Goldfrapp – Head First

Everybody loves the ’80s

Recorded in just a few short months, Goldfrapp’s fifth studio album Head First is a mere nine tracks long. Fortunately enough, those nine songs are full of absurd amounts of cheer. The album picks up a bit more swiftly where their last album, Seventh Tree, left us a tad drowsy. Here, we get another taste of traditional Goldfrapp.

Launching with the single “Rocket”, Head First blasts straight into the fray without wasting any time. The song employs pop-infused catchy synth lines with Allison Goldfrapp’s bubbly vocals, “I got a rocket / you’re going on it / you’re never coming back,” creating a sound reminiscent of the days of disco. Following this is the very Devo-esque “Believer” with its keyboard play that seems like it was pulled straight from the ’80s. The album continues to cram its optimistic pop down your throat until “Voicething” wraps things up well by breaking the retro motif with a pulsing ebb and flow of synths and acapella vocals in a surreal minimalist fashion.

Traveling to a speedier and blissfully romantic dreamscape seems nearly impossible for a group like Goldfrapp, but Head First is proof that it could be done. The album is nearly devoid of downtempo tracks (save for “Hunt”) and brings the duo back to their electropop roots with the aid of some vivacious synth work. Don’t expect anything groundbreaking, however. Most of what you’ll hear on Head First was innovative back in the ’80s but is now just a part of the throwback trend bandwagon.