Are you there, blog? Its me, Margaret…

Hey friends,

Exciting news in the world of Tokyo Police Club!  We recently wrote our names at the bottom of a piece of paper and in so doing became the newest members of the mom+pop label family.  Somebody went to a lot of trouble to write up a nice press release, so I’ll let that do the explaining, but I do want to say that we’re all crazy excited to be hitching our wagons to this train.  The music industry is in a sort of messy situation these days, which has opened the door for a lot of exciting and unconventional label set ups like mom+pop.  Its really cool to get in on the ground floor of something that we all believe is going to turn out to be pretty special.  Together, we will rule the galaxy.

xo

Graham

Here is what the publicity people have to say on the matter:

TOKYO POLICE CLUB SIGN U.S. DEAL WITH MOM+POP SOPHOMORE ALBUM OUT EARLY 2010 Tokyo Police Club, the Newmarket Ontario quartet hailed by Rolling Stone as “poised to become the biggest Canadian export since Molson,” have signed an exclusive U.S. recording deal with mom+pop.  The band is currently recording its second full length album, with an expected release projected for early 2010. Tokyo Police Club is made up of Greg Alsop (drums), Josh Hook (guitar), David Monks (vocals, bass) and Graham Wright (keys/percussion). The band formed in 2005 and released its debut EP A Lesson In Crime the following year to instant and universal acclaim, with Entertainment Weekly raving “we can hardly wait for the full length.” One more EP, a digital-only single and a few laps around the world later, Tokyo Police Club’s debut album, Elephant Shell was released in April 2008. Elephant Shell’s release was preceded by multiple sold out shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto, and followed by appearances on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson and, oddly enough, Desperate Housewives. Critical response to the full length was even more enthusiastic and diverse, with the likes of GQ (“Strokes-caliber catchiness”), Elle (“a smart, furiously played sugar-rush debut”) and Men’s Health (“an aural adrenaline rush all the way”) all lavishing praise. The band toured relentlessly to support Elephant Shell, appearing in the U.S. as recently as the August 2009 All points West Festival. mom+pop was formed in 2008 by Cliff Burnstein,  Peter Mensch and Michael Goldstone. Burnstein and Mensch are the owners of Qprime, one of music’s most respected management firms, with a roster featuring the likes of Metallica,  Red Hot Chili Peppers,  Snow Patrol,  Muse,  Silversun Pickups,  and The Mars Volta,  among others. Goldstone is a veteran A&R exec whose most recent tenure at Sire saw him sign Regina Spektor and Tegan and Sara. In August 2008,  he inked Joshua Radin as the first artist on the mom+pop label. Radin’s album, Simple Times, released 21 days later on September 9, has since sold over 100,000 units and 400, 000 tracks. Other mom+pop artists include An Horse, signed to the label  by Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara. mom+pop is a fully staffed label distributed independently by RED.

An offer we dare not refuse…

I always knew that I had what it takes!  See you guys on the air…

Bloggle

Get it? Like Boggle.

So, our crack team of marketing specialists tells me that the subliminal messages we inserted into The Real Housewives of Atlanta failed to win us any followers  Turns out the soulless husks that watch that show don’t actually have a subliminal level.  (Zing! Burn!  Nothing but net!)  Anyway, in lieu of that, I’m told that we need to ‘increase our internet presence’, presumably as a stopgap until Doctor Impossible, our resident super-villain, finishes work on our next nefarious mind control project.  Stay tuned to the astral planes for that one.

We have, as always, been working reasonably hard on writing new songs for our second session of recording, which is to commence in Hoboken, New Jersey in a few weeks.  Our beloved producer Chris Zane came to visit us last week and we spent a very productive three days really lasering in on the new songs, trimming all the fat and making them all sound good and shiny.  I’m happy to report that the new jams are sounding at least as good as the ones we recorded in the summer, and we’re all pretty excited to get them in the studio and really let them loose.

I took some pictures while CZ was here to share with you, but then I forgot my camera there, and now we’re taking this week off, so no pictures today.

Talk to you soon,
Graham