Newspaper Page Text
.v.’V"
tun
ut Copy has been working hard. "I'm
home in Australia right now," begins
guitarist Tim Hoey in a thick, cheery
accent that immediately proves the veracity
of his statement. "This is our first break that
we've had since, I guess, February. We've been
touring pretty much nonstop for the whole
year. Didn't have a day or a week off until like
a week ago."
i hat's six months and change on the road,
for those who don't feel like doing the math,
and Hoey sounds more than happy to have a
few weeks to decompress. Though these indie
dance-pop heroes make their home Down
Under, they're happy to peddle their infectious
hooks and disco beats to all continents and
peoples. Soon the Classic City and the shiny
new Georgia Theatre can add their names to
that list, as Cut Copy swings through town in
support of its third studio album, Zonoscope.
Though the band has never played Athens
before, Zonoscope was mixed in Atlanta, and
Hoey expresses great fondness for our state's
capital, saying "I really quite like it. I think
so often you go through cities and you only
see what's trendy—How many times do you
get to really explore a city?—but we got to
spend a little more time there and really got
to see it. It really changed my perspective."
With the meteoric success of the band's
last studio effort, the 2008 mini-classic In
Ghost Colours, the band set a high bar for
itself, but the guys in Cut Copy seem to take
the pressure in stride. "I guess we were just
excited to start our new material," Hoey says,
explaining the band's collective mindset when
approaching the new album.
"We toured with the last record for so long
that we were just kind of itching to get back
into the studio. I'd say the tour was spent
kind of absorbing ideas for it; you know, buy
ing gear for the new record and absorbing
music from whatever country we're in. And
by the end, we came back with so many ideas
for songs that by the time we actually started
recording, it felt a bit like a blank page. We
had all these new ideas we wanted to get
started on right away."
And indeed, while Zonoscope displays all
the best characteristics that have made Cut
Copy into international indie stars, it is a far
cry from the dance-pop grooves of In Ghost
Colours, nowhere more so than on the 15-min
ute closer "Sun God." "We just wanted it to
sound like something from a science-fiction
film or something," Hoey claims. "The whole
idea of it was to be this really kind of hyp
notic, trance-inducing kind of track. I think
the idea of the whole record was to have
songs that really build from minute to minute,
as opposed to the short little pop songs. The
overall plan was to be building this rather
grand world, this grand idea that you can
explore and really immerse yourself in, and I
guess 'Sun God' is kind of the best example of
the idea we wanted to express."
The density of the new material has neces
sitated the addition of a fourth member,
bassist Ben Browning, for the live show, and
according to Hoey, he brings a lot to the table.
"We just realized we really needed somebody
else to fill out the part," he explains, "because
it's very complex. We kind of needed some
body to play bass and fill out the extra vocals,
and to play keyboard as well. So, we had the
intention of going back to a four-piece when
our bass player left to study philosophy at
Harvard, and Ben, a friend who played around
town, he just kind of drifted really naturally
into the band. He kind of understood where
we were coming from, and it's been wonder
ful having an extra member playing parts and
allowing us to explore more."
Exploration seems to be the band's guid
ing purpose at the moment, whether it's new
musical avenues or the world at large. "A lot
of traveling, a lot of shows, has really kind of
taken its toll," Hoey says with a faint sigh. "I
think we'll take November off, and then we've
got some Australian festival^ and then there
might be another South American and Asian
tour, but this will probably be our last proper
run through America for a while."
So, you heard it here first, folks. Catch
these blokes now or be prepared to wait a
while. From all indications, they are ready for
a well-deserved break.
David Fitzgerald
WHO: Cut Copy, Washed Out.
Midflight Magic
WHERE: Georgia Theatre
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept 28,8 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $25
V )
Ri!V
ClassicTcenteR
^ Theatre
V 102.1FM
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
IN STORES OCTOBER 4
with Special Guest
Roxle Wotson
The Clos'sfc Center Theatre
Thursday, October 6 • 8pm
Coll, Click or Stop By the Clossic Center Theatre Box Office
INDIGOGlRLS.COM 706.357.4444 • www.ClosslcCenter.com • 300 N. Thomas St., Downtown Athens
I WANT TO
BELIEVE
“maxfil&s #00101:
Hmm, every time
! google ‘beer,
snacks, and
bar games,' it
keeps sending
me to this
dive bar on
athens, earth.
Hope they
got PBR. . . .
street,
milky way
SEPTEMBER 28,2011 FlAGPOLE.COM 15
