Zonoscope by Cut Copy
LABEL: Modular
If you’ve walked onto the dance floor of pretty much any indie bar since 2008, chances are you’ve been spellbound by any number of the downright dance-inducing tracks from Cut Copy’s sophomore full length album, In Ghost Colours. The Melbourne natives send us more synth-pop from the Land of Oz in the form of Cut Copy’s newest effort, Zonoscope. This record takes a much more relaxed approach from that of In Ghost Colours; Think (slightly) less dance, more hypnotic.
“Rather than make a copy of In Ghost Colours (pun not intentional) or try to jump into something straight out of left field, Cut Copy has simply taken the art where their mind goes.”
This review was challenging to write, to say the least—at first, anyway. How do you compare Zonoscope’s laidback and exceptionally layered tracks to In Ghost Colours’ strong bass lines and overall urgency? You don’t. Don’t even try. Cut Copy’s sound has evolved yet again to the point where thier albums (even their first, Bright Like Neon Love) are each on a plateau all their own. Great in their own design, even though similarities exist, they are never to be compared. At least not in the sense of one being better than the other.
Zonoscope starts with “Need You Now” and I can already see why some people call the record simpler than Cut Copy’s past work. Not the case. The track is layered with dead on precision and builds anticipation of what’s to coming next. “Take Me Now” is the first single and is hands down the most pop you’re going to get out of Zonoscope. So much is going on here at any given time, but the track never sounds jumbled or thrown together. Every note compliments each other as part of the bigger picture. My personal favorite here is “Pharaohs and Pyramids”; a track I feel may be overlooked. It has a couple different stages that slowly build up to what will positively be Zonoscope’s paramount track at future live performances. “Blink and You’ll Miss a Revolution” is another high point. While lyrically it may be the weakest link, a strange and wonderful combination of synth and distinct use of percussion raises the track to new heights of memorability. “This is All We’ve Got” goes to an interesting place, one that is a nice place for Cut Copy to visit, but one I’d hope they never choose to live in. Cut Copy really shows off its musical aptness with “Alisa”. Relying much less on synth, “Alisa” is proof that this band can create a wide variety of sounds and styles. Quite a rarity these days. The album ends with the 15 minute long song “Sun God,” which is a rather mediocre song for the first 5 minutes and turns into a mediocre instrumental track for the remaining 10 which builds you up but leads you absolutely nowhere.
Zonoscope is a step in a new direction for Cut Copy. While they haven’t left their dance roots completely behind, they have done what any adroit artist does. Rather than make a copy of In Ghost Colours (pun not intentional) or try to jump into something straight out of left field, Cut Copy has simply taken the art where their mind goes. The transition from one album to the next has always been natural, never forced.
REVIEWED BY STEPHEN RICARDO
STEPHEN’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “Take Me Now” • “Pharaohs and Pyramids” • “Corner of the Sky”
FREE MP3: “Take Me Over (Tim Goldsworthy remix) (right-click & save)
FREE MP3: “Take Me Over (Midnight Magic remix)” (right-click & save)
FREE MP3: “Where I’m Going” (right-click & save)
