Cut Copy Bright Like Neon Love Review 3y5t1a

Melbourne's Cut Copy used to be just Dan Whitford. Then his sampler exploded, so he recruited some live musicians and recorded the rock-dance debutBright Like Neon Love.

Today's electro-pop records make the fusing of post-punk basslines, pop-synths and electro pulses and production sheen of the future their raison d'etre. Cut Copy's is no exception.

But their deep knowledge of their musical influences and intimate interactions with their machines help dissolve those demarcations in the same naturalistic way that Joy Division's dreary goth-rock magically morphed into the electronic pop of New Order.

The ghosts of both these bands can be heard throughout Bright Like Neon Love. The album's roots are firmly embedded in the world of classic 80s synth-pop, but though Whitfords voice is eerily similar to Bernard Sumner's, the music - 'a collection of 12 digital love letters' is much more effete than anything New Order or Depeche Mode ever produced.

Cut Copy's diluted vision, all optimistic synth-swirls and chugging 4/4 grooves, could easily have freefalled into cheese. But by restricting lyrics to short, rhythmic statements and allowing brief moments of jagged guitar to pierce the fluffy synth-clouds, Whitford has avoided the fromagery ensured a more lasting listen.