Cut Copy
In Ghost Colours
15 Track, LP (2008, Modular Recordings)
Related: Cut Copy.
When conjuring up a ghostly image, the first colours I envisage are black and white. In any case it is little surprise that Cut Copy’s second album enacts more its fluorescent cover than its title. It is a shimmering, multi-hued pop record, with an emphasis placed on ‘pop’. Yes, there isn’t too much here that isn’t catchy. And apart from the jangly acoustic guitar of opener ‘Feel the Love’, nor is there much that frightens in the way of surprises or great depth. Rather the trio have delivered an album that builds subtly on Bright Like Neon Love, their similarly familiar but fresh debut. Indeed, it builds and builds, playing as one incessant, breathless mix.
In this way, it is soon apparent that Dan Whitford and co. don’t so much write songs as summon the right vibes. The pre-released singles, in particular, – ‘Lights & Music’, ‘So Haunted’ and ‘Hearts on Fire’ – work wonderfully as aesthetic statements because, wait for it, they just sound so good; they appeal to and advertise a general sentiment without going into specifics (you fill them in). Including the brief instrumentals, the majority of the fifteen tracks use repetition as an evocative tool, be it recurring vocal lines, most often manipulated, or extended synth breakdowns.
In Ghost Colours is an immediately fulfilling experience: the first listen arguably as enjoyable as the last. Despite its lengthy period in waiting and for all its back-catalogue mining – 80s synth-pop the obvious reference point – it is also a remarkably modern collection. For if there’s one thing the Internet has shown it is that people love to breathe a bit of their own selves into popular culture. Call it made-to-order if you must, but it’s impossible to deny the widespread appeal of this ‘new’ order.
by Carl Dixon
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