Toronto's Tokyo Police Club play optimistic and twitchy pop with a beat. They say that if you were to throw Bowie, Joy Division, The Arcade Fire into a blender, you'd find the inspiration for their sound. One thing is for sure, these four guys definitely love pronounced bass lines, chants, hand-claps and rapid drums. If that's not optimism, I don't know what is.

They buzz on these guys has long gone outside Canadas borders (btw, did you know there is a venue in London, Ontario called The Alex P. Keaton... how much does that rule?) and even the States. These young guys will continue their quest to take over the world, one addictive riff at a time. Be sure to check out their debut album!

The slightly soulful guitar/piano pop sound that NYC's White Rabbits rocks has been compared to bands like French Kicks, The Walkmen and The National. But these six guys throw all sorts of musical influences into their songs that go beyond just emulating their indie rock peers. In their bouncy songs (that often employ three-part harmonies) you'll hear traces of reggae, perhaps a little ska, and a strong dose of R&B.

And speaking of R&B, there's a whole lot of the rhythm going on here. White Rabbits' tempos certainly hop around, but never sound messy. Live, the band trades off instruments and sometimes even uses three drummers to put on an entertaining show of powerful percussion. White Rabbit's critically acclaimed debut, Fort Nightly, is out now on Say Hey Records (Shy Child, Inouk, The Boggs).

Tokyo Police Club and White Rabbits play the El Rey Theatre, on Tuesday, October 23rd, and The Glass House, on Wednesday, October 24th.