Tokyo Police Club: “Your English Is Good”
A would-be summer smash in a perfect world, “Your English Is Good” is the best track Canadian bright young things Tokyo Police Club have dropped since bursting on the scene last fall with debut single “The Nature of the Experiment”. All shouty group vocals and summery guitar sounds, “English” is a jubilant slice of warm-weather guitar-pop that stands out as one of the most fun tracks of the year. Much of its charm lies in its frantic urgency, in just how badly Tokyo Police Club want your vote and just how good they think your English is. It’s a different kind of urgency - steeped in the naive bliss of youthful optimism - than that found on their debut EP, for which the darker desperation of Bloc Party provided a better reference point, and it’s an exciting new sound for the band. By this point they’ve already established themselves as one of the most promising young talents in Canada, but for a band of their age to already be displaying a distinctively evolving sound this early in their career only confirms their virtually limitless potential.
It’s no secret that TPC’s greatness lies in the fact that frontman Dave Monks is a brilliant young talent who, y’know, just happens to have three friends who know how to play their instruments pretty well. The B-Side to “English” finds Monks shining solo for the first time on record, armed with only an acoustic guitar, the unconventional beauty of his vocals and lyrics and some light backing percussion. Like all TPC tracks it’s short and sweet and leaves you wanting more, but with a freshly-inked deal with, uh, Saddle Creek (…seriously?) and a debut album in the works, hopefully we won’t have to wait long.
MP3: “Your English Is Good” - Tokyo Police Club ((highly recommended))
STREAM: “Swedes In Stockholm” - Tokyo Police Club
GOODNESS the new Kanye video is awesome. Long live So-Me.
Also, I’ll be in Boston this weekend to see Girl Talk and Simian Mobile Disco (not to mention Dan Deacon and White Williams) TOGETHER UNDER ONE ROOF on Friday night, so don’t expect any updates until Monday. You also probably shouldn’t expect a review of the show, as I’ve already reviewed both acts twice before here and, to put it bluntly, I’m planning on getting straight-up retarded. Shit is gonna be out of control.