Cut Copy - Zonoscope, a review

Again, there seem to be few albums I've looked into in the past fortnight or so, so I'll review one I've had for a slightly longer period of time. It seems nowadays that Australia's main export is electropop - Empire of the Sun, Gypsy and the Cat, not to mention slightly different outlets as Pendulum and Kylie. Step forward Cut Copy, a band new to me but on their third effort - following two rather well-received albums (2008's In Ghost Colours was 4th on Pitchfork's end of year list).

The prospect of a song called 'Need You Now' drew initial fears of Lady Antebellum snooze-fests but on the contrary it's 6 minutes of energetic electronics, full of interesting sounds - glass bottles being tapped, twilight synths - and aimed for a perfect euphoric club moment. 'Take Me Over' is full of all things that launched MGMT, an endearing blend of Jamiroquai-style disco funk and indie cool delivery - indeed Dan Whitford is so unemotively baritone that he could be mistaken for someone thoroughly having a bad time.

'Where I'm Going' possesses the rhythmic haze of Doves and sounds noticeably happier - all woos and yeahs over a steady and cute, although a little unimaginative, tune. Meanwhile 'Pharoahs & Pyramids' has so many different tunes going on that it's hard to keep track - throwing stomping drumbeats against about 5 dizzying synths that somehow manage to blend brilliantly. 'Blink and You'll Miss a Revolution' appears to be one of the favourites, and it's not hard to see why. Full to the brim with pastiches and nods to early 90s rave aesthetics, it could easily be slotted into the middle of a Ridge Racer PS1 game - it's one of the more immediate favourites of mine.



There's a short 2 minute break for 'Strange Nostalgia for the Future', an intensely glittery detour that's pretty, if a little out of place with the rest of the project. Nevertheless it merges into 'This Is All We've Got', which has a Motown vibe to it thanks to its drums which someone pointed out as being virtually identical to "Be My Baby"'s.

'Alisa' is one of the more psychedelic tracks on offer, full of ambitious basslines and distorted effects that are slightly out-of-worldly. Some shrill noises keep it driving forward but it may just be that it's yet to grow on me - there's nothing cohesive for me yet. 'Hanging Onto Every Heartbeat' has a strong resemblance to Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart" that is unavoidable but that shouldn't detract from its cute sounds.



There's a sudden change of sound in 'Corner of the Sky' which is suddenly dark and full of echoed sounds that throw out disco vibes too. Easily the highlight of the album for me. And so we come to the gargantuan end, 'Sun God', a 15 minute closer. There's something cute about 5 times as many comments on the song seeming determined to pass themselves off as people with amazing attention spans because it happens to be their favourite - but there does stand some mettle behind the track that prevents it from going stale. On the contrary, its first third is full of disco-funk throwbacks Daft Punk have pioneered; the second is a middleway effervescently crawling back on itself until the end.

My initial impressions of the album were that it were too hazy and unfocussed to really possess anything of strength. But if you feel the same, give it time - it's certainly a grower, and although I'd agree there aren't really any moments of true brilliance, it's a very good album full of all the right electronics, which is a rarity nowadays. Oh and the album sleeve is amazing.

Rating: 7.5/10
Highlights: Corner of the Sky, Take Me Over, Blink and You'll Miss a Revolution, Sun God
Avoid: n/a...perhaps Alisa.