Cut Copy

Superb dance-pop music can be difficult to find while surfing your FM radio stations.  Fortunately, Australian band Cut Copy were in town, curating their modern take on the dance-pop aesthetic.  The D Man, Rip, and Rizzo reveled in the globe-trotting band's cosmopolitan cool, with layers upon layers of starry-eyed synths, New Order guitars, and live percussion soaring through The Depot.

The fivesome played their best tracks from In Ghost Colours, Zonoscope, and the forthcoming Free Your Mind.  If The D Man told you they were absolutely phenomenal, even festival headlining material, you would say I was rubbing it in.  But they were.  Bonus? Dave Chappelle slipped into the show and hung out next to us, likely after slaying his nearby standup routine, and he totally grooved with the Halloween-inspired (and very white) crowd.

Dan Whitford's vocals were impressive, seemingly hovering on perfect pitch with every note.  Though one might have guessed he would need processed assistance, there was nothing of the sort to be found.  He can flat out sing, and as good as the band's records sound, their live presence was exponentially better.  A rare example of an anti-studio band, a made-for-live production.  Let's dance!

Five Things

(Milosh)

• Sun Kil Moon released a new track from next year's Benji.  The impressive "Micheline" is a lovely song that finds Kozelek churning out more lyrics than a poet laureate.  Try getting the "grandma" refrain out of your head.
• The Flaming Lips continue to do Lips-like things such as releasing an EP dedicated to Orson Scott Card's Enders Game.  Check out "Think Like A Machine, Not A Boy" from the forthcoming Peace Sword EP.
• Check out Volcano Choir's cool performance of "Comrade" in an old tannery in Milwaukee.
• Enjoy Pearl Jam's new single "Sirens."
• Rhye's Milosh will release his solo effort Jetlag soon.  Previously, Milosh explained that "Jetlag is an expression of my deep love for my wife, my happiness and excitement for a new place in my life, my sadness or fear of stepping out of my old life . . . and ultimately making a choice to be with someone, to fully commit to that life even though it's on the other side of the world."  Well, he wasn't kidding.  Check out the new video for "Slow Down," which intimately follows his wife while crying, laughing, singing, and driving in her car.

Song of the Week

The Killers are celebrating ten years as a band by releasing a greatest hits collection (and wringing as much cash as they can out of the big box stores).  Direct Hits compiles tracks from the band's four albums, along with a few brand new songs.  Check out the lovely new video for "Shot at the Night," a collaboration with M83's Anthony Gonzalez.