Artist: Goldfrapp
Title: Head First
Label: Mute
Release Date: March 23, 2010
Now let’s get this straight – I love almost everything Goldfrapp touches. Everything except the last full length release, Seventh Tree, which only contained one redeemable track. When I heard a new Goldfrapp album was in the pipeline a few months ago my excitement was met with a tinge of hesitation. Would we be getting another half-baked attempt at sounding like an M83 rip off? Or would the goddess of electro-glam be making a reappearance? Turns out the ‘frapp has awakened from their slumber and decided to bust back onto dance floors across the globe with their latest LP effort Head First.
The first single off the album, “Rocket”, was an excellent choice for a sneak peak at the duo’s newest offering. If you think this song couldn’t get any better you should check out GRUM’s stellar remix. Coincidently “Rocket” was the track chosen to be the opener. Sometimes I get a little worried when I fall head over heels for a new single from a veteran band and it winds up getting placed at the front of the album. It’s usually a sign that the rest of the album has a good chance of paling in comparison. Fortunately for Head First that’s not the case.
Moving into the second track “Believer” reaffirms that this is no Seventh Tree repeat and the classic synthpop-tastic Goldfrapp we’ve grown to love has made a triumphant return, albeit with much fancier production values. The following track “Alive” opens with honky-tonk piano stabs and a disco build up that’s straight out of ABBA’s Arrival. While some might say nu-disco is a dirty little pleasure, there’s sure as hell no shame in boogieing down Xanadu style to this. Moving along, the next track “Dreaming” isn’t exactly a high point on the album. In fact it sounds a bit like a track that might’ve been scraped off the cutting room floor from the last Annie release, Don’t Stop.
The record’s title track “Head First” gives Allison a chance to show off her graceful upper register over layers upon layers of gorgeous sounding synth lines. Slowing things down is a breathy, seductive number called “Hunt” that would fit in well with any John Carpenter soundtrack. On the glam end of the spectrum is “Shiny and Warm” which is there to remind you about why you fell for Goldfrapp in the first place. I could honestly see this one working out very well as a Pop Levi cover… (hint hint). “I Wanna Life” proves that Allison and Will were probably rifling around Talk Talk records in their music collection at some point while penning tracks for this album. Finally, the closer “Voicething” isn’t one of the strongest tracks on the record, but it gives fans of the group’s early experimental sound from Felt Mountain something to enjoy.
Overall my first impressions of Head First were overwhelmingly positive. I’m hesitant to figure out where it ranks within the rest of the Goldfrapp discography – I’ll have to see how the test of time treats it. While they’ve certainly proved that they aren’t a one trick pony in terms of genre, it’s clear that their biggest strength lies within the realm of electropop, and this new album does a lot to prove my point.