The Retrospective

From the 80s sax solo at the end of “Hearts on Fire” to the dreamy nostalgia of “Future,” Dan Whitford and Co. make some of the most gorgeously crafted indie-pop this side of the century; they get the Pitchfork boys and HypeMachine girls all together now. Since entering my life last year as a Joakim mix on the Bang Gang Deejay’s “Light, Sound,Dance” compilation, Cut Copy has stolen my heart and refused to give it back.

So, last week when Cut Copy, along with much hyped The Black Kids and Ghostly International’s Mobius Band, stopped in Boston to support their sophomore release, In Ghost Colours, you can bet your black and white polka dot American Apparel hoodie I was there. Due to my friend getting out of work late, I missed both opening sets and we got there just in time to see them bound on stage; all skinny arms and legs and messy hair tousled just so.

Dan stalked the front of the stage behind his keyboard and was flanked on either side by Tim (he “of the guitar” and Cillian Murphy eyes) and a touring bassist whose perfectly acid-washed, black skinny jeans were obviously from Urban Outfitters. I was almost surprised to see Mitchell perched behind a drum kit, furiously reminding me that Cut Copy is one electronic band that gets it’s kicks the old fashioned way.

The sold out crowd, some of whom were old enough to vote but too young to drink, had the indie sway in full effect through the wistful “Time Stands Still,” after which Tim cheekily asked how many kids in the crowd were out late on a school night. “Out There On The Ice” picked up the pace with buzzing bass punctuated by a synth line straight out of New Order. A roar of approval greeted Dan’s introduction of their new single, “Lights and Music,” and the crowd let loose only to become crazier during a blistering electro mix of “Future.”From the second floor balcony it was impossible to make out individual faces from the writhing crowd bathed in the purple and gold stage lights. Everyone was sweating, jumping and communing in the dreamy melodies and soft focus angst of “That was Just a Dream” and “So Haunted.”

Boston crowds can be notoriously stiff, of the arms-crossed-I’m-too-cool-to-dance variety, but Dan’s exclamations of “jump up and dance!” had everyone getting down, oblivious to the fact that it was a Monday night… Saturdays aren’t even this much fun.

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