Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
70
AFI
65
Air
71
Alice In Chains
77
Amerie
85
The Antlers
75
Arctic Monkeys
68
As Tall As Lions
82
Atlas Sound
75
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
56
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
72
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan
72
Brendan Benson
72
The Big Pink
96
Big Star
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
51
Black Mold
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
77
A.A. Bondy
73
The Bottle Rockets
63
Box Elders
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
87
Brother Ali
70
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
78
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
79
Califone
68
Mariah Carey
84
Brandi Carlile
73
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash
69
Castanets
65
The Cave Singers
84
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
79
Vic Chesnutt
75
Choir Of Young Believers
81
Circulatory System
68
The Clean
84
The Clientele
71
Cobra Starship
85
Converge
71
Eric Copeland
80
Cymbals Eat Guitars
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
88
Destroyer
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
66
Bob Dylan
44
The Entrance Band
67
Esser
69
Fanfarlo
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
78
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
83
Fuck Buttons
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
77
Joe Henry
66
Hockey
69
Whitney Houston
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
73
Jessie James
74
Jamie T
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
69
Daniel Johnston
76
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
65
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
76
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
84
Miranda Lambert
72
Ledisi
75
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt
73
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
73
Lyle Lovett
66
Lovvers
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna
85
Manic Street Preachers
62
Maps
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
67
Reba McEntire
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
77
Malcolm Middleton
77
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
76
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
62
Morrissey
85
Mount Eerie
78
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
78
Nirvana
97
Nirvana
72
Nisennenmondai
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
73
Osso
81
Owen
76
Paramore
76
Pastels And Tenniscoats
51
Sean Paul
80
Pearl Jam
66
Jemina Pearl
72
Jack Penate
65
Phish
82
Pissed Jeans
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
66
Robert Pollard
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
80
Q-Tip
80
R.E.M.
89
Raekwon
69
Rain Machine
70
Ramona Falls
75
Dizzee Rascal
75
The Raveonettes
76
Jay Reatard
82
Reigning Sound
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
79
Russian Circles
69
Buffy Sainte-Marie
73
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
72
Six Organs Of Admittance
69
Slaughterhouse
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
62
Mindy Smith
78
Soulsavers
77
Speech Debelle
58
Spiral Stairs
58
Squarepusher
55
Steel Panther
73
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
65
Joss Stone
75
George Strait
83
Barbra Streisand
76
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
78
The Swell Season
76
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees
78
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants
67
Third Eye Blind
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
71
The Twilight Sad
58
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
70
Various Artists
74
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
71
Kurt Vile
67
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
76
Rufus Wainwright
59
Weezer
80
White Denim
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
59
Andrew W.K.
71
Patrick Wolf
67
Wolfmother
84
The xx
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
51
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Elephant Shell
EMAILPRINTby Tokyo Police Club
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 21 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Saddle Creek
Release Date: 22 April 2008
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Indie
Summary
The Canadian indie rock band releases its first full-length album after two well-received EPs.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Filter
Elephant Shell is like a summertime record, easy and stress-free. [Spring 2008, p.92]
Billboard
The songs on Elephant Shell are a sensible progression from the Strokes-like hooks of earlier material, showing an increasing sophistication. As with before, the brilliance is in the brevity.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
Tokyo Police Club's reliance on sounds and forms, namely the borderline hackneyed tropes of the 21st century's neat-freak take on post-punk, that can all be found elsewhere. Bands rarely combine ingredients this stale into something this fresh.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
It manages to stay true to the band's short-form indie excitement whilst also revealing further virtues well into repeat spins.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
When they do hit their stride, it's on several urgent guitar-and-synth anthems, which makes you wonder why these guys didn't just weed out the riffraff and release another killer EP. [9 May 2008, p.63]
Los Angeles Times
Though its follow-up full-length, Elephant Shell, doesn't disappoint, neither does it surprise too much.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
As it stands, it's a really good album by a band that should've made--and still might make--a really, really great one.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
There are moments here worth savoring-- the wickedly resourceful arrangement of 'Graves,' for starters--but not a lot that sticks.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
So even though these tunes remain brief and concise (only one song, 'Your English Is Good,' tops the three-minute mark), they're also varied, which makes Tokyo Police Club's official debut seem less like the work of hyper-caffeinated teens and more like the promise of a smart, evolving band.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
I can't say with conviction that Elephant Shell will stand the test of time--it could be forgotten within a year--but such is the peril of retreading well-worn musical ground. The album should, however, stay fresh for the summer.
Read Full Review >Blender
Making good on the promise of two nervously explosive EPs, Tokyo Police Club indulge in plenty of echoey atmospherics but also add Foo Fighters-esque blasts of guitar, as if leaping into action and kicking over their chairs. [May 2008, p.79]
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
After nailing the rapid-fire EP format with tracks that constantly threatened to disintegrate themselves from the inside-out, TPC psyche themselves out on their first full-length, over-cooking songs made from otherwise spectacular ingredients.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
TPC are better arrangers than songwriters; all eleven tracks burst with hooks, but only the single 'Your English Is Good' feels fully cooked.
Read Full Review >Hot Press
Tokyo Police Club indubitably share similarities with their more commercially successful UK counterparts, Bloc Party.
Read Full Review >Uncut
No shocks here, but a laudably short and sharp effort. [June 2008, p.94]
Q Magazine
It's all over long before the lack of variety can become a problem. [June 2008, p.148]
Prefix Magazine
Transcendent tracks like 'Your English is Good' and 'In a Cave' indicate that there’s still room to grow on subsequent Tokyo Police Club releases. But for now, the band seems to have lost its mojo.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
They don’t do nearly enough with the brief window of opportunity they have afforded themselves, and seem too fashionably pent-up to take that key leap of faith beyond the terra firma of their dominant influences in the foreseeable future.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
Elephant Shell is very appealing in a middle-of-the-road way, but for those hoping to be electrified, we'll have to wait on another arse. [Spring 2008, p.81]
NOW Magazine
TPC keep their songs taut and mostly under three minutes, so Elephant Shell whips by in a charging whirl of indie rock urgency but skips on substance.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
Elephant Shell finds the ambiguity created by this choice absolutely harrowing, however, and proceeds to run back to that basement with its eyes closed, one hand over its mouth and the other clutching its Bloc Party tapes.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
Elephant Shell has it all if you’re looking for youthful mistakes from a well-meaning (but again, young) band that really, really, REALLY shouldn’t let the hype go to their heads.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 21 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Edgar M gave it a10:
This is probably my choice for the most underrated album of 08. This had some insanely catchy songs (Juno, In a Cave, IMO). I'm shocked this didn't make many people's Top 10 because it's such well-made and satisfying little gem. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for true indie-rock album.
Shay gave it a10:
This is pure awesomeness!
J C gave it a10:
Exciting and thrilling from beginning to end.
A C gave it a9:
Simply amazing! It's energetic and catchy as hell. A definite pleasure to listen to.
X Y gave it a10:
A fun and catchy album that's exploding with tons and tons of energy.
Coal Y gave it a9:
I reviewed this album for my school paper. I've listened to it countless times already, but it still grows on me. I think the hooks are there, but people should not expect fast paced, outright catchy songs for 11 straight tracks. I thought TPC did a good job of mixing up the pace and maturing in their song writing-content. The lyrics throughout the album involve longing for and reflecting on the past, albeit in somewhat sci-fi ways. Still, A Lesson In Crime didn't have all hooky tracks. Shoulders and Arms, If it Works, and La Ferraise (sp?) were very different and not as exciting as the other songs on the EP. There are so many catchy tracks on Elephant Shell: In a Cave, Graves, Tessellate, Nursery Academy, Your English is Good, Juno. Still the other tracks are good and have great variety jammed into 2.5 minutes are less.
howard p. gave it a7:
I agree that this definitely could've been much better, and could have even been cut down into another ep instead of a full release. however, this album's good moments outweigh its weaknesses.
