Smarts Cops, “Per Proteggere E Servire” LP

cover-smart-copsSmart Cops
Per Proteggere E Servire
(Sorry State)

Since this showed up in the mail last week, I’ve listened to it five or six times. Smart Cops play enjoyably speedy Italian garage rock, with a snotty edge to it.

Unfortunately, all I keep thinking is, “It’s the Hives singing in Italian,” and I can’t get past that. The elements of surf and more deeply thrumming guitars take away from the comparison to their Scandanavian counterparts a little bit. Unfortunately, the mile-a-minute instrumentation and vocal style that’s more declamatory statement than actual singing is so up front that it’s impossible to shake the similarities. Well – perhaps “unfortunately” is a tad strong. I love the Hives, and as long as their style is being aped well, it’s enjoyable.

Nice vinyl on this release. It’s heavy-duty 180-gram, with the usual Sorry State labels. Sadly, unlike the majority of their releases, this one’s licensed from somewhere else, meaning there’s no download for the LP. Bummer. I’m sure that if you buy it, you can track it down on Mediafire without too much trouble.

MP3: Smart Cops, "Vesciche In Guerra"