musicallymodernmaven

By: Nadia D.

Nov 06 2013

Tags: 80s, album review, alternative, AltNation, Arts, australia, canada, club, cut copy, dance, eighties, electronic, electronica, emily haines, Energizer Bunny, free your mind, indie, metric, music, Nancy Reagan, new, new release, new wave, Philippine, review, satellite radio, sirius, synthetica, techno, track-by-track, uncategorized, xmu

Category: Alternative, Indie, Music, New, Playlist, Review, Tastemaker, Uncategorized, Underground

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Track-by-track. By now, I’d hope that you’ve figured out this is the only way to go for me. What’s the point of telling you that the album is decent or amazing or sucky “overall”, only to have you come back and tell me you hated 99.99% of the tracks!?

SO. Let’s get started.

1. Intro – Unnecessary. 20 seconds of nothing contributory. Put it in the damn song. NEXT!

2. Free Your Mind – If that intro had been melded into this song, then, yep, I get it. But it’s not. And I still get it. This song rocks. Hearkens to a time in the 80s where cocaine was used more than toilet paper in club bathroom stalls. Now, mop up that bloody nose. Shine brighter than the sun, y’all.

3. We Are Explorers – Far and away, my absolute favorite track of this entire album. Don’t knock it. Just dance, bitch.
(Oh, more elaboration: the lyrics suck. #hireasongwriter #ifyourelisteningyouarentdrunkenoughyet)

4. Let Me Show You Love – That electro-spoken intro is so typical 80s! Do it again. This one’s been in the satellite rotation for maybe a month now? Doesn’t get old. That driving synth is so addictive. Like heroin. Another 80s favorite. Nancy Reagan can suck it, refuse to say no to this track.

5. (Into the Desert) – Yes, it’s actually listed in parentheses on the album. Another one of those transitional things. I’m sorry… unless the album is actually telling a story, I am not a fan of little pieces of crap inserted in between two songs. I don’t see how this album should be listened to in a linear progression. If I put this on Shuffle, I shouldn’t be met with a couple seconds of vintage spoken word on the way to the next true song. Thanks.

6. Footsteps – One thing I will say about the few seconds, the space between that blurb and this song is imperceptible. This song holds my interest, despite the electricity level remaining at Energizer Bunny until the last 10 seconds. My introverted self can only handle so much! Ah!

7. In Memory Capsule – Hm. Does this remind anyone else of Depeche Mode? Just a little bit?

8. (Above the City) – Another damn speech track.

9. Dark Corners & Mountain Tops – Another seamless transition from yet another damn speech track. But THANK YOU, Cut Copy, for slowing down and mellowing out a bit for JUST a second. I feel like I’m on a forced acid trip. From what I understand, this song is much more similar to their former style. A little bit folksy. I am thoroughly enjoying that electronic mixing skill, doe! When they do decide to pick up club again around the last quarter of the song it’s tasteful. Feels like I need a cigarette in one hand (if I still smoked) and a beer in the other, gettin’ it out on the dancefloor. Ya know the feeling, head thrown back, euphoria. AND THEY EVEN INTEGRATED THAT SPEECH TRACK WITHOUT MAKING IT SEPARATE! Novel.

10. Meet Me In the House of Love – This and the former flow together so beautifully. I dare say, my favorite transition of the album. The bass is heady, but kind. Melodies are simply too repetitive, as many club tracks can be… but I wanted progression. Interest. Didn’t get enough here. And it’s SO. LONG.

11. Take Me Higher – By now my hippocampus is on overload — I can barely remember my friggin’ name. My adrenals are wondering why the assault ended so abruptly. Then it cringes when that synth reattacks. WTF.

12. (The Waves) – I hate these little nuggets of experimentation, y’all. Like, loathe. Make a song. Make it a point. Hooray, I feel like someone just pushed me into the middle of cold, black space.

13. Walking in the Sky – Dude, is this the hangover portion? I’m coming down from my high. Did I just relive the entire decade progression of the 80s?

14. Mantra – Nice revisitation of the Intro here. Until I want to slice my face off.

Ok, being honest here: I like Cut Copy, but this is a GREAT example of a great song band versus a great album band. Some groups just hit it every single time, like the one I’m about to mention. Flawlessly. Infallibly.

In this case… well… the new model of only releasing singles may have worked toward their benefit. In the mere 51 minutes that this album runs, I felt like it would NEVER END. It ended up being a chore toward the end, if you couldn’t already tell by my commentary!!!

Note to artists: Know when to work longer on the album. Prioritize. A few single releases won’t kill a group… you DON’T need a full album every single time. (Cut Copy are veterans of the industry, mind you.) Maintain your integrity, and don’t release a full album until it is PERFECTION, through and through.

Now I need to ice my eardrums and give them some TLC.

♦♦/5 – Not impressed.

The post that won’t end! I’ll keep this short and sweet:

Emily Haines is a goddess and can do no wrong. Metric’s entire discography can be on repeat for days and you’re gonna find something new to appreciate with each turn.

2012’s release of their album Synthetica saw them using a title track, which is unusual for them, and it worked in their favor. Expectations are placed on a title track; you need to live up to them.

This video lives up to the entire album. Bravo.