Cut Copy: It’s Genius, I Swear
By: Thomas Hannan
I first encountered Another Green World in the mid 90s. I had heard of Brian Eno, but until I heard this record I didn't really have a reference point. I guess I heard his name mentioned in association with Roxy Music, although at this point in time all I cared about was Sonic Youth and the Wu Tang Clan. I wasn't ready for the glam of RM just yet.
A guy by the name of Preacher J Star first gave me this record. Preacher was famous in our high school for his name and for dropping acid in our year 7 PE class. He later dropped out of school and spent his days swimming laps of the giant lake that was situated in the centre of our small country town. I was always intrigued and a little intimidated by people who could live their life with such reckless abandon at that age. I guess I lived a sheltered life and I liked the idea of living vicariously through someone else a lot better then living the life itself. So when Preacher first gave me this record to listen to I was completely overwhelmed with what was on the tape. I don't know what I was expecting to find but now looking back on it, it makes total sense.
The record is said to represent the fundamental shift in Eno's work away from the traditional pop song structure to something more of a free form and iconoclastic type of song writing. At the time of first hearing it I was just amazed that Phil Collins played drums on here. I love the whole structure of the record... how the sparse more ambient tracks make way and segue into the vocals and the more pop-orientated songs. Whether it's the pure pop of 'Saint Elmo's Fire' or the more skewed pop of opener 'Sky Saw.'
I still listen to the record all the time. Within the texture of this record I find something new with every listen. To me that's the best kind of record. Something that isn't so immediate. The more ambient and instrumental tracks feel so musical... so often this kind of music can get lost, ignored or fade into the background when listening to it. But whenever I'm working and tracks like 'Sombre Reptiles' or 'The Big Ship' come on the stereo I always stop and listen in awe. I probably pay more attention to these tracks than the ones with vocals these days.
I don't really know what happened to Preacher though.
Tim Hoey / Cut Copy.
Cut Copy released their debut album, In Ghost Colours, just last month. The whole world agrees that it's brilliant. They play the Scala in London tonight, and DJ at Rough Trade East tomorrow.