The Cops: Free Electricity

The Cops, a band out of Seattle, shouldn’t be confused with the Sydney group of the same name. As you might expect from the groups’ name, they both trade in relatively straight-ahead rock. Though nothing on the Seattle group can match the stomping anthem “Wallet Puffer Smokes Keys”, their take on the classic muscular rock sound’s always competent, and occasionally thrilling. The guitar-guitar-bass-drums setup’s ripe for it, of course — and at times the group achieves a level of muscle approaching the Foo Fighters, e.g. “It’s Epidemic” has all the elements: raw punk-rock and Michael Jaworski’s screechy vocals with the affect of carelessness. He occasionally puts on a Bob Dylan impersonation, but mostly achieves a fair stab at individuality. “Modern Black Flats” is a standout, growing from a neat, dissonant guitar figure to a switchup from 4/4 to 3/4 that’s particularly effective. Throughout, the band shows a remarkable adherence to the stringent rock ideal, heavy on riffs and attitude. In this, they remind of the more experienced (and slightly tighter) Radio 4. But you can tell that the Cops are a band that has grown comfortable playing together and obviously enjoy the hell out of it. For fans of growling rock, that may be enough.