Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just get it., January 18, 2001
The comparisons with Elliott's solo stuff are inevitable but beside the point. Though there are obvious common threads that span his entire body of work (his great voice, tuneful sensibility, and sincere perspective), this must be said with emphasis: When I want a Heatmiser album, nothing else will do it, and (IMHO) this is tied for #1 with 'Mic City Sons' (Heatmiser's final album, *not* a precursor to 'Cop and Speeder' as mentioned in a previous review). Everything about this LP is classic: The sequence of songs is fantastic, the band is tighter than hell, the production has real crunch, the performances are passionately executed, the arrangements are constantly throwing you curveballs (without sacrificing cool structures that get under your skin fast), the lyrics are tough and honest and catchy ("Your smile wraps around your head so you don't have to turn to show off your good side"), ... and there's not a bad tune in the whole bunch, not even close. This is one of those albums that, over the years, I've just never tired of, and keep going back to when I need a good fix of gritty, smart rock and roll. And if you like the sound of this one in particular, then the 'Yellow No. 5' EP will turn your crank too. Oh, they're all good, just get em all. But get this one first.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
elliot smith = pop genius, July 16, 1998
hey if you like elliot smith but hankered for something a little more rockin', this is the CD for you. Great rhythyms, great lyrics, and good energy. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was because the record lacks the searing originality of his solo work. But definetely worth getting.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The band grows more, the promise expands, riffs entangle, July 8, 2005
The review by "Bluelight" expresses this album's appeal well. I first heard it after I had bought and liked "Mic City Sons." Driving home fter the funeral of a student I had taught, I put on "Cop" and it somehow worked for that moment. It mixes longing and frustration, and captures the ineffable restlessness of growing up, in Elliot Smith and Neil Gust's lyrics. Both make the band what it is, not just the more famous of the pair: intelligent but succinctly stated no-b.s. lyrics, simple riffing, and an ability to match more accessible textures to more assertive song structures revealing vulnerablity for the post-hardcore generation.
This album's sequenced so it gains speed as it progresses. For the first half, up until around song seven, it sounds much like its predecessor, "Dead Air." Respectable mid-90s, not that grungy, definitely capable, smart, punk-pop but more serious than many of its more lightheaded, addled peers. But this cd shows a jump in ability. It may be due to its new bassist, Sam Coombes (later half of Quasi). The lyrics open up, although they may not be what you listen to the first few times. As with much of the product by Smith, Gust (No. 2), and company, it doesn't grab you straight out the first time. But these musicians expect your patience.
Around the halfway point, almost subconsciously for the listener, the ambiance thickens and the rest of the ride's a wonderfully downhill rush. Listen to it and enjoy the slide.
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