Album Review: In Ghost Colours by Cut Copy

Cut Copy's music bears all the prominent hallmarks of its era: giddily omnivorous stylistic appropriation, a sensuous, sybaritic (though not, in their case, seedy) demeanor, and the distinct evocation of bygone decades, most palpably the ubiquitous post-punk/post-disco '80s, without succumbing to the pitfalls of overzealous eclecticism, empty hedonism, sugary glut, and blatant derivativeness. Or rather, they do show traces of all of these things, but they play each one off as a strength, always in moderation, and never to the detriment of the music. The eclecticism is there but it's fluid and cohesive rather than distractingly showy; their influence-dogging plays like affectionate homage rather than pointless mimicry; there's an abundance of gleaming, even gaudy surfaces, but they're just too rapturously enticing to entertain qualms about superficiality.

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Cut Copy have way too much going for them: Not only can they toggle between creating bouncy, swirly electro-pop anthems and shoegaze-inspired indie classics, but they also possess hipster cred, modest good looks, and covetable Australian accents. They've also proved, with their second album, In Ghost Colours, that the success of 2004’s Bright Like Neon Love was no fluke. The Australian band's new album takes the best elements of the debut, tightens them up, mixes the tracks into each other, and, with a little help from producer Tim Goldsworthy of DFA, culminates in pure pop perfection.

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