A couple of years ago, in a land not too far away, four high school boys decided they’d form a band. Sure, it wasn’t the most original idea in the world, but these guys seemed to make it work. Rather than seeing the band as a get-laid-quick scheme, Tokyo Police Club concentrated on creating two-minute miracles of infectious post-punk power-pop that soon earned them massive critical acclaim and a legion of diehard fans.

Two years after their debut EP, the incredibly punchy A Lesson in Crime, TCP has hit the road in support of their latest release, Elephant Shell. After two years of relentless touring, the band sounds tighter and more self-assured. Gone is the endearing sloppiness that made their earlier work so charming, but in its place is a solid sense of songcraft that one wouldn’t expect from such a young ensemble. “[Guitarist] Josh [Hook] is 20 right now, turning 21 in May,” says drummer Greg Alsop. “[Vocalist/bassist] Dave [Monks] and [keyboardist] Graham [Wright] both just turned 21 and I’ve just turned 23.”

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I stumbled across a wicked cool link while researching a feature I’m writing about the pride of Newmarket, Tokyo Police Club, who are currently touring all over North America in support of their soon to be released full length LP, Elephant Shell. They’ve come up with a novel approach to tour blogging; rather than give you the boring details of going from show to show, keyboardist Graham Wright has taken to writing specifically about the various restrooms he encounters along the way, briefly discussing their merits and ranking them on a scale out of 50 on such things as cleanliness, amenities, décor and functionality (always the clincher).

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