloads. Pumped full of background bleeps, layered vocals and speed changes, this band are certainly giving this pop star malarkey a good try. The sheer pace of ‘It Works’ is further testament to this. While in places there is a bit of Julian Casablancas-style nonchalance, there’s enough fervent ranting and background shouts to ensure there are few monotonous moments on the mini-album.

Uncontrollable shouts and twiddling guitar parts, Tokyo Police Club are the Canadian version of The Cribs. Canada is just a bit better at it…