“I’m pretty sure Jimi would dig The Cops” declares Michael Jaworski. He speaks, of course, of Mr. Hendrix, of whom his band and the rock icon share the same home turf: Seattle. “We’re true believers, and we do like to party!”
With Jaworski on lead vocals/guitar, bassist Drew “Dr. Dre” Church (“he shoots subsonic bolts of lightning from his instrument”), guitarists John Randolph and Brandon Bay, and David Weeks on drums, The Cops’ no-frills, gritty guitar-drenched sophomore effort Free Electricity wipes the slate clean akin to the hallowed works of fellow north-westerners Jimi, Kurt, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden back in their respective hey-days.
“We love those bands” muses Jaworski. “Anyone who has paid attention is aware that Seattle has evolved several times over since grunge. I don’t think it’s very relevant today - but those bands are still influencing new bands.”
Free Electricity was recorded live and quickly (three days tracking - mostly early takes) in the studio by the band’s “spiritual godfather” Kurt Bloch (The Fastbacks, Young Fresh Fellows). Feeding off Bloch’s eternally positive attitude, Jaworski credits The Cops’ source of constant inspiration for “helping us to navigate the turbulent waters of the Zen/Madness dichotomy, which is crucial when we’re making a record like this.” Johnny Sangster handled the mixing process with aplomb. “We’d talk to Johnny about each song, then he’d kick us out of the studio” recalls Jaworski. “We’d go to the bar and come back three hours later and he’d always nail it!”
In the cut “Islands” Jaworski and The Cops stick to the credo of being topical without being political and political without being preachy - yet they do a far better job than CNN, Fox, and the other networks when it comes to assessing a leader who shall remain nameless by proclaiming: “You are an island / you’re self righteous / you’re moving forward with your indignation/ you’re an island / with no alliance/ you push your weight/ liberate/ with no good conscience.”
Parallel to The Doors and The Stooges in their darkest hours, “Secret Lives” gradually builds into a mini-garage opera, commencing with disparate atonal piano notes, clashing guitar lines, four-to-the-bar cymbal taps and plodding bass until Jaworski finally kicks the band into high-gear with a raucous declaration: “Do you feel sick / do you feel sad / do you desire something you can’t have?”
“Of course we all love punk and rock” says the singer of his mates’ eclectic tastes. “But I think you would find an array of hip-hop, jazz, electronic, soul/funk, reggae/dub, blues, country, and just about everything in our record collections. I think all music serves to inspire us in some way.”
The Cops are road warriors, traversing the USA for the past three years with Cursive, Jeremy Enigk, The Hold Steady, and The Constantines among others.
“We’ve toured with so many great bands and they’ve all impressed us in different ways” emphasizes Jaworski. “Those bands kicked our ass every single night of every tour. It raises the stakes for every gig and makes us want to play even better.”
--Tom Semioli
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The Cops’ Free Electricity is available now on The Control Group.
http://www.thecopsmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/thecops
