Though I don’t generally make the connection between great indie music and Canada, there’s definitely something to be said for the combination. As one of the biggest and most anticipated releases out of our neighbor to the north in a while, Tokyo Police Club’s Elephant Shell follows through on its way to becoming one of the best albums of the year.

TPC, a four-piece Ontario outfit that formed in a basement in 2005, has garnered a large amount of publicity in the short time they’ve been together. Last year was huge for the group, with appearances at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot and the Glastonbury Festival, as well as a guest spot on Late Night with David Letterman.

Up until now, the only recordings available for purchase were two short EPs, A Lesson in Crime and Smith EP, although the former spawned three singles. The strength of their latest release makes me think they could easily release more then three singles.

Elephant Shell flows seamlessly from track to track; nothing feels awkward or out of place. As a whole, I can connect to it more than anything I’ve heard in a long time.

Even when the album slows down with tracks like “The Harrowing Adventures Of” and “Listen to the Math,” the melodies are strong and the music is powerful. Beyond that, there’s really not a single weak track.

Interestingly, lead singer and bassist Dave Monks resembles Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, which is definitely not a complaint. I wouldn’t call it an imitation, but the two share a similar pleasantness and comfortable ease.

Elephant Shell also contains the hit single “Your English is Good,” a track that was originally a non-album success of its own. It’s insanely catchy, powerfully poppy and does a good job of tying the bass line and keyboard melody into something you can’t get out of your head. The music video is worth a watch too.

Their latest single, “Tessellate,” deserves its own mention. When you can move past hearing the song and actually feel the music and the poetry involved in the lyrics, as with the line “broken hearts tessellate,” you might get goose bumps.