On their third album, Cut Copy refines their electro-pop sound and has most certainly taken me over.
Having caught on quickly with their smash hits from 2008's In Ghost Colours, fans awaited the release of the third album and what it would have in store. I, myself, am one of those fans and can't get enough of the previous album. Not to worry, Zonoscope does not disappoint. It actually shows the grows of the band in refining their sound to create a more thought-out and cohesive album. Somewhat different than before, this album eliminates what traces might have been of the overdone indie/electro-rock title and have capitalized on the pop. In music, "pop" often carries a stigma with it, but here Cut Copy proves it can be just as reputable as the other hyphenated alternative genres.
Zonoscope sounds very much like something appropriate for 2011, combining electronic waves with synthesizers and house-driven beats to create an eclectic, fantastical sound. The album opens strongly with "Need You Now" and "Take Me Over", two hits that are already getting a lot of attention for their catchiness and danceability. The rest of the album leads you down a path of new wave 80s electro-pop with Dan Whitford's soothing vocals, and the chorus cooing "Oooohs" and "Aaaahhhs" in your ear. There's almost a psychedelic feel to some of the songs (like "Hanging on a Heartbeat") as one can't help but feel like swaying under the sun to these soon-to-be summer anthems. Or maybe that's just me getting too excited for their performance at Ultra next month. The album's closer, "Sun God", is a fifteen minute-long groove tune. It transitions in and out of vocals, with a lengthy intergalactic interlude sandwiched between that builds momentum as a finale.
With a somewhat extraterrestrial feel to it, Zonoscope fits in perfectly to the niche Cut Copy has molded for themselves in the past seven years. Many others have come out since and are similar, but now this Aussie band holds its own in the dancing arena. This is sure to be the soundtrack to our imminent spring fever and careless summer nights as we get lost in the Zonoscope.
By: Chelsea Olson
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