What made Cut Copy’s In Ghost Colors such a beloved album? It surely wasn’t the group’s taste level. With nearly every song, the three-piece (now four-piece) flirted with cheesy disaster, but like a falling cat, always somehow would end up looking like acrobats rather than klutzes. It also wasn’t the album cohesion, as it would rapidly drift from Interpol-esque post-punk pop to straight, ’80s inspired synth-pop. This, also, managed to work for the band rather than against it, as they kept the listener guessing and offered enough surprises to make a tired sound come off as a revelation.
Yeah, In Ghost Colors still surprises with how good it is, but at best, should be perceived as a perfect storm of chance rather than a carefully planned pop gem. That is, until you hear the first cut on their upcoming Zonoscope. “Need You Now” is the best song they have written yet, and pushes their sound further along the razor’s edge without anyone getting hurt. In fact, we are all tougher because of it.
At more than six minutes, “Need You Now” is reaching in scope, though simple in its sentiment. You guessed it: he needs her now. Like, right now. And he’s got his homies clapping their hands and going “whoa whoao” to prove it. But as the song builds to the most powerful of crescendos (think The National on a dance floor), singer Dan Whitford’s voice cracks with pure emotion that would fill a stadium. Yeah, I don’t really get who Cut Copy are, where they are going, or where this is all coming from. But “Need You Now” is about as perfect as pop music gets. And they clearly are not a one-trick-pony.
I mean, they are people, not horses. Duh.
[Off of Cut Copy’s upcoming album Zonoscope, due out February 8th on Modular Recordings]
