Album Review: Copy

Chalice Agenda (Audio Dregs)

By Casey Jarman

[SYNTHETIC POP] Copy entered the Portland music landscape in an era when indie-rock bands and laptop artists seemed to be facing off like two lame gangs from West Side Story. Then here was this dude with a keytar in his hands and chiptune-tinged sounds pouring out of the speakers actually performing. Five years after Marius Libman's last Copy album, Chalice Agenda picks up pretty much where he left off, which is to say the record sticks to a distinct sonic palette largely comprised of glitchy or shimmering synths, with song structures that rely on subtle shifts of melody and percussion. Copy's avant-garde, video-game sound is so recognizable by now that Libman can paint in broad strokes, as he does on "Hard to Care," and impart as much feeling as he does with the much busier "Multiples." He can even get nostalgic without losing the plot: "Tell Me Something New" shares a tempo and drum pattern with "Billie Jean," while "Perish" reminds of Vangelis' Blade Runner soundtrack crossed with Final Fantasy boss music. They both work. This record might feel more like an austere refinement than a full-on comeback reinvention, but if the chalice ain't broke, don't fix it. 

SEE IT: Copy plays Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., with Phone Call and Natural Magic, on Saturday, May 16. 10:30 pm. $8. 21+.

WWeek 2015

Casey Jarman

Casey Jarman

Casey Jarman is a freelance editor and writer based in East Portland, Oregon. He has served as Music Editor at Willamette Week and Managing Editor at The Believer magazine, where he remains a contributing editor. He is currently working on his first book. It's about death.

Willamette Week’s reporting has real-life impact that changes laws, forces action by civic leaders, and drives compromised politicians from public office.

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