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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Elephant Shell
by Tokyo Police Club


9.1

based on 24 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 21 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Official Artist Site

The Canadian indie rock band releases its first full-length album after two well-received EPs.

LABEL:	Saddle Creek
RELEASE DATE:	22 April 2008
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rock, Indie

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...

MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)

Very minor, rather lovely and it rocks.

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.

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.

musicOMH.com

It manages to stay true to the band's short-form indie excitement whilst also revealing further virtues well into repeat spins.

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.

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.

The New York Times

There are moments here worth savoring-- the wickedly resourceful arrangement of 'Graves,' for starters--but not a lot that sticks.

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.

New Musical Express

This album may be svelte, but it’s far from slight.

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.

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]

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.

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.

Hot Press

Tokyo Police Club indubitably share similarities with their more commercially successful UK counterparts, Bloc Party.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Elephant Shell by Tokyo Police Club

Elephant Shell
by Tokyo Police Club