Pet sounds
Regular
readers of Soundscape may recall my interview with Tim Hoey, bass
guitarist for electro-eighties maestros Cut Copy late last year.
Tim indicated then their forthcoming album, In Ghost Colours
was earmarked for a February release date. Here we are in April
and it’s only just hit the shelves.
Well worth the wait as upon first listening (it
has played repeatedly – non-stop even, since I received
my copy) I pick up the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), Talking
Head and Blondie influences. The album retains its modernity steeped
in the presence of now.
Quite unashamedly though the first two tracks lend
themselves to a New Order-esque feel, in particular track two
– Out there on the Ice (my standout track of the entire
EP) this one I hope, nay predict will be the next single to be
lifted from this stellar offering.
Each track whilst distinctly different envelopes
a new mood and emotion reminiscent of the dance floors of eighties
disco-techs. It might be the driving, synth chords underlying
each song or the house saxophone (Infinite style) which forms
the crux of Hearts on Fire but this album most certainly leaves
you with a feeling that you’re standing by watching Molly
Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy (Andie and Blane) at the school formal
dance hall of Pretty in Pink . 'Far Away' is another track that
brings cult eighties film scenes like that one to prominence in
my mind.
Cut Copy have crafted a blissful journey scape,
which when listened to from start to finish lends itself to trans
galaxial traveling however each song they’ve penned exists
in its own right as a separate musical moment in time.
This album has lineage – it develops and climaxes in the
right places but has some special devices to enable this. The
band have employed interlude tracks to disguise what would be
otherwise long lead-ins- which work at building anticipation.
These interludes came about through quirky instrument use like
an old radio receiver which was plugged direct into the analogue
desk to create the spinning glass effect for 'Voices in Quartz'.
In fact according to the lads, it was the album’s producer
Tim Goldsworthy leaning towards experimentation which informed
the album’s evolution.
It’s certainly obvious Goldsworthy’s
influence (other album credits include DFO projects, Le tigre
and The Rapture) empowered the band to create a beautiful tapestry
of planetary and intergalactic soft synthesized goodness. In
Ghost Colours is testimony to their preparedness to embrace
the unusual and often un replica table instruments that are overlaid
on each track.
Cut Copy have proven their tenacity and understanding
of their niche in the musical lexicon of composition. There is
so much to discover in this album and not a lot to discard, I’m
sure I will continue to find pop cultural references to give this
album more meaning for me, but overall I love it wholly and completely.
Ruth Bailey
