Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours (A Review)

Within a year electro-dance-pop has taken off in the indie world. While females like M.I.A. and Santogold were busy blowing up around the U.S., two Melbourne, Australian electronic artists were taking over my attention span. I reviewed my first Australian obsession, Muscles, last semester. Now, I happily introduce to you, Cut Copy. A three-person, all male, alterna-dance group, who bring out the best awkward dancing hipster jerks imaginable.

In Ghost Colours is the sophomore album from this trio and is sure to please even those people who haven’t made the cross over to openly enjoying dance music. Don’t be misled though; the album is not 100% electronic. Guitars and drums have a fairly significant presence in several songs. The result is a multifaceted album on which the sounds range from 80s reminiscence to low-pitch punk vocals. The lyrics are simply okay, but as is true with most dance music, when dancing your heart out, you might find higher meaning in what they’re singing—if only in that blissful moment when your body movements are being controlled by the sounds. Lyrics like, “Listen to the voice that says alright/this is start and not the end tonight” are easily disregarded on a first listen. But when absorbed in Cut Copy there’s a slight transcendence and these words become purposeful passages of mental reason.

If this review seems to be lacking in conviction, then maybe the fact that Cut Copy has sold out 2 nights back to back in NYC’s 1,400-person-capacity Webster Hall two weeks from now will do the trick. Or just trust me and at least do yourself the favor of previewing the songs “Feel the Love” and “Lights and Music”. It’s likely you’ll fall in love and end up thanking me later.