Haunted Sounds

Ghosts, guitars, shoegaze and soul. ADRIAN TRAJSTMAN chats to Tim Hoey of Cut Copy about their new album, In Ghost Colours.

On your new LP, In Ghost Colours, the synth sparkle, plump bass and disco haze are still there, but it seems Cut Copy is heading in a more song-based direction with tighter structures and crisp, defined progressions. In retrospect, now that this sophomore album’s finished, what piece of advice would you have liked to have received circa the recording of your debut, Bright Like Neon Love?

I guess when we did our first record, we didn’t have that much time to record as a band – I think we had, like, literally one day in the studio and the majority was spent in the bedroom making it before it was taken to Paris to mix. I guess we had more time to write this kind of record and certainly capture more of a band element that was kinda missing on the first one – I guess that’s something that Tim wanted to capture first and foremost.

This is DFA’s Tim Goldsworthy, who you were producing it with…

Yeah! Yeah, for sure. But I guess a record always kind of represents a moment in time for a band. I mean, sometimes when I listen back to the old ones, I’m like, “Oh, I wish we could have done that, I wish we could have done that … ” but you kind of learn from that and apply that to the next record.

Exactly, it cements a moment in time and in your life as well.

Yeah, for sure.

Now the new album’s called In Ghost Colours, track seven is called ‘So Haunted’ and you’ve got the So Cosmic mixtape up for free download on your blog – as a trio it seems you’re taking a step towards a more ethereal subject matter and sound. Can you tell me about the last time a supernatural force took you by surprise?

Oh, Jesus! I don’t even know! I don’t even know if I really believe in that … Cut Copy’s always been about a celebration of different kinds of music and a lot of it’s music from the past. I think we’re always taking bits from everywhere and just tying together to try to make a Cut Copy kind of sound. The titles and stuff reference music of the past and a lot of the stuff that we were referencing within that.

The colour-saturated artwork for In Ghost Colours (done by Dan Whitford’s design group Alter) is very reminiscent of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Darklands cover or even Merzbow’s Hybrid Noisebloom in the way that these rich, vibrant tones overlap – it echoes the music. Then there’s that prismic laster-lite quality in the video for the single ‘Lights and Music’. If you made a full-length Cut Copy feature film, which would again bridge the gap between music and image, what genre would you like to explore or redefine?

Oh, man. I have no idea! [laughs] I don’t know … We kinda made all the artwork quite organically. There was no real Photoshop done with it, it was all rephotographing and rephotographing and a lot of it had to do with more of the organic sounds we had on the record. So as far as film goes, geez, I dunno, it’s kind of hard to think in those kinds of terms. I think that’s why we got JT Shiloh to play bass with us – his music is very filmic and perhaps that’s where that’s coming from.

Would you say In Ghost Colours is a concept album, and if so, what about?

I’m not sure it’s really a concept album. I guess the only solid idea that we had was that we wanted to make it a ‘full’ record and a cohesive record. I think after we spent the two months in New York with Tim [Goldsworthy], we took it away and we wrote all the interludes and kind of tied all the tracks together, and we dropped tracks from the record just so it would make “that kind of record”. I don’t think there’s enough artists doing that these days – it’s mainly just a compilation of singles or 12-inches kind of slapped together on a disc. I think that was one kind of thing that we set out. A lot of that came from listening to old krautrock records and stuff where it was just single chords played over, that kind of repetition.

That stuff’s so good.

Yeah, yeah. We were listening to a lot of that. A lot of that inspired certainly a lot of the stuff that’s happening between the songs.

On In Ghost Colours, the ambient segues are fantastic and hold the album together almost like an extended DJ mix. This is actually a segue to my next question - what are some of the best mixes you’ve heard online, and where can the general public hear or download these banging aural excursions?

I think the best are by The Avalanches. I think from day one they’ve always kinda probably been our biggest influence … I’ve always said they were like looking at Pet Sounds on the dance floor or something, where they would have moments where it would go from Bowie into My Bloody Valentine and it gelled together. It was always such a musical kind of thing. I guess that’s what we tried to do with So Cosmic by having not necessarily straight dance music on there. I think those kinds of mixes are always so interesting. The Avalanches have been doing it for years, they were doing it before 2ManyDJs were doing it.

Just taking all these disparate elements and combining them …

Totally! I don’t know if they ever really got the credit for that. So certainly those guys. I think you can get most of them from their website – they’ve got a lot of them there. Also the James Murphy Fabric Live mix from last year was amazing, kind of all this old, old disco stuff. You’re constantly grabbing the CD case to see who the artist was and stuff. I think those kind of mixes are always the best.

And as Cut Copy you did number 29, I believe it was, in the Fabric Live series?

Yeah, yeah! That’s right!

I understand Tim Goldsworthy is a big My Bloody Valentine nerd and a bit of a gearhound in general – what do you feel Goldsworthy took away from working with Cut Copy?

I guess it’s always hard to say what he would have taken away from it. I think it really surprised us that he was really interested in working on those kinds of songs on the record. Obviously we knew he had a rich dance music and disco background but finding out that he was really into the whole shoegazer scene was something that we weren’t expecting. He had never heard The Eagles before!

Yeah right!

We played him ‘One Of These Nights’. I pretty much ripped off the guitar thing from ‘One Of These Nights’ for ‘Nobody Lost, Nobody Found’, although it’s a very amateur kind of rip-off. We kind of played him that and he’d never heard that before so if anything we gave him The Eagles to listen to.

“I think for us it is kinda funny because a lot of people, especially in Australia, lump us into that very fashionable kinda Modular scene but I think that we might exist outside of that. I kinda get annoyed when people write, “Oh, you know, it’s for, like, Tsubi-wearing kids …”

That’s fantastic! Speaking of classic rock, your one-sheet tells me that Goldsworthy could pinpoint every pedal used to make every sound that’s heard on Loveless.

Oh, yeah…

And I was reading the Cut Copy blog recently and I read that you bought yourself a Marshall Shredmaster pedal…

[Laughs] Yeah, that’s right!

Is this heralding a kinda more [guitar shredder] Yngwie Malmsteen type direction or is this all a part of a plan to define a new electronic shoegaze alongside artists as diverse as M83 and Xinlisupreme?

Yeah! Totally. [Goldsworthy’s] just a walking encyclopaedia of that kind of stuff, from guitar pedals to how ELO recorded drums, and how excited he would get by that was kinda crazy. I think it was actually Dave from Soulwax … When they were out here touring he was like, “Wow, you guys should make an album that kinda sounds like The Jesus and Mary Chain.” We were like, “Wow, that would be kinda interesting!” So it could have actually been Dave from Soulwax who actually kinda set that off in our heads. We kinda came from that early ’90s [scene] … Mitchell and I, that’s all we kinda listened to, so I think it was always going to find a way into Cut Copy and I think Tim was certainly an outlet for that.

And are you looking forward to playing with the Mary Chain at V Festival, which is coming up?

Yeah, that’s going to be amazing! I completely forgot that they were even on the bill until someone reminded me the other day, so I’m actually really looking forward to seeing what that’s going to be like and how they kinda pull it off all these years later.

Absolutely. I’ve been hearing they’re doing some new material, as well, so that’ll be interesting.

Oh, really? Oh, I didn’t know that. That will be very interesting!

Now, while we’re on the topic of distortion and shoegaze and all those kinds of things … pedals – have you ever made your own or tried your hand at tinkering out your own stomp boxes?

Oh, man. I’m really bad when it comes to that kind of thing. No. I mean, if the light doesn’t come on my pedals then I start freaking out, I have no idea how to fix something.

For sure, for sure.

At DFA it was kind of crazy. Gavin, from Delia & Gavin, used to be the tech guy and he would just sit there making gear for them. They had some interesting pedals that had like, an “in” but not an “out” and one knob, so I’m not exactly sure what they hoped to achieve from stuff like that. I love the idea of being able to make these mutant machines and stuff, but unfortunately I don’t have the wizardry with a soldering iron to pull that off.

I guess that’s part of the beauty of it as well. You get like a kid in a candy store or a mad scientist in a lab – you don’t know what’s going to come of it as you destroy a lot of circuitry …

Yeah, totally!

Four-on-the-floor beats are a staple in dance/pop music. No offence to your drummer Mitchell (who is fantastic) or the dance floors that love your tunes, but In Ghost Colours demonstrates that as a band you’ve got such a great command of breathy textures that fade in and out – what’s the likelihood of there ever being a completely beatless, ambient Cut Copy release somewhere down the track?

Oh, definitely. We’ve even been working on songs like that. We actually did a few at DFA that we’ve got locked away on our computers that we might release at some stage. Certainly, we’re all big fans of that kind of music – we were listening to a lot of Tangerine Dream and also a lot of that kind of ambient electronic music. We actually saw Arp, at SXSW, which is this guy from San Francisco who makes this kind of music. He released a really amazing record. We’ve always had a strong interest in that kind of music. Certainly that’s going to happen at some stage with us, whether it gets an official release or just kinda leaks out under a different moniker. I’m not sure yet.

I’m sure people would be interested in hearing that kind of thing, as the contemporary continuation of those kinds of synth bands that were so psychedelic, like Tangerine Dream.

Totally.

I noticed that after all the obligatory legalities, the word “diamonds” is printed on the back of the ring surrounding the hole in the centre of the In Ghost Colours CD.

Ah, right!

It kinda reminds me of the way that Pavement used to maintain a sense of playfulness by following up “All Rights Reserved” with “All Wrongs Reversed” on their CD artwork, encouraging the consumer to look and listen closer.

Yeah, that’s right.

Whose decision was this?

That’s going to be one for Dan. Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to that one. I actually haven’t even noticed that. I don’t actually have a finished copy of the record in my house – Modular hasn’t sent us any. I almost had to go down and buy one from JB Hi-Fi on Saturday. In fact, I think Dan did! So, I haven’t even seen the final artwork that he did on it, that’s actually new to me.

Oh, sorry - I just gave away a little secret!

[Laughs] Hey, man! At least I’ve got something to look forward to, y’know? I’ve got something I don’t know about the record … It’s certainly very tongue-in-cheek.

It’s definitely one of those records that is bound to reveal things upon repeated listens and, dare I say it, a lot more cosmic than Bright Like Neon Love, which seemed very dance-floor based and in the here-and-now as opposed to up in the ether. What’s been the most cosmic, transcendental experience that you’ve had playing with Cut Copy?

Um, I don’t know. I don’t know if we’ve ever had any … I’m not really sure. I think a lot of times have really spun us out, but I don’t know if it’s really the reason for where In Ghost Colours went. I think we’ve had some surreal moments on tour, having David Bowie side of stage in New York and stuff like that was also pretty strange for us. But I don’t think we’ve ever had any encounters of that kind. I don’t know.

While we’re on the topic of those kinds of surreal experiences and things that make you do a double-take, what’s the most horrible, unfashionable trend that you’ve seen emerge over the last five years – this could be music, this could be fashion – something that you’ve seen pop up out there while you’ve been playing with Cut Copy?

Oh, man … It’s kinda interesting. I think I try and not concentrate too much on the negative stuff. I think there’s so much bad fashion and bad music out there … Seriously, if I spend any time thinking about it or even making note of it I think I’d just drive myself insane. I think for us it is kinda funny because a lot of people, especially in Australia, lump us into that very fashionable kinda Modular scene but I think that we might exist outside of that. I kinda get annoyed when people write, “Oh, you know, it’s for, like, Tsubi-wearing kids … ” Who cares?! People can wear and do whatever they want! It’s just kinda funny when people start talking about music like that, it’s something that I’ve never really understood. But, certainly we’ve seen some pretty bad trends. The whole fluoro revolution was a bit funny last year [laughs].

It’s kinda ballooning…

Yeah, we didn’t get caught up into it too much. But, you know, there’s room for everyone and everything so you’ve just gotta keep doing what you’re doing and not really worry about it.

Who do you feel is the most soulful performer in the Australian music community?

I guess Nick Cave. He lives in Brighton [England] now but we can kinda still say Nick Cave is Australian [laughs].

He is a definite icon.

Yeah, yeah. I saw the Grinderman show and that was just – oh! – it was so captivating. Just how engaged he is with the audience. I think certainly Nick Cave, and also the Dirty Three are some of the most captivating live shows that I’ve seen. Ever. So I guess those two would totally be up there.

Who would be your personal favourite independent or unsigned band in Australia?

At the moment I’m really digging Popolice, who we got to open for us in Melbourne last year. I’m really enjoying his stuff. We kinda just went and saw him play. A friend told us about him and we really enjoyed it. We got all his tapes and EPs and stuff from Missing Link down there. I’ve been really digging his stuff. Also all the new My Disco stuff – really kinda digging them. I’ve been huge fans of those guys from the beginning so it’s kinda good.

They’re really busy people…

Yeah, yeah. And they seem to be growing a lot with each release which is really great. But yeah, also I guess we used to be able to say the [Midnight] Juggernauts but, you know, they’re kinda signed now and taking over the world.

That’s what juggernauts do.

Yeah, yeah! Exactly, it’s so so good to see that. Also Knightlife, our recent signing to our own label (Cutters), is someone we’re really excited about. He’s really starting to make a name for himself overseas. It’s pretty amazing, while we were just away, how everybody was asking us about Knightlife, so I think he’s going to do a lot for Australian dance music over the next year.

Fantastic! Finally, what would be your food-and-fashion predictions for winter 2008? It’s good to talk about music but let’s take this into other arenas as well. What do you see people eating and wearing in winter 2008?

Eating? 2008? I think there’s going to be a lot of soup. I mean, it’s an old classic and it’s coming back – the winter vegetable kind of soup thing. As far as wearing, I think the whole hoodie thing is going to go out this year. It’s going to be a return to cardigans, I think. Maybe, like, kinda mohair or kinda cashmere cardigans are going to be overtaking the Australian fashion scene this winter.

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