Tokyo Police Club, who are actually an indie-rock band from Ontario, release their new Smith EP today. It's composed of tracks all previously offered as b-sides or bonus cuts to releases that never found their way to North American shores. In the Luddite days of the nineties I was suckered by many a collection like this, as knowing something existed without being able to track it down was still gloriously excruciating. But now, with the digital means to deliver rarities, why press ahead with a physical release of warmed over material? If the point is to keep the band fresh in the blog consciousness, there are easier ways to go about it. If it's to help the band bridge the album gap with a quick cash influx, that's fair enough, but not a very compelling argument for artistic merit.

The lead track, "Cut Cut Paste," is a sub-two minute flash of throbbing organs and sloppy guitars. Singer Dave Monks sings wistfully, as his band mates chant behind him in that communally cathartic and increasingly tiresome Canadian fashion. It's hard to question the energy behind this track, though what that pep is in aid of is further in doubt. It'd have made a good b-side, maybe.