Rating: 
Cut Copy have been producing synth-pop beats, ever since their first single back in 2001. Since then, they have turned out a few albums that all rely on their capacity to supply excellent alternative songs to put on at your dance parties, whether individual or group. On Zonoscope they look to keep you moving, and for the most part, they do just that.
The first song, “Need You Now,” starts from a small synth beat and then begins to build upon itself, until the vocals of Dan Whitford echo in, akin to that of an eighties electro-pop jam. As it progresses, this song is something like when you shake up a soda bottle—you can see the bubbles forming, building slowly to when the lid is removed and it explodes. Whitford’s deep and ever-so-thick vocals juxtapose with the airy synth and the steady head nod-inducing beat, with some handclaps, to crescendo to a belted chorus and a break down in the beat; an excellent start to Zonoscope.
Keeping up the precedent set by the first song, “Take Me Over,” relies on throbbing bass lines and some more 80’s pop goodness. Throughout the track tangy guitar and kaleidoscope synth, counterbalance with some ooh’s. This song is more danceable than that of the first; matching the brand of alternative dance that Cut Copy does so well. At it’s end, it does not feel like it lasted for over five minutes, but it did, and so did the first song. This is important in the genre of any music that is intended to make people move, as nothing kills a party more than a song that goes for too long in the same direction.
After a quick break from the electro-pop sound on “Where I’m Going,” Cut Copy goes back with “Pharaohs & Pyramids.” Again over five minutes, the band goes many places, but never ceases to make you dance. Following comes another hit on “Blink and You’ll Miss a Revolution.” Sadly, it also marks the dividing line of excellent songs to just plain good ones on this album. The second half of this album pales in comparison to the first in terms of songs that you can move to, and that are intriguing enough to listen to even when you don’t feel like shaking it. What started out as something excellent has meandered into something still decent, but forgettable.
Here is where I can’t help but think that song placement is of utmost importance—perhaps if the band had infused their standouts with the rest of the album, maybe this would have come off as incredible as opposed to brilliant fading to alright. That being said, this album is nothing to turn your nose up at, or at least certainly the first half isn’t.
Did you not go to Fun Fun Fun Fest? Wish to be tortured by a ton of images from Auditorium Shores? Did you go and want to try to find yourself in a crowd shot? Your ears still ringing from Snoop?
