Nada Mucho

Bumbershoot Preview: Tokyo Police Club

Posted by Nada Overlord August 29th, 2007 No Comments »

I have long thought of the great New Wave revival of ’03-’04 as a dark stain on the history of modern music, but after a few spins of Tokyo Police Club’s sixteen-minute EP A Lesson In Crime, I’m forced to admit that the skinny tie electroclash crowd may have done us some good after all.

We are currently blessed with a crop of fine young groups with an Unrest/Buzzcocks/Brainiac sensibility and some retro instincts; keyboard as lead instrument, pop hooks without cloying sweetness, and punk ethos without half-stacks.

I have long thought of the great New Wave revival of ’03-’04 as a dark stain on the history of modern music, but after a few spins of Tokyo Police Club’s sixteen-minute EP A Lesson In Crime, I’m forced to admit that the skinny tie electroclash crowd may have done us some good after all.

We are currently blessed with a crop of fine young groups with an Unrest/Buzzcocks/Brainiac sensibility and some retro instincts; keyboard as lead instrument, pop hooks without cloying sweetness, and punk ethos without half-stacks.

Add some lyrics about robots ("Citizens of Tomorrow"), a punchy, limber rhythm section (Dave Monks sings while playing bass from the elbow rather than the wrist), some joyful unison shouting and handclaps, and you’ve got a recipe for what, by all rights, should be what the young folks are dancing to.

They’re making an album for Saddle Creek, which should help.

Tokyo Police Club play the Sound Transit stage Monday, September 3 at 5:45. Chris Klepac will be the short, thick guy with two-day growth.

Chris’ Monday Schedule
12:30 – 1:00: Adrian Xavier
1:00 – 1:30: Smoosh
1:30 – 2:00: The Bad Things
2:00 – 2:30: Ohmega Watts
2:30 – 3:00: The Blakes
3:00 – 3:15: Night Canopy
3:15 – 4:00: Schoolyard Heroes
4:00 – 5:00: Viva Voce
5:00 – 5:45: Siberian
5:45 – 6:45: Tokyo Police Club
6:45 – 7:45: Roky Erickson and the Explosives
7:45 – 8:30: The Frames
8:30 – 9:30: Steve Earle
9:30 – 10:15: Wu-Tang Clan
10:15 – 10:45: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists