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The iconically sexual Alison Goldfrapp and co return.
Goldfrapp were one of the first bands to successfully fuse a sultry pop sound
with eloquent electro grooves. Their last album, ‘Seventh Tree’, did however take them off onto an unfamiliar country path, with mixed results.
This disc though, sees them scale new dream synth heights.
Opening single, ‘Rocket’ is all you could have hoped for. Smooth and vibrant grooves sliced open by
Goldfrapp’s angelic choruses. As Alison purrs: “I’ve got a rocket/and you’re going on it”, the fun has just begun. If you weren’t already handing over your cash, ‘Believer’ would make just that out of you. Expertly-crafted and masterful synths gently
bubble over, complementing the pleasant hum of Goldfrapp’s whispers. The chorus is particularly pleasing, mixing dream synthesizers with
a happy-go-lucky 60s vibe, beautifully.
When I first listened to the record, I was certain it was a concept album and
in many ways it could be. The thing that is especially pleasing is the creative
range the electronics are allowed, just a free license to create heavenly
sounds and the engine behind ‘Alive’ really exploits this.
‘Dreaming’ takes a similar path to some of Kleerup’s work, infusing that smart, subtle synth to gradually build up the track. The
great thing is the discreet way other instruments are phased in and out of the
tracks – from the electric guitar on ‘Alive’ and the ‘Pale Shelter’ vibes of the chimes here.
The title-track takes a stripped-down approach, surprising after its
predecessors. Goldfrapp’s voice is just fine on its own as the electro bubbles hint at what’s to follow. It’s melodic, stunningly rhythmic and very much builds on the successes of the
country experimentation previous release.
After that lovely interlude, ‘Hunt’ takes us down a slightly darker path with husky vocals and musical shadows
flickering all over. I’d call it unexpected, but it’s yet another twist in what is already a complex record.
We’re reacquainted with a big band bassy electro beat on ‘Shiny and Warm’. It’s a big tune which really reminisces back to the funk era. It’s not an outstanding highlight like some of the previous efforts, but it’s a nice move. Thankfully, ‘I Wanna Life’ is where the album awakes from its slumber with a happy electro chorus and some
serious energy emanating profusely. The soft keyboard in the middle is another
inspired dab too.
The final track of this 9-track synth journey is ‘Voicething’ and it’s a more subdued affair, as one might expect from the final instalment.
Featuring fade effects, a reverberating beat and some imposing strings, it’s a nice end to what is essentially a stunning piece of music.
- Rocket
- Believer
- Alive
- Dreaming
- Head First
- Shiny and Warm
- I Wanna Life
In an age where the electro dream has been ravaged by wannabe trendy pop
producing moguls, it’s nice to see some of the original pioneers of the modern dawn return to show us
what we are missing. Goldfrapp follow in Groove Armada’s footsteps in showing how it’s done and this is polished, preened and produced to perfection.
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The UK’s most ever-changing girl-group releases their seventh as a name, at least.
Everyone knows the story, three girls – one name, lots of creative differences. Founding member Keisha Buchanan was
essentially the strongest vocally of the ‘Babes, so losing her will hurt. Eurovision gal, Jade Ewen is certainly better
than Heidi Range though, so we will see.
First single, ‘Get Sexy’ is of course, a fantastic pop tune. Created by the Smeezingtons, the beat, the
effects and the lyrics are all sublime ingredients of the pop mix. It’s more stripped-down than the original. Right Said Fred gets on the writing
credits at least.
For all the fancy production of ‘Wear My Kiss’, it’s pretty soulless and pointless as a song. It has a sense of déjà vu with Just Jack’s ‘Goth in the Disco’, but doesn’t even scratch the calibre of its influence. RedOne’s in town for ‘About a Girl’ as Jade gets the RedOne intro. As one would expect with the best producer
around, it’s pretty damn good and actually sounds a bit like previous ‘Babe hits! ‘Wait for You’ features a nice vocal on the chorus by Amelle Berrabeh but it’s pretty bland and Saturdays-esque.
So much for fighting for identity, ‘Thank You for the Heartbreak’ would have sounded pretty much the same if Buchanan was still on board. Another
Ryan Tedder effort, Stargate’s beat creates a Sugababes song. Sean Kingston guests on ‘Miss Everything’, with a fair bit of Auto-Tune of course. It’s addictive with its popcorn beat and could be any modern chart hit. ‘She’s a Mess’ rides the AT train to a spectacular crash. It just doesn’t seem to know what to do with itself and I’ll be damned if I get it.
If that was bad, ‘Give it to Me Now’ registers as the worst effort so far. If you’ve just lost a great vocalist, you certainly don’t let them all harmonize with no electro safety-net. ‘Crash & Burn’ is the typical morning-after tune. It doesn’t feature much production either and is too bland to be described as
auto-biographical – it fizzles out with a whimper. This bizarre style-change continues on the laid-back ballad ‘No More You’. Of course this would also have been Keisha’s forte and is another ill-advised move.
Getting as close to a title track as possible, ‘Sweet & Amazing (Make It the Best)’ lets Range loose on the lead vocal, with Berrabeh doing her best Keisha
impression. It’s just so indulgent and pointless. ‘Little Miss Perfect’ further questions the bizarre logic of promoting Range to lead as she is
ceremoniously outsung by both Berrabeh and Ewen.
Released - 5/3/10
Label - Island
7th studio album
- Get Sexy
- About a Girl
- Thank You for the Heartbreak
- Sweet & Amazing (Make It the Best)
- Little Miss Perfect
- No More You
- Crash & Burn
- Give It to Me Now
- Wear My Kiss
Where did it all go wrong? A half electro/half ballad record with only glimpses
of the Sugababes style, the former of which, the only part to smell success.
The second half is pretty atrocious and outlines the flaws, rather than the
strengths left in the group.
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(c) ChrisOnline.biz 2010
