The eccentricities and atmospheres which substantiate the viral pop of Alison Goldfrapp have never appeared the same on two albums. 2001's debut Felt Mountain won hearts with its darker take on the dance-pop template, but those who subsequently wrote Goldfrapp off as a dodgy trip-hop, torch singing act were confounded by the LPs Black Cherry and Supernature, both of which vaguely resembled a more exotic, burlesque Kylie Minogue, and thus she has forged a path for herself as a glittery, post-disco princess of dark glam-pop. Following the reservedly recieved psyhe-folk detour, 2008's Seventh Tree, Goldfrapp returns to euphoric synth-pop with Head First - or, at least, that's what she'd like to believe.
The reality is, in fact, that Head First is all air and no force. Lead single and opening track "Rocket" is wearing the "Train", "Ooh La La" gloves but packing none of the darkly sexual punch. The track is lazily structured, gaining no style whatsoever for the frankly primitive cheese-synth and electrosonic interference which drives the chorus; "Oh-oh-oh, I've got a rocket, Oh-oh-oh, you're going on it". It wouldn't sound out of place on a Pro Evolution Soccer soundtrack circa five or six years ago. Much of the rest of the album is similarly blown up and synthetic, which, historically, has been a winning formula for Goldfrapp, but tracks such as "Shiny and Warm" and "Dreaming" lack, in any shape or form, the dark and dirty essence which gave power to the Goldfrapp songs of old - in fact, they contrast it to polar extent. The songwriting appears distinctly lacklustre, and while Alison has never really invested time in conveying deep, raw affairs of the heart in her work there is little by means of heartfelt creative presence throughout. "I Wanna Life" sounds too much like ABBA to be real for an artist who used to represent futurism within pop; retro is something done very well by numerous artists, but, on the evidence of Head First, Goldfrapp appears not to be one of them.
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