“The album takes its cues from house music, using methodical drum arrangements and lots of vocal and melodic repetition. The songs might seem out of place among bass-heavy offerings from the likes of David Guetta and Calvin Harris, but at its best, Forcefield’s infectious and pulsating enthusiasm is an undeniable call to the dance floor.” — Leo Traub

 

Admittedly, the term “danceable” is at best an arbitrary and subjective description and at worst a meaningless cliche. People dance to everything from Tchaikovsky to Skrillex. Who’s to say what is truly danceable?

Perhaps it’s better to describe Tokyo Police Club’s much-anticipated new album, Forcefield, as rock you can dance to. During the band’s four-year hiatus, Tokyo Police Club absorbed the repetitive, groovy beats of club music, infusing the usual rock combination of guitars, keyboard and drums with an energy fit for fist pumping and sing-alongs.

In a time when every radio hit — be it pop, rock or rap — is guaranteed a host of club-ready remixes, Forcefield cuts out the middleman. There aren’t any dubstep interludes or wait-for-the-drop moments. The album takes its cues from house music, using methodical drum arrangements and lots of vocal and melodic repetition. The songs might seem out of place among bass-heavy offerings from the likes of David Guetta and Calvin Harris, but at its best, Forcefield’s infectious and pulsating enthusiasm is an undeniable call to the dance floor.

Forcefield wastes no time drawing you in, starting with the compelling “Argentina (Parts I, II, III).” One of the album’s leaked singles, “Argentina” seamlessly stitches three songs together so each one is distinct yet related to the other two.

The opener sets the album on a breathless run straight into one of the album’s other leaked singles, “Hot Tonight.” Jumping straight into a knockout guitar-drum riff, the song launches into a powerful chorus followed by elated “ooh-oohs” coupled with the song’s titular hook (“It’s hot tonight!”).

But while the album starts on a high, it exhausts itself once the power-pop guitars get dropped. It’s a sprinter stuck in a marathon, taking an early lead but losing steam halfway through. Frontman David Monks’ subdued drawl is endearing when accompanied by blasting guitar riffs but seems tired, almost bored, in later songs, such as “Beaches” and “Through the Wire,” in which the music packs less of a punch.

Still, the band continues to excel with rhythm as it always has. In the past, Tokyo Police Club has shown its penchant for crafting songs built on carefully arranged beats that would impress the most precise math-rocker. Sticking to its style as a dance-rock band, Tokyo Police Club uses this same pattern of rhythm-driven guitars paired with meticulous percussion on Forcefield in songs such as “Miserable” and “Toy Guns.” Though the album’s final song, “Feel the Effect,” gets a bit lost without the catchy riffs that mark the band’s better work, the song’s head-nodding combination of bass and high-hat redeem the album’s final minutes.

The album juxtaposes poetic verses about ordinary life with lyrics that keep the subjects interesting. Monks knows how to show, not tell. “Oh what a girl, I want you wearing my T-shirt/ XL/ Yeah, you wear it well,” he sings in “Argentina.” At times, the poetics are contrived and banal, with lyrics such as “Through the wire to your door/ I’m coming around, ones and zeros on the ground,” turning “Through the Wire” maudlin. But in general, the songs’ colorful lyrics touch on usual subjects of love, loss and having fun.

The album has its share of misses, but Forcefield’s use of club music-infused rock generates more than a few infectiously danceable hits.