Produced by DFA's Tim Goldsworthy, Cut Copy’s follow-up to '04's "Bright Like Neon Love" finds the Australian trio injecting some organic soul into their infectious electro-pop, with more live instrumentation augmenting the synthesizers and vocoders. Fans of '80s faves like OMD as well as robot superstars Daft Punk need this for their summer dance parties! ALBUM PURCHASE INCLUDES BONUS LIGHTS & MUSIC EP WITH REMIXES FROM SUPERDISCOUNT AND BOYS NOIZE.

When Cut Copy's first album, Bright Like Neon Love, broke over here in the States back in 2004, the garage rock revival still had a little simmer going and dance-punk was boiling. But with tracks like "Saturdays" -- which paired a funky, Prince-like shuffle against the feel good vibe of Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You" -- the Melbourne trio almost seemed too laidback and, well, poppy for what was going on back then. In hindsight, they weren't just an anomaly at indie dance parties, but a precursor for what was to come, as ears have tipped back over to electro-pop, with artists from Justice to the Teenagers to Thieves Like Us finding heavy rotation at clubs, and labels like Kitsune releasing singles at a prolific rate. Cut Copy's new album, In Ghost Colours, seems perfect for the moment in many ways, however, Dan Whitford's songwriting is more traditional than the aforementioned. Finding a sympathetic partner in DFA producer Tim Goldsworthy, tracks like "Lights & Music" whoosh and glide across sparkling synthesizers and crisp dance beats, but Whitford's catchy melodies allow the songs to sound as much for the home (or car stereo) as for the nightclub. Album opener "Feel the Love" is that perfect summer pop song; with its big OMD vibe (their "If You Leave"/"Secret" era, not "Electricity") the track could have easily been used as incidental music in an old John Hughes movie. And as we heard on Bright Like Neon Love, Cut Copy aren't afraid to switch off the old Roland Juno 106 and turn on the Fender Twin, and here we find even more electric guitars and live drumming ("Unforgettable," "So Haunted") popping up faster than you can say New Order. [GH] (April 9, 2008)