''Cop'' is the second studio album by American

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

band

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Someti ...

. It was released in 1984, through record label K.422.

Background and composition

On ''Cop'', Swans took the style of their previous LP, 1983's ''

Filth Filth or The Filth may refer to: Common uses * Dirt, unclean matter * Police officer, a pejorative in British slang Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Filth'' (film), a 2013 film based on the novel * ''Filth'', an alternative title for ''S ...

'', and intensified it, utilizing slower tempos, more tape loops, and even more abrasive musical textures. The lyrics are again concerned with ambiguous themes like physical, often sexual domination and occasionally submission. Some publications recognize ''Cop'' as Swans' darkest, most brutal release.

Release

In 1984, ''Cop'' was released through K.422 as Swans' second album. Initially, the album was only available as an LP. Throughout the band's history, though, ''Cop'' has been reissued within a number of different compilations. It was remastered by Michael Gira in 1992 for release on CD along with the '' Young God'' EP (1984) appended as bonus tracks. The 1999 double disc reissue ''Cop/Young God / Greed/Holy Money'' combines ''Cop'' and ''Young God'' with the compilation ''Greed/Holy Money'' (itself compiled from the albums ''

Greed Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as status, or power. Greed has been identified as und ...

'' (1986) and ''

Holy Money ''Holy Money'' is the fourth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in March 1986, through record label K.422. The album was recorded in the same sessions as " Time Is Money (Bastard)", " A Screw", and ''Greed''. ...

'' (1986)). The packaging for all issues states that the recording is "designed to be played at maximum volume".

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic Ned Raggett wrote of the album, "Ugly, compelling and overpowering, ''Cop'' remains the pinnacle of Swans' brutal early days", calling it "quite possibly one of the darkest recordings ever done." Later writing for ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

'', Raggett continued praising ''Cop'', recognizing it as the source of other bands like

Godflesh Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the title Fall of Because but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals and programming) and G. C. Gre ...

and

The Young Gods The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg, formed in 1985. The original lineup of the band featured singer Franz Treichler, sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. For most of their history, the band mainta ...

. Aaron Lariviere of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'' added

Neurosis Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving chronic distress, but neither delusions nor hallucinations. The term is no longer used by the professional psychiatric community in the United States, having been eliminated from th ...

to the list of bands that ''Cop'' helped influence. Miranda Yardley of ''

Terrorizer Terrorizer is an American grindcore band formed in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. After disbanding, its members gained recognition by playing in influential extreme metal bands, such as Morbid Angel ( David Vincent, Pete Sandoval), Napalm ...

'' wrote, "Michael Gira and co. make music that generates its own gravity well, never more so than here." Jonathan Gold of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' listed ''Cop'' as one of the ten most essential industrial albums.

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Swans *

Michael Gira Michael Rolfe Gira (; born February 19, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author and artist. He is the main force behind the New York City musical group Swans and fronted Angels of Light. He is also the founder of ...

– vocals, tapes,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

* Harry Crosby – bass guitar *

Norman Westberg Norman Westberg is a guitarist from Detroit best known for his work with Swans. Present through almost the entirety of the band's existence, Westberg was brought on for Swans' debut album '' Filth'' (1983) and appeared on every album through 199 ...

– guitar *

Roli Mosimann Roli Mosimann is a drummer, electronic musician and record producer who has worked in genres ranging from industrial to pop. Originally from Switzerland, Mosimann first came to attention with the New York City no wave band Swans and later col ...

– drums, production Additional personnel *

Lee Ranaldo Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, writer, visual artist and record producer, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth (guitar and vocals). In 2004, ''Rolling ...

– sleeve back cover photography * Jonathan Thayer –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

JG Thirlwell James George Thirlwell (born 29 January 1960), also known as Clint Ruin, Frank Want, and Foetus, among other names, is an Australian musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for juxtaposing a variety of different musical styles. ...

– engineering * Mark Berry – engineering * Harry Lombardy – engineering * Voco – engineering

Charts

References

{{Authority control Swans (band) albums 1984 albums Noise rock albums by American artists No wave albums Albums produced by Michael Gira Albums produced by Roli Mosimann