Every work they put out is different from the last and this one is another another reason I love them. 'Rocket' is a modern type of 80's synth pop. I love it.
Goldfrapp have always been derivative, their specialty "retro" -- albeit a look back at a different era or medium with each new incarnation. But no matter how you classify their shtick, there is no doubt that they have always done it superbly.
And no doubt their new effort, Head First, will find a large audience, new or old, that will find it just as superb. It isn't, however.
Their first album, Felt Mountain, was their absolute masterpiece, never to be equaled in terms of craftsmanship, elegance, and overwhelming melancholia. It was a nod to an old, bygone Europe, and one could practically picture Alison Goldfrapp as a happy, blond German Heidi of the hills, who is full of wretched abnegation and sexual frustration on the inside -- a perfect symbol of a dying continent between the wars. Where others have tried to convey that image by referring to Berlin's dens of iniquity, Godlfrapp were much more sophisticated: there was a brass-heavy polka, there were snippets of Jacques Brel, bits from different moments of history. The impression was even stronger in concert, where the atmosphere was largely produced by a violinist in lederhosen and a Tyrolean hat. Ironically, the album became a cult favorite but did not sell all that well.
The follow-up, Black Cherry, caught everyone by surprise: although it still carried several lovely ballads that seemed to come from Felt Mountain, it was primarily a dance effort that harkened to the early seventies and channeled Norman Greenbaum, of all people, along with primitive synthesizer sounds. It sold extremely well, and was a dollar sign that the band could not ignore. Sure enough, their next effort, Supernature, was an all-out glam disco concoction, meticulous in its detail to the genre's conventions and to Alison's disco-diva costumes. It was also just like old disco albums in one other respect: it was actually a bad album from a purely creative viewpoint, but it was immensely enjoyable. It sold in the millions, spawned three single hits, and packed the concert venues across the world.
Seventh Tree was a surprise again, a delightful one. It was a collection of unpretentious and very well written songs that used an overarching acoustic approach, almost folky in places, as if the band (Alison and her synthesizer man, Will Gregory) wanted to assert that simplistic disco aside, they could still produce something memorable and worthy of attention. Not only was the album good musicianship, it allowed Alison to step down from the exhausting podium of disco glamour and be a much simpler character.
In all cases, Goldfrapp had successfully reinvented themselves. With Head First, they take a "retro" look to their own past -- already? Head First is another dance album, harkening back to Supernature, only this time without the mature, sensual diva; instead, we have cheerleader pop. While it should be the privilege of any artist to present his or her work to the world forever, it's a bit cringeworthy when a forty-four year old (per Wikipedia) avatar of Donna Summer or Gloria Gaynor decides to be a teenager.
Head First is not exactly bad, it's just wholly insipid. Compositionally and lyrically, it has no discernible merit. Even the enjoyment that Supernature provided is much less here. The album seems hurried, as if for some reason they had to produce a hit single really fast, then threw in all manner of filler and called it an album. The first song, Rocket, is already a major single climbing the charts, and with its infectious chorus, it's no wonder. Soon thereafter, though, the music becomes wallpaper and it's hard to focus on it -- there's nothing there, just cutesy noise, the kind that makes you get off of the sofa and feel an urgency to fix the leaky faucet in the kitchen while listening. It just isn't riveting on its own. A description of each song following Rocket would be superfluous, they are all pretty much the same. There is a sneaking dark impression that if this music followed its logical path, it would land squarely in Lady Gaga's territory, minus the vulgarity. The closer, Voicething, is exactly that: a series of processed vocalizations and isolated sounds made with the voice against the usual synth backdrop, not nearly as experimental as it sounds in this description, and absolutely unmemorable. The fact that the album is mercifully short (under 40 minutes) and ends with this non-song, reinforces the feeling that it was patched together really fast for no particular reason. Oh, and you don't really need to know about the lyrics, do you? With poetic jewels such as "A Cupid on the go, no arrow and no bow, yeah yeah yeah" and "I wanna life, I want it now forever, I wanna life, I wanna know, I wanna life, I wanna be together, I wanna life, I wanna know" -- surely you don't want to tire your mind with such heavy thoughts.
Considering how talented the duo is, I am happy to wait for their next effort. Until then, I can always listen to Felt Mountain.
Excellent album. one of my favorite Goldfrapp albums. its sad to see people rate it so low due to their personal musical preferences...truly its not for everyone. the music is simply great, but in a very 80s way.
I bought this album last week immediately upon seeing it on Amazon; read no reviews, comments, etc... I'm Goldfrapp fan and it was a new album, click-buy - simple as that. And I'm so glad I did; I love it!
As with many reviews here (I have read a few now out of curiosity) the first thing that jumped out was how much of an "80s" sound it has, which is OK with me. Still modern electro but with a blatant throwback to some 80's pop. I've always been more into Black Cherry and Supernature than Felt Mountain and Seventh Tree (what a surprise with that one..), so the sound of this album was definitely more of what I hoping for. Yeah, it's a little pop'y, but not terribly. The darker tracks "Dreaming" and "Hunt" are fantastic though...
Bottom line, it was absolutely worth buying and I would do it again without a blink!
**Originally posted on "#1 Hits From Another Planet" - 3/19/10**
I love that all these artists are finally rediscovering what I call the "Van Halen synth." Goldfrapp change directions pretty drastically between albums and this is my favorite iteration yet. I only wish every song adhered to the upbeat synthpop of first single Rocket.
1. Rocket - One of their best singles to date, this puts a smile on my face every time I hear it. From the bubbling synths to the simple, cheeky chorus, it's a reinvention and kicks the album off in the best possible way. 10/10
2. Believer - A little more subdued than the last track, this is still a totally impressive pastiche of 80's synthpop. It feels more like some of their older stuff. 9/10
3. Alive - My favorite track on the album. It's a mix of ELO, Scissor Sisters and every cheesy 80's musical out there. It's one of the only tracks to feature guitar prominently and feels meatier for it. Plus, the sparkling sound effects after the chorus are pretty ballsy. 10/10
4. Dreaming - Another very 80's sounding song. It's sort of a midtempo verging on uptempo with a fantastic moody melody. There's a stunning instrumental outro as well. 9/10
5. Head First - This feels very Abba in some parts. It's the first track resembling a ballad and manages to be both dreamlike and folksy at the same time. There are some gorgeous, sweeping synths throughout. 9/10
6. Hunt - This one, which would be a standout on other Goldfrapp albums, suffers because it doesn't fit tonally with the rest of the tracks. It's not a bad song, for sure, but changes the energy of the album. 8/10
7. Shiny And Warm - More uptempo, but it lacks a hook that's as strong as the other tracks. It feels more like a leftover from a few years ago than a new track. Again, it clashes with the rest of the album. 7/10
8. I Wanna Life - Here we're back to the straight-up 80's sound, which makes me think that this would have fit better towards the beginning of the album. It sticks out like a sore thumb after the previous two tracks. It's a very welcome change. 10/10
9. Voicething - A very pretty sound collage with vocals but no lyrics. It's a beautiful closer to the album, though I can't say that it adds much to the overall package. 8/10
Album Grade: 8.9/10
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