I remember seeing Melbournians Cut Copy live several years ago and being instantly drawn to their upbeat electrosynthpop*. Listening to this album somewhere over the Indian Ocean was no different -- they're a bit out of my comfort zone, but from the first pulsing electric drumbeat this album took me right back in.
When I first saw them, synth pop was at its height, it was still shiny and exciting, it reminded all self-respecting 80s kids of their childhoods, and we all secretly loved that MGMT song. For me personally, synth definitely got a little overdone and it now has to actually be really good for me to really enjoy it. With this album, Cut Copy prove that electrosynthpop** can still be done well.
This album has plenty of depth and texture and, crucially for me, doesn't solely rely on the synth for its entertainment value - some piano peeks through in tracks 2 and 6, and there's a delightful orchestral undertone to track 8, 'Alisa'. 'Where I'm Going' is a guitar-driven beauty, and competes with the similarly excellent (and yes, also guitar-based, anyone sensing a theme?) 'This is all We've Got' for my favourite track of the album.
I like this album for its whimsy, for not taking itself too seriously - in fact that's what I loved about this genre once upon a time before it actually did start taking itself too seriously. It was, I confess, hard to get through this full album without my mind wandering, but every time I was tempted to get a little bit bored, Cut Copy found a sneaky new way to make me surprise me and make me smile.
They might not have meant it to be, but this is a delightfully fun, Saturday afternoon kind of album. I like.
When I first saw them, synth pop was at its height, it was still shiny and exciting, it reminded all self-respecting 80s kids of their childhoods, and we all secretly loved that MGMT song. For me personally, synth definitely got a little overdone and it now has to actually be really good for me to really enjoy it. With this album, Cut Copy prove that electrosynthpop** can still be done well.
This album has plenty of depth and texture and, crucially for me, doesn't solely rely on the synth for its entertainment value - some piano peeks through in tracks 2 and 6, and there's a delightful orchestral undertone to track 8, 'Alisa'. 'Where I'm Going' is a guitar-driven beauty, and competes with the similarly excellent (and yes, also guitar-based, anyone sensing a theme?) 'This is all We've Got' for my favourite track of the album.
I like this album for its whimsy, for not taking itself too seriously - in fact that's what I loved about this genre once upon a time before it actually did start taking itself too seriously. It was, I confess, hard to get through this full album without my mind wandering, but every time I was tempted to get a little bit bored, Cut Copy found a sneaky new way to make me surprise me and make me smile.
They might not have meant it to be, but this is a delightfully fun, Saturday afternoon kind of album. I like.
* may or may not be an actual genre
** but if I say it heaps, maybe you'll believe it is
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