Cut Copy: A cut above the rest
Ever since punk music came into being partly as a response to disco in the 1970s, fans of rock and dance music have tended to stay away from each other.
During the last few years, however, that has changed dramatically, as bands such as LCD Soundsystem, Daft Punk and Australia's Cut Copy have found a way to merge the two divergent styles and get indie rockers onto the dance floor.
amNY spoke with Cut Copy lead singer Dan Whitford.
Your new album "Zonoscope" is more groove-focused than your previous one. Why is that?
It doesn't sound like there are as many guitars on this one, but there are as many if not more - they're just played differently, without the distortion people are used to hearing. My Bloody Valentine was a big influence on the last one. This one takes a page out of the book of Talking Heads and South African disco.
Why did you choose a picture of NYC being engulfed by a waterfall for the album cover?
It has a majestic quality that encapsulates the sense of place we're imagining on the record. It's both a natural place and an urban space. This thing that was sort of two things at once really connected with the ideas on the record.
Did the Big Apple influence your sound?
I've got a weird obsession with New York. When we come to New York, it's like we're coming home, in a spiritual sense. That's probably because New York is the home to so many movements in music, art and culture that inform our music.
Why did you turn down a world tour with Lady Gaga?
We were offered the tour right when we were about to go into the studio to record "Zonoscope." The decision was: "Do we want to finish this record, get it out and do our own touring, or travel around the world with Lady Gaga and play to her fans?" It was an easy decision for us.
If you go: Cut Copy is at at the Prospect Park Bandshell on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Enter at Prospect Park West and Ninth Street, 718-855-7882. $35.
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