Elephant Shell is the Canadian-pop sensation, Tokyo Police Club’s, first full length album set to be released late this April. The small group, composed of four members, have been hard at work in the studio under their new label, Saddle Creek Records, creating blessed music for your ears. And I must say, they’ve certainly done a great job.

This newest album is a lot of what you’d expect from Tokyo Police Club but you can certainly hear a huge growth of maturity from the boys. Elephant Shell definitely sounds a lot more like an actual album than just a compilation of demos. Everything is crisper, cleaner, and clearer than it was in A Lesson in Crime. Their new sound is a lot less “punk” and everything is much more relaxed. It’s not going to put you to sleep, but it’s not going to pump you up either. Elephant Shell eased off the gas pedal and decided to cruise along while A Lesson in Crime is more concerned about speeding past you; leaving you in a cloud of dust.

Dave Monks’ (lead vocals) voice is now very soothing in his own, unique and shockingly, a little feminine, way. In the first track, “Centennial”, you may be a little surprised to notice that Monks’ testicles are actually quite possibly..ascending? But not to fear, just like a thirteen year-old boy going through puberty, his voice slowly starts to enter manhood throughout the album’s tracks. Overall, the whole CD sounds a little the same but this is a positive for someone who really enjoys their stuff. All-in-all, no complaints here.

Do you like rock music? I sure hope you do, because British Sea Power’s third album release will surely rejuvenate your deprived iTunes playlist. They’re an awesome foursome that deals out some gruesome indie-rock music for your sore thumb (if that makes sense). Based out of England, they share a lot of similarities with oh so many bands. More than you can count on one centipede, little man.

Do You Like Rock Music? starts off a lot more pop than it does indie. They hook you in the beginning with catchier songs like “Waving Flags” and “No Lucifer” that’ll keep you speeding 85 in a 55 mile-per-hour zone without even noticing. After awhile, the energy tends to die and you get a flat tire in your fantasy Ferrari. Like in “The Great Skua”, the tempo slows down, the melody kicks up, and they bring on a similar sound of Broken Social Scene. Being strictly instrumental, this song sounds more like an outro away from their Arcade Fire-esque sound and an intro into their easier-going, Coldplay-sounding portion of the album.

British Sea Power is known to have very entertaining and eccentric shows. Lots of stage divin’, set climbin’, and bear beatin’ fun for everyone. They’re definitely something that shouldn’t be missed if they’re making an appearance in your area. Whether you like things soft or you like things rough, you will be pleased with Do You Like Rock Music?.

The Gutter Twins is a 4+ year old project by Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. They began recording the album in late 2003 and it took until now to finish. Being that both men have a great musical background, this album has quite a bit of hype built up for me. Before I began listening to Saturnalia, I did some reading up of their histories and some early reviews of this album.

This album is grungy, VERY dark, and deep. Usually, I can enjoy any type of rock, but they sound like a typical Seattle area grunge band. Most of their songs have good parts (usually in the beginning), and then they just leave you with a sense of dreary disappointment. Songs like “Seven Stories Underground” and “Who Will Lead Us” are just pure album filler. Annoyingly, many of these songs have the same beat and rhythm. The vocals are deep and hardly display any sort of melody.

I enjoyed “The Body”, “Idle Hands”, and bits of others, but having listened to it before bed last night, and on the way to work, I found that getting through the entire album was difficult. I was always skipping songs as they just began to fade into distant noise. It was like pushing a piano up a hill…it felt like a task just to listen to everything. Therefore, I cannot recommend Saturnalia to anyone; even pure enthusiasts of lazy grunge music.

Most of their songs are posted to their MySpace page, where you can get a taste of music that will suck the energy out of you. The type of person who chooses this as their profile song is in depression, and probably has a black background with pictures of dark landscapes…it isn’t emo by any means, just devoid.

Just like MGMT, Vampire Weekend has recently released their first full-length self-titled album and it’s been growing on me like moss on a tree. They’re hitting it off relatively well and I’m seeing their name thrown all over the place. Hailing from New York, Vampire Weekend is a pop-rock indie band with an exposure to afrobeat inspirations.

They carry a pleasant tune that is fun for the whole family. If someone were to make a movie about being deserted on a tropical island like Hawaii, this would be the soundtrack to the film. There’s no way you could be depressed while listening to a song like “Mansard Roof”. The vocalist, Ezra Koenig, has a cheerful and sweet tone to his voice that goes hand-in-hand with the band’s hand drumming.

With a sound similar to Arctic Monkeys, except with a little extra sunshine, Vampire Weekend is a force to be reckoned with. Don’t get me wrong, the whole album isn’t a pile of happy-go-lucky hits you’d expect to hear from a Pixar animation. Tracks such as “I Stand Corrected” numb down the optimism and bring on an easier beat that share a similarity with Bloc Party.

The overall album reminds me of simpler times. Back when ten dollars made you rich and anything could keep you preoccupied for an eternity.

This isn’t exactly the newest album but it’s still something I look forward to listening to every time I open up my iTunes. They’re currently finishing up their newest album Elephant Shell which is rumored to be released around April under their new label Saddle Creek. Canada seems to produce a delicious breed of indie-pop which I have grown to love with each new band I learn about and Tokyo Police Club is no exception.

Since most bands don’t tend to sing about robots taking over the world, as heard in “Citizens of Tomorrow,” there aren’t a lot of similar sounds to them for comparison. They’re more of a modern version of The Unicorns without the overkill of the synthesizer. Tokyo Police Club takes on the role of a typical rock band but clashes it with some electronic harmonies to ’spicen’ it up. They deliver a perfect blend of the two, except to a higher degree and with a faster pace to give it that extra kick you’ve been yearning for.

Tokyo Police Club’s high energy performances are what pull you in, their rhythmic clapping is what hypnotizes you, and their music is what keeps you coming back. Somewhat similar to mythical sirens except with better intentions. These guys are just looking out for your ears’ best interests.