First Take: Goldfrapp - Head First

Oh, what to do with this one? During their 10-year career together, Goldfrapp's inclination and - I would have heretofore argued - knack for reinvention has long been one of the act's strong suits. Their new album, Head First’s foray into the eighties has me questioning, however, if their many gear changes were the result of an invested dramatization of natural artistic drift or really just schtick.

Eighties synths have the distinction of being simultaneously majestic and fun, which is undoubtedly why their sound has been so often co-opted by the last few waves of electronic musicians seeking to make more than just diva dance hits for the floor. But Van She already made a delicate, by-turns-light-and-dark homage to the era in the form of 2008's V. And as far as eighties literalism goes, Neon Neon's Stainless Style was a far more ambitious effort, being also a concept album based on the life on John DeLorean. Hell, for that matter, Goldfrapp already made Supernature in 2005. Herein lies Head First's greatest frustration. In the musical climate of 2010 - where your Amanda Blanks, your Golden Filters and Bat for Lashes are prancing around on stage in feathers, embellished leotards and face paints, where fellow Englishwoman Little Boots is churning out mesmerizing dance pop for club kids and critics alike, and where above all you've got La Gaga, for whom every day is a reinvention - this album seems like it's just jumping on the bandwagon. When, in fact, Goldfrapp have been driving this bandwagon longer - and more elegantly - than any of the the above artists. Hey Lady Gaga, remember that peacock tail on the cover of Supernature?

Of course she does.

I'm not trying to suggest that it's surprising or even problematic that other performers have caught on to this formula. If the last two years are any indication, audiences are increasingly demanding this kind of spectacle on and off stage. But it is supremely unfortunate that Goldfrapp have decided to fall in line behind acts they had previously been influencing rather than break some new ground. Who wouldn't want to hear their take on Fleetwood Mac's golden years? Or the strains of early nineties R&B that are filtering in right now? I'd pay to see that show.

Within the vacuum, the album holds up better to criticism. The title track, my favorite of Head First's upbeat offerings, is - at base level - a catchy love song with plenty of grandiose chorus and swooning keyboards. "Hunt" starts off with a ticking disco beat and develops into the most typical Goldfrapp track on the album. The insistent chorus hearkens back to The Cars' crashing "Since You're Gone." The heavily manipulated vocal samples on "Voicething" work with its minimal bass line to evoke a sort of celestial jungle and its final swell of synth-cello is massive, epic, heroic. I wasn't wild about the first singe, "Rocket" but it's since grown on me. The blast-off effect at the beginning reminds me (probably not by accident) of the engine starting that kicks off Billy Ocean's "Get Out of My Dreams Get into My Car." Plus, I heard it in the club a few weeks ago and well, I was dancing and singing along just like everyone else. Let's, however, forget about "I Wanna Life" which has 2/3 of its title and 7/8 of its melody in common with a Phil Collins song on the Tarzan soundtrack.

Don't get me wrong, I like this album. I like most of the songs. I think they function well as a unit. I anxiously await the next crop of remixes. Just don't color me impressed. It didn't take Goldfrapp and Gregory to give us Head First.



Goldfrapp - Head First
Goldfrapp - Hunt
Goldfrapp - Voicething
Van She - Kelly
Neon Neon - I Told Her On Alderaan

Contrary to what it says below, this post written by Amanda.