Australian gents Cut Copy have been on a tear since their 2008 breakthrough In Ghost Colours. Lots of love from critics spun into a huge worldwide tour including an early evening spot at Lollapalooza. Their trademark blend of new wave, disco, pop and techno was as inspired as it was addictive. For the next album, staying the course could mean a faded, shady facsimile of what they have already perfected. Using too much of one genre's influence could be that heavy-handed ingredient that throws the whole blend off balance. For their third release on Modular Records, Zonoscope brings vast possibility with the added pressure of deeper expectation.
The positivity that flooded from In Ghost Colours carries over in Zonoscope with the slow build of "Need You Now". Playing out like nouveau redux of the theme to Chariots Of Fire, the joyous energy is only restrained for full impact upon the bursting finale. "Take Me Over" is an airy pop ditty featuring lively piano fills, congo drums and disco bass that could be wedged into your "Lost Tracks of the 80's" mixtape. The overlap spills into the pre-release track "Where I'm Going" that begins to fill the Cut Copy prerequisite for dance anthems. The insistent march spurns the freeing sing-a-long that begs for a crowd led chant. The organ pulse and swirl is fresh and full of life, showing early that Zonoscope has found that true equilibrium measuring all of Cut Copy's influences while making something completely autonomous from their earlier albums.
There are a lot of bands who wear their new wave influences well and can ably back it with catchy dance bass and beats. What sets Cut Copy apart is their never-fail structure of an undeniable introducing hook that gets bandied about like a joke until the song's crescendo swells and pops like a balloon full of confetti around the 2/3 mark. "Pharaohs and Pyramids" is great example of their acumen. The groovy snyths and clap tracks definitely keep the ear busy, but it could have been lost on the listener before it was remembered. At the 2:54 mark, the change drops and you realize that the previous piece was just a distraction for this song's true purpose. This rope-a-dope style of affixing two separately enticing elements into one whole runs throughout Zonoscope. "This Is All We've Got" is another Cut Copy anthem featuring a drill sargent tempo that lifts the hyper-general lyrics to grandiose heights. Of course, they are simply working a pop music staple that lyrics should never overreach or get too deep. "Alisa", for example, could be anyone with only the name to tip the listener off on the gender. This is of little consequence as Cut Copy rolls out their most guitar-based track. It is a varied and welcome addition to Zonoscope and perhaps it's only missing element. Where it lacks in rock, it generously provides in dance beats. Finishing up is the techno-inspired "Corner of the Sky" that nags for countless remixes to fulfill all the micro-genres in the widespread wilderness of club music. The ambient traffic noise is a break before the Madchester homage "Sun God" that features house key sweeps and a Happy Mondays chorus that stretches on for ten extra minutes and establishing their concert encore for years to come.
Upon many listens to Zonoscope I am reminded of what a friend said about LCD Soundsystem's This Is Happening. When I was struggling to enjoy it, he said that it was their one true "album" where the other releases were more of a collection of songs. Zonoscope has a similar tenor in that it is unquestionably a great album and very different from the previous efforts. Only the process of time will help me decide which one album I like the best.
Right-click to download "Where I'm Going" here.
Purchase Zonoscope here.
Cut Copy - Zonoscope (full album)
Bonus x2: Cut Copy recently released a free mixtape available for download that includes such diverse fare as A Guy Called Gerald, Happy Mondays, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones and Kiss. Below that is the sports-themed video for "Need You Now". Feel the joy!
Right click to download A Tale of Two Journeys here.
A Tale of Two Journeys (Mixtape)
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