Goldfrapp - Head First

The Richard X remix of Rocket is free at Amazon.co.uk today (maybe longer?)

The whole thing has leaked. I'm kind of on the fence about it. One one hand, I like how much attention and care they put into recreating a very specific mid-80s sound. My problem is that I find the tunes average at best.

Oh god, does the whole thing sound like the single, then? I really don't like that sound. I liked the Richard X remix, that was fabulous, but the orig was a bit... hrmm.

I can see a lot of cats thinking it's slight as a whole compared to the last album and whatnot but 'Hunt' is fantastic.

Yes the whole thing pretty much sounds like the single. I was actually looking forward to it since TBH the last album bored me, but this one is also kind boring, the way Supernature was. I guess I just don't like Goldfrapp anymore. The only albums I really liked were the first two.

I should say the album also sounds a lot like Kate Bush circa "Hounds of Love"

hmm, those last two comments kinda sound contradictory.
Equally bored by both the folk and the glamshuffle stuff, but the Kate Bush comparison piques my interest.

I just meant the overall sound is very reminiscent of Kate Bush, but I didn't mean imply that the music was as good, unfortunately.

This is a great album, my favourite of the year so far.

For some weird reason, I have managed to ignore several great Goldfrapp albums. I thought they were still doing the John Barry/Ennio Morricone thing they did on their debut (which was pleasant and pretty and all that, but not interesting enough for me to follow them any further), and never noticed the many style changes they went through. But sure, this is great, and so are "Black Cherry" and "Supernature", which I haven't noticed until now.

Felt Mountain (2000) = Black Cherry (2003) >> Supernature (2005) >>>>> Seventh Tree (2008) = Head First (2010)

That's my initial reaction to Head First, unfortunately. Not liking this trajectory they're on; used to be a big fan. At least with Black Cherry (and Supernature, to a lesser extent), they were giving us some delicious, light-as-a-cloud melodies to accompany the slightly retro sound they were getting at. And there were enough contemporary elements in it to make it sound '00s'. This new one just sounds a trifle in comparison. The tunes aren't downright gorgeous anymore and the electronics not only don't offer anything new on that mid-80s sound, but they're not even as audacious or memorable as the 80s songs that they're referencing. A far, far superior execution of this basic premise is M83's album Saturdays = Youth.

Not to pile on too much negativity on Goldrapp, but really ... listen to any track off of Black Cherry (eg. Black Cherry, Deep Honey, Hairy Trees, etc.), and then listen to this new one. Just doesn't measure up.

Love "Black Cherry" too, but I don't need a sense of 00s at all. Completely retro without any modern elements is perfect to me.

"Rocket" is a dud and the Richard X remix is depressing mall music. Haven't heard the rest.

I've been playing this a lot. I really didn't expect to like it so much after the single and the reviews but it's pretty consistent. It's not their strongest album maybe even their fourth best out of the five but I think they have a very high standard.

Alive and Hunt are my favourite tracks.

Oh! This is out now. Fortunately I'm dropping by a record shop (how quaint) this evening to pick up some other stuffs.

I have this now, and I am about to listen to it. I really hope I'm not as disappointed as this thread is leading me to expect...

OK, I was liking this until I realised *just* how much the title track sounded like crap 80s Starship and now I can't unhear it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PP1HEFlkdY

OK, apart from the title track, I'm pretty positive about this album. Yeah, it's going for a *very* specific 80s kind of a sound (and it's not particularly a sound I was ever enamoured of) - but there's enough touches of classic Goldfrapp ... *sparkle* to it that I was able to listen to it and enjoy it twice in a row.

Typically, I prefer the slightly more dreamy and psychedelic songs - Dreaming and especially Voicething at the end is superb classic Goldfrapp meets Philip Glass dreamy loveliness.

I kinda would prefer Believer as a single, but it probably will be.

I don't find that the songs "lack tunes" at all. I suppose my only problem is that the tunes I do hear are often reminiscent of (and that would seem deliberate, with the production) of 80s songs that just have bad associations with them to start with.

Listening to this album again, more than anything it sounds like some lost Laura Branigan album.

I've liked pretty much everything they've done especially Supernature and Seventh Tree, but I'm very apprehensive about this one. "Rocket" just seems to have so little going for it in terms of originality. I'll probably end up getting this album, but I don't have high hopes.

I felt that way about Seventh Tree, bought it anyway, and thought it was alright although it's not a disc I'd jam regularly. I've no interest in getting Head First though.

sounds like some lost Laura Branigan album.

Rocket had me thinking this. Is it really all like that though?

pretty resigned to every album they do being not as good as the previous one. ah well.

found '7th Tree' incredibly boring so "Rocket" was a definite step up IMO - not sure whether I need to hear the full album though

"Seventh Tree" now seems to me like a one-off sideways step.

every song a winner, this is up there with blackout as one of the best ever pop albums

'rocket' is dope, not sure abt the rest

I really love "Rocket", first Goldfrapp song I've loved since Black Cherry I believe. It sure hits that sweet spot I have for frothy '80s euro/italo disco.

I think Goldfrapp are one of the most consistant bands of the last decade. The last album was a big disappointment for me at the time but it grew on me more and more, I think A & E might be my favourite song of theirs.

At the moment I'd rank the albums like this.

Black Cherry
Seventh Tree
Felt Mountain
Head First
Supernature

Up 'til now I've liked Goldfrapp well enough when other people played them, but never really adopted them for myself. But this album came on while I was wandering around a record store (get your parents to explain this). After the first song I went to ask what it was. After three I picked up a copy and carried it around with me. When the album ended I bought it and went home.

More than anything, it sounds to me like an album-length expansion of "Heart of Glass".

I mean, the synth tones are from later than that, but the breathy disco spirit is there.

I've only just realised what the *real* influence behind this record is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLVM7NLowAQ

Which makes me love it, like 1000x times more. TRULY OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

Listening to this album again, more than anything it sounds like some lost Laura Branigan album.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 26 March 2010 15:49 (1 week ago) Bookmark

!!! makes me interested in something Goldfrapp for the first time in mad long.

two tracks in : this all sounds like the last Cut Copy album X La Roux

this is rubbish.

my favourite goldfrapp thing:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rgsAoRTs9BA&hl=en_GB&fs=1&";></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rgsAoRTs9BA&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

also like the DFA mix of Slide In, and kinda like Happiness.

Otherwise, *shrug*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgsAoRTs9BA

^ who did the original? those Spanish girls?

Baccara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGuFn0RPgaE

I got this record off iTunes the other day. I'm liking it more than I expected so far. I'm glad it has that lush, layered production that Goldfrapp does so well. Still need to listen some more before I can really decide if it is great or not.

it's a huge letdown. Starship comparisons upthread are so OTM, glad somebody finally put it into words. and it's "italo" in all the worst ways, more late 80's than early-to-mid 80's.
I mostly enjoyed Seventh Tree, although it was much more enjoyable live than on record. Still, my typically favorite Goldfrapp tracks are remixes anyway...