Tokyo Police Club - Cheer It On
[Memphis Industries]

I hate to say it, I really do. But Tokyo Police Club's obession for The Strokes is starting to sound seriously unhealthy. It's almost like these Canadians have cloned the popular New York band with the hope that the one-million-plus fans who bought Is This It, actually failed to notice that Julian Casablancas and friends exist.

Cheer It On is a track from their mini-album A Lesson In Crime and is paint-by-numbers Strokes; Angular, wiry guitar solo = check. A great (but simple) hook that will be stuck in your head for days = check. Muffled vocals sung through a distorted mic = check. To put it bluntly, nothing new and nothing you haven't heard a thousand times already.

Now if the track had surfaced say 5-6 years ago, Tokyo Police Club would have easily been name-dropped alongside their obvious influence as another factor in the rising scene of punk and garage. Fast-forward to 2007 and they sound exactly what they are; a poor man's version of a highly successful band.

If a long-lasting career in music is what Tokyo Police Club are seeking, then it's time the band sat down and had a re-think.

Track Listing:

1. Cheer It On
2. Citizens Of Tomorrow (Space Ballad Version)