Goldfrapp - Head First

In the world of electropop there are few acts whose musical output is as consistently great as Goldfrapp’s. In the last decade, comprising four stellar albums, the duo has managed to construct two very different identities. With Felt Mountain and Seventh Tree we witnessed the darker side constructed from pagan ideals and ethereal twists and turns. The other face, depicted in Supernature and Black Cherry was highly sexual with a heavy emphasis on glam and gritty electronica. So with both personas receiving equal attention, which of these will Goldfrapp be unleashing on Head First, their fifth album?

Well, it appears that an entirely new side is being displayed, which is no small part due to the recent developments in the life of lead singer Alison Goldfrapp. Here we see an eighties infused electropop that whose only agenda is sheer unadulterated happiness. This is in a stark contrast to their previous songs where any mention of joy, or to be honest any mention of emotion whatsoever, was double-edged (like the surrealist aspects seen in Seventh Tree’s ‘Happiness’). Instead, with the tracklisting on Head First, there appears to be no hidden agenda except having a good time and expressing her new found love to the world.

This neatly brings on to the other major difference here, openness. This may sound like an odd quality to point out since the point of most musicians is the expression of emotion to anyone who is willing to listen, yet in the history of Goldfrapp this far from their traditional retinue. Much like the cover of their third album Supernature, the entire persona of this group has been wrapped up in their ability to only allow us to see what they wanted us to see, like some musical peepshow. However, now this screen appears to have been removed and for once we can see into their hearts. This may be a daunting proposition, as this is a group whose debut greeted us with the lyrics ‘Frankenstein would love your mind, your lovely head’.

In truth, for the most part, this works incredibly well with Head First amounting to some of Goldfrapp’s most accessible material to date. With every nuance they create, laced with riffs resembling those of Van Halen (‘Rocket’), Abba (‘Head First’) and even themselves (‘Shiny And Warm’), this duo are able to create a joyful record that never borders on the saccharin.

However, given all their past complexities Head First may feel slightly anti-climactic, even if it does reward multiple listens, and many would probably agree that this is one of their weaker albums (yet when you consider their back catalogue Goldfrapp’s weakest album is still a lot stronger than most electropop hitting the charts this year). As a lead-in single, ‘Rocket’ was not exactly the catchy piece of pop that was hoped for, but that doesn’t mean that the album is dull. In fact there are many possible singles with the standout track having to be ‘Believer’ whose sheer force of optimistic willpower should make it a bona fide feel good summer track with a variety of excellent dance remixes. Also of note is the closing track ‘Voicething’, their first instrumental song since Felt Mountain’s ‘Oompa Radar’, whose joy-filled grunts and moans act as a satisfactory conclusion to this album celebrating newfound love.

Is this the new direction for Goldfrapp? An optimistic woman in a happy relationship who will continue to create these jubilant soundscapes? I guess that we shall have to wait for their next album to whether she has in fact found true love.

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