In Ghost Colours: Cut / Copy

By Liem Vu

In the new age of rehashed Brit-retro pop, British artists have conquered the consciousness of the Americas including the likes of Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, and Adele, just to name a few. Yet in the midst of this current fad many have quickly forgotten Australia as a reservoir for sonically desire-able bands which have included Jet and The Vines.

Joining their fellow hit making compatriots, Cut / Copy has released their second studio album, In Ghost Colours. Dubbed as a “pop” group on their MySpace site, their album expresses so many more colours than what the term “pop” usually connotates. In what can be described as a fusion between Justice and Youth Group, the electro dance rock tones range from lyrical pieces to simply instrumental flourishes.

The opening track, Feel The Love, offers lyrical melodies that are reminiscent to the aforementioned group, Youth Group, who also hails from Australia. In a smooth and effortless voice proclaiming that “all the girls of note are crying” followed by an anthemic “whoa oh oh” echo, lead singer Dan Whitford offers an unrestrained albeit cryptic lyric. After the 90’s success of unrelenting vocal trills, frills, and never-ending whole notes, such vocals are a welcome change. While never truly reaching the vocal heights of Mariah or X-tina, Cut / Copy’s music still resonates with emotion showing the audiences that soaring octaves are not always necessary.

Cut / Copy’s new album not only provides music lovers with a daily soundtrack on the commute, but also offers potential inspiration for future film makers. Voices in Quartz and We Fight for Diamonds, just to name a few, offer purely ambient instrumentals that unnoticeably bridges to their respective consequent tracks but for amateur directors these may provide tonal inspirations or even complimentary scores to quick scenes.

As if Cut Copy hasn’t already done enough, they resurrect retro tones that have been sadly missed in the resurrection of the retro of Winehouse and Duffy. Borrowing pages from The Pet Shop Boys, Far Away and Nobody Lost, Nobody Found brings back nostalgic patterns from the late 80’s and early 90’s.

With 15 songs, these tracks only give a taste of the brilliance that Cut / Copy truly is. As a self-proclaimed Coldplay fanatic, I was surprised to willfully set aside their new album, Viva La Vida, to give Cut / Copy a listen through. Yet irony strikes as I still find a way to insert Coldplay’s greatness into a completely unrelated artist.

Nevertheless, In Ghost Colours is a must for the soundtrack of the summer.

Release Date: April 8, 2008