After 2008's portentous full-length debut, Elephant Shell, Tokyo Police Club looked to have stepped into the garage indie rock breach that The Strokes have filled with much aplomb for so long. Returning in the new decade with their second LP Champ, the buzz around TPC seems to have evidently softened. Whilst these Canadians may never reach the heights of beauty and innovation pioneered by their countrymen (& women) Arcade Fire, there are snippets of genius amongst the sometimes repetitious guitar melodies. This genius lies in how they seamlessly shift tempos, whilst remaining anchored by Dave Monk's distinctive maudlin refrains.

Starting strong with the one-two punch of "Favorite Food" and "Favorite Color", the stop-start opening synths give way to a distinctive TPC lament "'cause your knees are scratched and your eyes are black" on the album opener, whilst driving guitar riffs take over on the latter track. Anticlimactically, this hopeful start gives way to the ironically named first single "Breakneck Speed", which is one of the more downbeat songs on the album. TPC shift into gear again with "Bambi" whose jerky electronic beats contrast nicely with the now-expected melancholy warbles Monk generates.

The album reaches its peak by "End of a Spark", which features some of the most heart-wrenching and evocative lyrics since my personal favourite "Tessellate". Monk's killer line "wasting is an art" becomes an anchor point for the album, and provides the one truly memorable moment. Disappointingly, it all starts to peter out towards the end, with closing track "Frankenstein" fittingly bringing a final spark of life back into the plateau.

I love the sort of music Tokyo Police Club make. I adored Elephant Shell, and Champ is a good listen. But in an iAge of beautiful, dark twisted fantasies, mountains beyond mountains and the ominous return of Julian, Nick and the gang... "good" might not be enough to keep these boys near the top of the Hype Machine generation's playlist.

Review Score: 7/10