5. Champ - Tokyo Police Club
Canada has a mixed track record of bringing musicians into the states. We've received musicians from the bottom of the Canadian barrel, such as Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Finger Eleven, Justin Bieber, and Nickelback. Granted, they have also brought us significant talent, like Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, The Guess Who, Neil Young, and Barenaked Ladies. And we can definitely add Tokyo Police Club to that list of talented Canadian musicians. The indie/alternative rock band from Ontario released their debut album,
Elephant Shell, went generally unnoticed but did get positive reviews from critics. It wasn't until their 2010 album
Champ that the band reached mainstream status, mostly due to their songs "Favourite Colour" and "Bambi." They received generally favourable response from critics such as Paste Magazine, Pitchfork Media, Ultimate Guitar, Slant Magazine, and Rolling Stone Magazine. Tokyo Police Club has been lauded for their passion to be "more than another forgotten blog band" (Slant Magazine), as well as their upbeat sound and successful execution of guitar-focused instrumentals. Here's track 5 from their album
Champ, "Bambi." http://youtu.be/smqNtBXN5Mc