Whales and Cops’s Clint Killingsworth (Mr. Nathaniel Cops) and Tiberius Lyn (Finger Julius Mountain – don’t ask) used to be in Man Man. This explains a lot, and I’m happy to report that unlike 75% of the rest of the Philly music scene, they don’t sound like they’re trying to be Man Man. They sound like they’re trying to be Whales and Cops, an equally zany – and in a weird way, more accessible – offshoot of the C.O.B.L.’s best-loved musical oddity.

Fans (fan fans?) of Man Man love the fivesome for their circus pop antics, gypsy vaudeville tendencies and penchant for unison singing. Whales and Cops boast none of these characteristics. Instead, they offer a chord-clashy version of space-age video game pop, interspersed with random sound-effects (I note: car horns, clapping, whistles, children playing, and more) and driven by an incessant beat.

Multi-musician Ötzi Bogman (real name: unknown) is the third member of the ensemble, and contributes a wide range of stringed and brass instruments, including upright bass, trumpet, flugelhorn and more. When mashed together with percussion and keys, the result sounds a bit like high school marching band practice gone terribly awry. And we mean this in the best possible way.

Of course, not all of W&C’s tunes are capricious, ADD-inflicted monstrosities. The quiet, marimba-laced “Bent Cop” is an awesome post-rock anthem, in which the band questions “Are you bent?” only to answer “corrupt, but well content.”

by Kate Bracaglia, uwishunu.com
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.