Cops an energetic feel
The former Man Man members have an ambitious new project
“I’d like to be a beloved American band that’s recognized for what it’s doing, and for people to agree that no one else is doing it,” says Whales and Cops frontman Mr. Nathaniel Cops, née Sam Henderson. “They might hate it, but I prefer they didn’t. I would think they’d f—ing like it. All we do when we [play] is all about giving pleasure at a very high rate of speed.”
As Henderson correctly asserts, Whales and Cops sounds like nothing else.
Since he formed the band in early 2006 after quitting Man Man with two
other future Whales and Cops members, he’s been writing music that’s
mind boggling in its juxtaposition of rhythms, melodies, tempos,
dynamics and sound.
The band’s first EP, “Great Bouncing Icebergs,” was released late last
year and captures the energy, excitement and, yes, pleasure of Whales
and Cops.
The five-song disc features both frenetic, multi-rhythmic tunes and songs that are more meandering and thoughtful.
“We went to a lot of bars and talked about what we wanted to be like
and got drunk a lot. Then we were broke after that and were like, ‘All
right, now it’s time, let’s go play.’” Henderson says about forming the
band, “I wanted a metal drummer and a bunch of Casios to make really
childish music and pretend to be in a metal band.”
“It turned out nothing like our goals,” he adds, “but it was much better than what I spent a month theorizing about.”
Whales and Cops
with Mad Love
Tonight, 8 p.m.
Kung Fu Necktie
1250 N. Front St.
$10, 215-291-4919
www.kungfunecktie.com