 | Tracklist:
1. Rocket
2. Believer
3. Alive
4. Dreaming
5. Head First
6. Hunt
7. Shiny And Warm
8. I Wanna Life
9. Voicething
Release Date: 2010 | |
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On 2 Lists
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| Summary: The ninth circle of hell for those who hate John Hughes movies. |
Seventh Tree, Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory’s fourth album, was a bit of a detour from the glossy, ‘80s pop sheen of their last couple of records, drawing more from Brian Eno-inspired soundscapes, nature, and pagan worship than your typical electro-diva effort. Predictably, it also sold less than Goldfrapp’s previous work, so it should come as little surprise that their fifth album returns unabashedly to the roots of Goldfrapp’s [financial] success. I could say that Head First combines the up-tempo, synth-heavy electronic dance of Supernature and Black Cherry with some of the ambient, folkier sounds of their superb debut and Seventh Tree, but that sort of mixture is more often the exception rather than the rule. No, Head First rather brazenly throws everything to the wind and kneels to its glam-pop influences without an ounce of shame.
Nevertheless, this is catchy as hell. Gregory has always shined brightest when the beats bumping behind Goldfrapp’s airy vocals are pulsating, oscillating glimmers of sound, usually making liberal use of bass and space-age synthesizers. One listen to “Believer” will have that chorus stuck in your head for days, and while jams like “Alive” and “I Wanna Life” are so disco, so shiny and slick that it almost feels wrong to listen to them without dusting off a polyester pantsuit and platform shoes, there’s something refreshing and exhilarating about such straightforward retro pop. There are plenty of synthesizers and effects, but it enhances rather than obscures Goldfrapp’s inviting voice, and many of the hooks here, particularly the dark, glitchy rhythm of “Shiny and Warm,” blow away most current Top 40 material.
That’s hardly an excuse, however, for just how dated some of the sounds come off. Lead single “Rocket” is the perfect example: just the kind of smart, toe-tapping songwriting one has come to expect from Goldfrapp and Gregory, but trapped under the weight of synths that sound as if they came straight off the rack at your local Sam Ash, circa 1984. Perhaps that was the sound Goldfrapp was going for, but on too many songs here the effect comes off as cheap, dated, and more than a little off-putting. It also causes much of Head First to bleed together, resulting in something like the ninth circle of hell for those who hate John Hughes movies.
Luckily, the duo mixes it up enough as the record winds down to prevent any sugar overdose. There’s a Seventh Tree throwback on the haunting, vaguely threatening “Hunt,” and the aforementioned “Shiny and Warm” tops most of the earlier, more immediately accessible dance tunes. Closer “Voicething,” meanwhile, is such a 180-degree shift in sound and mood that it’s as if Goldfrapp had just thrown her hands up in the studio and said, “Well, *** it, I like everything we did on Felt Mountain better.” It’s surprising how relaxing and revitalizing the continued layering of Goldfrapp’s many soft whispers and murmurs can sound on top of the record’s most restrained beats, and it’s a near revelation in just how versatile Goldfrapp can be after the nonstop party that precedes it. Head First is nothing if not a party album, especially if said party has a retro theme, and on that count Goldfrapp have outdone themselves once again. But where Seventh Tree was inconsistent, Head First suffers from a lack of much of any substance, and even the occasional toss into left field is notable only for its extrinsic nature. Then again, who ever said great disco needed substance?
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 3
stream: http://www.goldfrapp.com/msgboard/showthread.php?p=542726
now time to get shittyyyyyyy
Digging: Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks Digging: Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks | | | Album Rating: 2.5
what a terrible cover.
| | | Album Rating: 3
so fucking 80s
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
its like they're not even trying.
I dont want to bother with this now.
but I still will. damn you goldfrapp.
The ninth circle of hell for those who hate John Hughes movies.
I lol'ed hard btw.
| | | Album Rating: 3
it's not like its a bad record, it's actually quite enjoyable and some of the songs here really good. it's just, you know, nothing
amazing
whiskey on the other hand
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get some of that tullamore dew
deliciousness
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Then again, who ever said great disco needed substance?
Listen to Grace Jones' Hurricane
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
whiskey on the other hand
you're a good man klapper.
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Goldfrapp normally only holds my attention when i'm on the sauce. Never the less I will check out the stream. Stellar review as always klapper
Digging: John Talabot - Fin Digging: John Talabot - Fin
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Great review, dude.
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lol Rudy that summary is great.
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seventh tree wasn't that good, this sounds better.
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i seriously thought about getting this until i saw the cover
too much to handle
Digging: Dr. Dog - Be The Void Digging: Dr. Dog - Be The Void
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
this honestly just made me go back to 'Felt Mountain'...
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
felt mountain really is the best thing they've ever done.
| | | Album Rating: 3
easily^
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the last m83 album is about as 80's as i can get and even then it's only on rare occasions... gonna pass.
Digging: Loma Prieta - I.V. Digging: Loma Prieta - I.V.
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The only reason I've ever heard of Goldfrapp was from some weirdass movie called Hard Candy with Ellen Page.
| | | Album Rating: 3
that movie was fucked up
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awesome, rudy. You rule the front page once more.
great review
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