Head First

At an economic 38 minutes and free of anything in the slightest bit terrible, you should welcome Head First like the first sun of spring, know it inside out by the time the band are slaying festival crowds mid-summer and possibly buying copies to give to close friends and family at Christmas.

As Will Gregory's superimposed sonic backgrounds flit by like the green-screen projections of some fickle, seemingly opportunist sci-fi magician, singer and namesake Alison Goldfrapp's voice--ethereal, otherworldly, but always human--remains a constant variable, the cord that connects all of Goldfrapp's disparate, but equally captivating, incarnations.

On Head First, the singer's bandmate-producer Will Gregory creates a pitch-perfect neon-lit '80s wonderland with Hi-NRG bass lines and plenty of that fat synth sound made famous by Van Halen's "Jump."

Remarkably, the bold, full-on cheese works, because this is an album of classic pop. [Apr 2010, p.93]

If the album seems somewhat slight, it’s purposefully so: Head First is a love letter to the frothy, fleeting, but very vital joys of pop music.

Only "Shiny and Warm," a dark-disco burner, recalls the sootier allure of their early stuff; otherwise, ?this is pure Xanadu camp.

It’s one of the most unabashed love letters to anthemic ’80s synth-pop ever laid to hard disc....If that sounds like an unappealing clarion call from a dark musical period that you’re still trying to forget, this isn’t the album for you. But for those of us who weren’t beaten up by Harold Faltermeyer in a dream, Head First is a wondrous piece of creative anachronism.

For a band that has proven itself to be fearless, the idea of becoming hopelessly devoted to adult contemporary-friendly dance music is either the bravest--or craziest--move of its decade-long career.

Let's be clear about this: Head First is by no means a bad record, with its lush pop gloss and flickers of melodic loveliness. But it is a bad Goldfrapp record, their flimsiest and least adventurous yet.

There are a couple of occasions when Goldfrapp's new relaxed attitude shades into lazy songwriting: Dreaming and Hunt are bland. But overall Head First is skilful pop designed for adults.

There's plenty of highly stylized fun to be had here. Just don't expect to remember many of the details when it's all over.

Lovely moments abound, but the overall effect is less intoxicating.

As both a concept and an insular set of songs, it works. But for an act that’s always found its footing in the future, it’s puzzling that the duo find their present rooted so firmly in the past.

Head First, enjoyable though much of it is, is disappointingly determined to return the favour.

There are instances when the songwriting isn't that exciting, when the choruses don't ascend quite as stratospherically as they're supposed to, and you're left listening to what is, in essence, an MOR pop album.

From a band as previously as stylishly provocative and adventurous as Goldfrapp, these knowing cliches and lush pastiches suggest a band playing it distinctly safe. [Apr 2010, p.88]

While Head First more than delivers on its title's promise of instant sensation, like an uncorked bottle of champagne, it inevitably loses its fizz. [Apr 2010, p.110]

This may be the most lovingly detailed synth-pop album since the golden days of Yaz and Kim Carnes. Yet expert execution doesn't always signal a good idea.

The duo takes on Italo disco, going by the numbers to create uncharcateristically mixed results. [Winter 2010, p.63]

Goldfrapp make another proficient genre hop, it simply feels like they’re failing to consolidate their last bout of proficiency. They've moved on, changed their sound, and it's just okay... again.