Probably by dint of their Australian origin and label-sharing credentials, CUT COPY have already been deluged by comparisons with those previous trailblazing sampladelic heroes The Avalanches. A little simplistic, perhaps, but waht is true is that both bands share one thing: an affinity to embrace a whole cluster of styles and remodel their own brand of memorable pop music as a result.
CC's debut album "Bright Like Neon Love" makes it plain that they are head over heels in love with a whole spectrum of diverse, but brilliant characters (the inner sleeve alon namechecks everyone from Chic to Guided By Voices and Giorgio Moroder), yet while it's difficult NOT to play spot-the-reference at times, the crossbreeding produces an enthusiastic mongrel which is simply impossible not to give love and house room to.
Opener "Time Stands Still" gives you some idea of the invention at play here. Built around discofied basslines, cheesy synths and with a vocodered tinge to the vocals, it's chewy, soft and poppy and fleetingly recalls everyone from Space (remember "Magic Fly" anyone?) through to the likes of Daft Punk.
It's not the only time CC prove their love for all things immediate either. Indeed, tracks like "Saturdays" and "That Was Just A Dream" are both very much in touch with turn of the '80s synth-pop ( the Chic-meets-Human League chirpiness of "Saturdays" is espcially forward in this sense) while recent single "Going Nowhere" proffers Dan Whitford and Tim Hoey's fondness for Kraftwerk, blatantly employs vocoders (aargh! devil's children!) and stills sounds as radio-friendly as hell. Clever bastards or wot, eh?
Talking of the Dusseldorf legends, CC really push their luck with the title of "Autobahn Music Box", though the ensuing romantic cruise has more of a Giorgio Moroder feel about it. But then wasn't much of Moroder's initial success based upon Kraftwerk's motorik thrum anyway? Touche. But a lovely track anyway.
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Besides, Cut Copy clearly have further strings to their bow anyway, and on tracks such as "The Twilight" and "Bright Neon Payphone" demonstrate they're still suckers for getting the guitars out and playing together in a room as well. "Bright Neon Payphone" rides along on a moody, Adam Clayton-style bassline and finds a desperate, Iggy-eque edge entering Whitford's hangdog voice, while the excellent "The Twilight" initially recalls the insistent, NYC likes of The Rapture and Talking Heads before the splatchy synths make a few discreet appearances and Whitford delights in making his guitar go all percussive and guttural. It's tense, edgy and a fine counterpoint to some of the candy-coated sonic confectionery here.
But ultimately, the sky is apparently the limit for this playful bunch. At times, "Bright Like Neon Love" seems as glossy and surface-conscious as its' lipglossed sleeve, while on other occasions it reveals a more provocative, Dorian Gray-style underneath and the good news is that at either level Cut Copy are a truly attractive proposition. Chat them up without delay.
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