CD review: Head Case - Goldfrapp

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Goldfrapp keep shifting focus. Their 2001 debut Felt Mountain was essentially trip-hop torch songs, Black Sherry saw Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory shift more to synth pop, while Supernature embraced it entirely with a swag of pumping, joyous songs and a debt to T-Rex.

I wasn't entirely surprised when they shifted gear on their last, 2008's Seventh Tree. They needed a breather. It was more restrained, reminiscent of Felt Mountain. But Head Case is a full throttle return to synth pop.

The duo seem to have sifted through late 70s and early 80s pop rock for inspiration. Opener Rocket - which begs for incessant airplay - sounds like the love child of Van Halen's Jump and Marshall Hain's Dancing in the City. It feels the same throughout, whether it's the title track, Believer, Shiny and Warm, I Wanna Life or the slower-paced Hunt. Lesser hands have tried this before.

But Goldfrapp succeed because ultimately, while it's a set of hook-filled, infectious pop tunes, they never sound hollow or frivolous. They also take risks, including the experimental Voicething. This is gold.

(EMI)

- © Fairfax NZ News

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