Tokyo Police Club

Capping off a triumphant year that led to rousing performances at the big ones like Coachella and Glastonbury, Newmarket, ON-grown Tokyo Police Club close out 2007 with a proper hard copy of their SmithEP. Originally released back in March through iTunes, this three-song taster has been beefed up with a remix of A Lesson in Crime’s "Be Good” by RAC (Remix Artist Collective) and the band’s three videos to date. Not quite on par with their 2006 debut, Smith works as a nice distraction while the foursome finish their next release, due early next year. Lead track "Box” continues their enthusiastic breath of energy; the driving bounce from the rhythm section and hooky guitar lines accentuate Dave Monks’s pseudo-romantic verses, which are interspersed with their customary layered backing vocals and chants. "Cut Cut Paste,” however, teeters a little, with too much focus on amped-up noise that sidetracks what they do best: deliver a range of melodies through various means. Ballad "A Lesson in Crime” feels out of place simply for its title but it’s nice to hear Monks take it down a notch with simply a piano by his side; it’s a pleasant change that proves he can write meaningful songs and thrive without a buoyant boost in the back. RAC’s hyper-remix of "Be Good,” meanwhile, shows why a band like TPC are fit for such a thing; they give the song a feverish injection of horns, distorted, stuttering beats and synthetic splendour that is the best remix of this band yet.