V/A: Policia

Upon hearing the English band name: the Police, thoughts of Sting’s falsetto and a few too many spins on the local classic rock radio station may arise. But before the Grammy Awards, the movie cameos, and the car commercials, the Police were a trio of bleach-blond punks fusing reggae and minimalist pop in sooty underground London clubs. They sung songs about redeeming prostitutes, coping with internal sadism, teachers stricken with statutory lust, and the enslavement of seduction. The Police wrote superb melodic rock with lyrical dramatic confliction that inspired pop sensibilities and emotional empathy which can still be subtly heard in today’s music (even if it is not always justifiably admitted).

Opening the compilation with “King Of Pain,” Brandtson’s Myk Porter is the only vocalist on the entire album to (intentionally or not) successfully mimic Sting’s perfect pitch. Alt-country’s Limbeck delivers an alluring and catchy “So Lonely” – reinstating the Police’s superb songwriting flexibility by being intergrated by a different music style. By replacing the intro with a piano on “Every Breath You Take,” Copeland miraculously lures the song into an even deeper state of reflection and yearning for love. Fall Out Boy’s hastily pop-punk “Roxanne” executes a more formidable plea than the lingering original, which deems more appropriate due to the lyrical content – perhaps after hearing it expressed this way, she will finally put out that red light.

Applause to The Militia Group for conceptualizing this brilliant tribute project, and even more so to the bands humble enough to accredit their artistic dues by covering songs by such a rock history legend.
[the Militia Group] Dan Frazier

This album review was printed in ISSUE #113 of HM Magazine. Order the Print Version of HM for tons more reviews of new albums.

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V/A: Policia

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