Goldfrapp - Head First

Like a divine goddess of disco, Alison Goldfrapp descends on her cloud of airy synths to a crowd of adoring fans. She and Will Gregory—known as Goldfrapp—are back from a sojourn into a folksy sound, and they have jubilantly reentered the world of super-polished pop with Head First.

From the album’s pastel, luminescent cover to the last track, Head First draws on influences from the glory days of disco. Opener “Rocket” pulses with liveliness and a syrupy sweetness. Goldfrapp makes use of light backing vocals and catchy hooks to draw in the listener. These techniques continue on “Believer,” where she employs a lush synth soundscape to create a world reminiscent of the 1980s. Goldfrapp has also salvaged her career as a dance artist with this newest batch of songs. “Alive” sounds like Mika on a space odyssey and is oddly infectious, while “Shiny and Warm” recalls past works like the infamous “White Horse.”

Some songs do belly flop, however. Title track “Head First” is repetitive and dull. “Hunt” attempts for the mysterious, but the ambiguous lyrics and dark sound leave listeners looking over their shoulders.     The duo ends Head First with “Voicething,” a four-minute piece that uses no lyrics, only wordless vocal sounds. Although the effort is valiant and at times engaging, it ultimately serves as an outro that goes on too long.

The album is fun and playful, but at times Goldfrapp meanders without focus, resulting in music that bores rather than excites. Honestly, the first line of Head First explains the entire album: “Starting something/Thought it could be fun.” Maybe Goldfrapp was wrong.