In Ghost Colours

In Ghost Colours is the second studio album by Australian electronic music band Cut Copy. It comprises 15 tracks, including a re-recorded version of the single "Hearts on Fire". The album was originally planned as an Australian release for 2007, but was delayed until 2008 to accommodate a simultaneous international release of the recording.[2]

In Ghost Colours
Studio album by
Cut Copy
Released22 March 2008 (2008-03-22)[1]
Recorded2007[2]
Studio
GenreElectropop, alternative dance[3]
Length50:35
LabelModular
ProducerTim Goldsworthy, Cut Copy[2]
Cut Copy chronology
Bright Like Neon Love
(2004)		 In Ghost Colours
(2008)		 Zonoscope
(2011)
Singles from In Ghost Colours
  1. "So Haunted"
    Released: 2007
  2. "Hearts on Fire"
    Released: 26 May 2007
  3. "Lights & Music"
    Released: 19 February 2008
  4. "Far Away"
    Released: 2008

At the J Awards of 2008, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.[4]

The album was produced in New York by Tim Goldsworthy, although the band's US label Interscope initially suggested they work with Timbaland.[5]

Structure and style

The album's sound has been mostly noticed for its positive, up-tempo melodies, and its juxtaposition of numerous styles. The Australian website FasterLouder called In Ghost Colours "an album that draws together the sweaty live energy of an indie rock gig with the synths and bleeps of house and electronica, along with the ever-present 80s influence and now, even a dash of 60s psychedelia thrown in for good measure."[6] The lead vocalist, Dan Whitford, said that the sound of In Ghost Colours is the closest the band has come to the sound they are after:

The album is a lot more realised than the first one. I think all of us, when we think of the first one, we agree we sort of got half way there. But on the new one we got a lot closer to the sort of sounds we're after. There are some different aspects to it - more layered, more dynamic, as well as some more loud, dance-y sections to it. And with the guitar there were many-layered sections as well. It got the real highs and lows, the real floaty bits, which I think is sort of a secret to our sound, with a lot of segues so that it just sort of flows together. And I think it's a lot more, kind of... complete.[7]

Pitchfork Media's review said, "If the pastichey Bright Like Neon Love felt more like an opportunistic patchwork quilt of other people's sounds and ideas, the hugely enjoyable In Ghost Colours feels light, confident, and unencumbered by the dictates of fashion."[8]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Alternative Press[10]
Consequence of Sound[11]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[12]
The Irish Times[13]
Pitchfork8.8/10[8]
Q[14]
Spin[15]
The Sunday Times[16]
URB[17]

In Ghost Colours was released in Australia on 22 March 2008,[1] in the United Kingdom on 5 May 2008 and in the United States on 8 April 2008.[18] It was the band's first entry into the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, reaching number one on 30 March 2008,[19] and the band's first entry on the Billboard 200, where it debuted at number 167.[20]

Critical response to In Ghost Colours was very positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 79, based on 17 reviews.[9] K. Ross Hoffman at AllMusic praised the album, writing, "To be sure, In Ghost Colours is a triumph of craftsmanship rather than vision -- a synthesis and refinement of existing sounds rather than anything dramatically new and original -- but it is an unalloyed triumph nonetheless, and one of the finest albums of its kind."[3] Mark Pytlik of Pitchfork found In Ghost Colours enjoyable and praised the album's cheerfulness, calling it "a hard record not to love" and assigning it a "Best New Music" designation.[8] Pitchfork later named it the fourth best record of 2008.[21]

Robert Christgau gave In Ghost Colours a two-star honourable mention rating, indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy", and cited "Out There on the Ice" and "Hearts on Fire" as highlights.[22][23] In a less positive review, Dave Hughes of Slant Magazine criticized the album for being unfocused.[24] Youyoung Lee of Entertainment Weekly called the album "uneven", writing that "for every pump-your-fist gem like 'Hearts on Fire,' there's a lifeless cut like the clanky 'Silver Thoughts,' which feels like a sonic hangover."[12]

Accolades
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Drowned in Sound UK 50 Best Albums of the Year 2008 3 [25]
The Sunday Times UK 100 Best Albums of the Year 2008 2 [26]
Pitchfork US 50 Best Albums of the Year 2008 4 [21]
US The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s 2009 61 [27]
Montreal Mirror Canada 50 Best Albums of the Year 2008 —

Track listing
  1. "Feel the Love" – 4:28
  2. "Out There on the Ice" – 4:58
  3. "Lights and Music" – 4:37
  4. "We Fight for Diamonds" – 1:02
  5. "Unforgettable Season" – 3:13
  6. "Midnight Runner" – 2:33
  7. "So Haunted" – 4:27
  8. "Voices in Quartz" – 1:21
  9. "Hearts on Fire" – 4:53
  10. "Far Away" – 4:56
  11. "Silver Thoughts" – 0:29
  12. "Strangers in the Wind" – 4:44
  13. "Visions" – 1:10
  14. "Nobody Lost, Nobody Found" – 4:39
  15. "Eternity One Night Only" – 3:06

The UK release of the album has a bonus track, "Cold Youth".[28]

Personnel

The following people contributed to In Ghost Colours:[29]

Cut Copy
  • Dan Whitford – vocals, keyboard, guitar
  • Tim Hoey – guitar, sampler
  • Ben Browning – bass guitar
  • Mitchell Scott – drums
Additional personnel
  • Warwick Baker – cover photo
  • Eric Broucek – assistant
  • Tony Espie – printing engineer
  • Tim Goldsworthy – mixing, producer
  • John Fields - mixing, additional production
  • Tim Hoey – mixing
  • Dan Whitford – mixing
  • Chris Woodstra – producer

Charts

As of 2008 it has sold over 24,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[36]

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[37] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Cut Copy take in Ghost Colours to the Yanks". FasterLouder.com.au. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  2. "NEW ALBUM ANNOUNCEMENT!!!". Cut Copy official blog. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  3. Hoffman, K. Ross. "In Ghost Colours – Cut Copy". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  4. "2008 J Awards". ABC. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  5. Jason Treuen. "Cut Copy interview". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
  6. "Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours review". fasterlouder.com. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  7. Tixgirl. "SCENE IN NY: Cut Copy Interview & Sold-Out Show at NY's Mercury Lounge". AOL Journals. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  8. Pytlik, Mark (14 April 2008). "Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  9. "Reviews for in Ghost Colours by Cut Copy". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  10. "Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours". Alternative Press (238): 146. May 2008.
  11. Sayers, Blaine (5 May 2008). "Album Review: Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  12. Lee, Youyoung (18 April 2008). "In Ghost Colours". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  13. Ó Dubháin, Daragh (18 April 2008). "Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours (Modular)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  14. "Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours". Q (264): 101. July 2008.
  15. Reeves, Mosi (June 2008). "Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours". Spin. 24 (6): 106. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  16. Cairns, Dan (25 May 2008). "Cut/Copy: In Ghost Colours". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  17. Thomas, Richard (8 April 2008). "Cut Copy :: In Ghost Colours". URB. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  18. Raper, Don (24 April 2008). "Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours". PopMatters. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  19. "Australiancharts.com – Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  20. "Cut Copy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  21. The 50 Best Albums of 2008. Pitchfork. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2011
  22. Christgau, Robert. "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  23. Christgau, Robert. "Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  24. Hughes, Dave (6 April 2008). "Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  25. Adams, Sean. Drowned in Sound's 50 albums of 2008. Drowned in Sound. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  26. Sunday Times critics. The 100 best records of 2008. The Sunday Times. 7 December 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  27. The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s. Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 June 2011
  28. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (CD, Album). Discogs. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  29. In Ghost Colours - Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved 19 June 2011
  30. "ARIA Dance – Week Commencing 31st March 2008" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Pandora Archive. p. 17. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  31. "Cut Copy: In Ghost Colours" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  32. "Chart Log UK – Chart Coverage and Record Sales 2008". Zobbel. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  33. "Cut Copy Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  34. "Cut Copy Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  35. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Dance Albums 2008". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  36. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1045109/cut-copy-buckles-down-for-extensive-tour
  37. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
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