Are they famous yet? If not, stay tuned, because The Elephants have what it takes to rally the masses and keep their attention. “Take It!” the second release from this Danish septet is filled with pop wisdom: joyous hooks, sharp memorable riffs and choruses, the brilliant and seemingly off-handed uses of keys, horns, banjo, and harmonies that would make a Beach Boy proud. This is a life-saver, despite the occasional melancholy twist.

Vocalist and guitarist Bjarke Bendtsen seems to be the prime mover here. His lyrics and guitar both ring gorgeously on “The Organ Grinder,” “The Migrant,” and the beautiful, jarring “Eva” and “Turtle Struggles.” Any of the nine songs would make great singles, and most of them would be any number of pop band’s strongest track.

With a sharp, tight pop sense and the confidence to experiment and expand on the pop song’s possibilities, The Elephants will only get better. “Take It!” puts much of what is on the US and UK charts to further deserved shame. It will be nice to see them reach the charts and bring some class back to the hit parade. 9/10 -- Mike Wood (7 October, 2009)