Tokyo Police Club shows promise with debut EP

From the second you start listening to the debut extended play (EP) from Toronto indie band Tokyo Police Club (TPC), you can't help but think of The Strokes. The very first track on the record, "Cheer it On," sounds like it could be taken straight from The Strokes' latest album.

The song has the prerequisite catchy guitar riff and the familiar grainy vocal style that Julian Casablancas is so fond of.

However, as the album continues to play, it becomes quite clear that TPC are more than just copycats. The EP, A Lesson in Crime, is in your face from the start. The album opens with vocalist David Monks shouting, "Operator, get me the President of the World! This is an emergency!"

To be honest, I picked it up because I was a fan of the bold graphic art on the front and back covers. But TPC are not simply a bunch of kids thrashing on guitars and banging on drums.

With a flair for hip and trendy cover art, the level of maturity and talent present on A Lesson in Crime are not usually found on a debut full-length CD, much less an EP.

As the record progresses, TPC really starts to show their depth. "Citizens of Tomorrow" opens up with rapid hand clapping over atmospheric synths reminiscent of Sparta before segueing into a We Are Scientists-style chorus.

The last song, "La Ferrassie," features an emo introduction and then transforms into a double-time explosion of frenetic drums and power riffs.

Probably the best song on the album is "Nature of the Experiment," an expertly-crafted dance/pop track dominated by guitar that somehow does not manage to overpower the song's beautiful vocals.

The main downside to A Lesson in Crime is its short length. You might expect an EP to come in at about 16 minutes long. However, in this case, the EP has seven songs on it, with each one being less than three minutes long and some coming in just under two.

After several listens, however, this comes to be less and less of an issue. The songs are so dense musically that they would likely become obnoxious if they were too much longer.

The album, despite its short length, manages to paint a picture of a future world with robot overlords, where the human race has been reduced to "the boys and the girls who are slaves building spaceships at night."

While not the deep or profound lyrics some might like, the words to the songs suit the style of music well and allow you to listen to it solely for fun without taking anything too seriously.

Tokyo Police Club is definitely a group to watch out for. A Lesson in Crime is a noteworthy release, although, considering its short length, I wouldn't pay too much for it. Just wait for the full-length. If the EP is any indication, it will be great.