The Cops Are Tops

“Cops Are Tops”. Does anyone else remember this slogan that once adorned assorted paraphernalia so the public could show its appreciation of local law enforcers? Well, we here at The Dwarf share similar sentiments for the Sydney quintet who share a similar namesake, The Cops. Hence, we spoke to the group’s creative force, Simon Carter (vocals, guitar) ahead of their nationwide tour.

For those who are unaware, The Cops’ Myspace biography proclaims that the group formed in late 2003 by Carter and bass player/keyboardist/quality control officer, Beck Darwon, in an inner-west basement, amidst second-hand cane furniture and leaking walls. The result was the debut album, Stomp On Tripwires released in 2004, followed by a lineup change and a release that many would dub their “comeback EP,80 In The Shade. Many readers would be familiar with the single, 'Call Me Anytime' which faired well in the Triple J Hottest 100 and is included on their latest album, “Drop It In Their Laps”.

Carter is currently excited about the group’s nationwide tour and in particular, returning to perform in places like WA and Adelaide. Carter admits that he notices a slight variation in the audiences from different states, before adding that there are also the members in a crowd who get involved and go crazy while others’ responses are more reserved. This begs the question of what is the craziest thing he has witnessed an audience do.

“People have brought their own cowbells before, that’s pretty funny. We did a Triple J Home and Hosed show and we had our first crowd surfers, that was pretty cool”. Simon also admits to having broken a few cowbells in his time and that he will not be practicing his technique for this particular instrument, because, “there’s really only one technique for a cowbell, kind of just hitting it” (laughs).

Conversely, Carter’s approach to songwriting is far more complex. He had previously mentioned that he tried adopting the persona of another eloquent songwriter before writing music from an occasionally disparate perspective from his own. This creative approach means that the album really is an eclectic mix of sorts, and if we look more thoroughly at the songwriting personas perspective, many feature in there, from David Bowie to Paul Weller and more. This is combined with music that is an amalgamation of the best bits of the eighties, but thankfully sans the awful costumes and perms that were prevalent during the period. Some handclaps feature in 'Out Of The Fridge/Into The Fire' a cockney chorus line fronts 'Cop Pop' some of Dorothy’s intriguing questions from The Wizard Of Oz feature in 'Respectagon' and there is even a mix of guitars sounding like The Shadows crossed with the Flock Of Seagulls’ 'I Ran' in 'Static Fever'. And let’s not forget that the release also features some great synthesizer akin to Mi-Sex’s 'Computer Games'.

Unfortunately, Carter states the direction implemented on the current album is probably going to be a transient affair. But no doubt, this will yield even more varied songs when they come to be written.

As Carter is non-committal about what the new direction is likely to be, he can rest assured that there is always the often-tried concept album to fall back on. Simon adds, “I guess you could base an album on a day in the life”.

This response is not a surprising one, as readers who were at the group’s recent show at Melbourne’s East Brunswick Club would be aware that Carter is a John Lennon fan, as he loudly announced this to the assembled throng. However, for the most part, I can’t help but think that the life of a professional musician is a little like a quote from The Beatles’ movie, A Hard Day’s Night:
“I’ve been in a train and a room, and a car and a room, and a room and a room”.
Thus, for an entire album to be derived from this “concept,” there would have to be another layer added to it, something Carter could no doubt execute with ease.

In the meantime, Carter is content to talk about Drop It In Their Laps and the visual imagery of the sword on the cover. Carter notes, “The sword is meant to be the album because we’re holding it and when you take the CD out and put it in your CD player you see the sheath. It’s a metaphor”.

The sword is a powerful image, even if a famous quote declares that a pen is mightier than it. Also, for those keeping score, Simon is the proud owner of three swords and he uses visual aesthetics to decide whether one is any good.

Which leads us to the name of the album and indeed, if it really is a symbol for a sword that is meant to be dropped in a listener’s lap, then this can prove to be pretty painful. And Carter can sympathise with this, because he admits to having had various foodstuffs accidentally dropped into his own lap, including but not limited to coffee, soup and Vietnamese food.

But let’s not get caught up in culinary delights or mishaps, as no doubt there will be ample opportunity for these to occur on tour. So kids, if you want to see The Cops you can get along to one of the dates below. And why not make your own “The Cops Are Tops” band merchandise and that way you’ll definitely be the “coolest kid” in town.

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