ALBUM REVIEW: Goldfrapp - 'The Singles' (Published at Sonar Magazine)

Published at:  http://sonarmagazine.co.uk/2012/02/711/

Goldfrapp starting making music just over a decade ago and is made up of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory. They have attracted a huge cult following that has spanned their career, and what a great time to remind the world of just how good they really are.

The album highlights how musically skilled and versatile the pair are with a collection of their most successful tracks, and two additional ones; ‘Melancholy Sky’ and ‘Yellow Halo’. The album artwork is a collage of their previous album covers artistically placed over one another.

The album kicks off with the huge glam rock sound of ‘Ooh La La’, which is a perfect opener, followed by ‘Number 1’ both taken from their ‘Supernature’ album and are a strong representation of their finest electro moments.

Swooping into the trashy techno sounding ‘Strict Machine’ this song showcases the beautiful union of Alison’s seductive husky vocals and Wills synths. Could music be anymore perfectly engineered? It’s eerie. ‘Lovely head’ is heart breaking sad, strange and was uber sophisticated for its time. ‘Utopia’ is another glowing moment and a reminder of how daring Goldfrapp were throughout their career, constantly changing their sound, but never losing their personality.

‘A & E’ is an absolute favourite of mine. ‘Happiness’ is a dreamy almost hypnotic in parts beauty of a song. ‘Train’ is the ultimate in electro-sexy. ‘Ride A White Horse’ is disco pop, and their most successful single to date. ‘Rocket’ is pure and flawless pop music. The euphoric ‘Believer’ is followed by ‘Black Cherry’ which is just mesmerizing. Words cannot describe how much I adore Goldfrapp.

‘Yellow Halo’ is just unbelievably emotive, and what a great way to finish off the album. It’s upbeat, but emotional like someone’s funnelled life into music. ‘Melancoly Sky’ is nice, but I’m not overly fond of it. All in all, thank you Goldfrapp, for reminding us just how wonderful and iconic you really are, and what a glimmering career you’ve had.