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Critic Reviews
80
Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory have never been so on top of their game.
5y
80
Remarkably, the bold, full-on cheese works, because this is an album of classic pop.
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3y
80
Head First is a brief trip, but it’s saturated with enough hi-NRG motifs and sounds for countless sweaty workouts at Jack LaLanne.
11y
80
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."
15y
80
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.
12y
80
If Jean Michel-Jarre had joined Eurythmics, they might have come up with something akin to this. A synthful pleasure.
5y
75
Only "Shiny and Warm," a dark-disco burner, recalls the sootier allure of their early stuff; otherwise, this is pure Xanadu camp.
10y
70
If the album sounds revelatory at first, give it a few listens and you’ll realize it’s just because you’ve heard most of this stuff already in other places.
12y
70
Lovely moments abound, but the overall effect is less intoxicating.
10y
70
Only the most fervent fans of Reggie Yates' Radio 1 chart show could straight-facedly argue that the singles charts still matter as much as they used to. That said, it must still be pretty galling for a pop act to discover that their comeback single has entered the charts at Number 47. It must be especially galling when that comeback single is a pop song extraordinaire - packed with hooks, instantly appealing and addictively replayable. But that's precisely what happened earlier this month to Goldfrapp's Rocket, the first single off their fifth album Head First.
15y
66
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.
15y
62
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.
12y
60
‘Head First’, enjoyable though much of it is, is disappointingly determined to return the favour.
15y
60
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.
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3y
60
The ninth circle of hell for those who hate John Hughes movies.
12y
60
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.
10y
60
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.
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3y
60
It's a curious, circuitous trajectory which gives the impression that Goldfrapp are in the invidious position of playing catch-up to all the Gagas, LaRouxs and Little Boots upon whom they must surely have been a major influence.
5y
50
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.
11y
50
The duo takes on Italo disco, going by the numbers to create uncharacteristically mixed results.
11y
50
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.
15y
40
It is difficult, even after repeated listenings to find something that breaks out of the formula. The only truly embarrassing moment on the album is the title track.
15y
This album honestly starts on a kind of boring note and it kind of sits there? The sound is pleasant but not exciting enough, and for an album in this genre it just feels like it is lacking something. I went in expecting a very high paced, high energy album but this is just not that.
Solid sound here but this just isn't one of those albums I would come back to again and again, it's a one and done kind of project which is okay. The vocals are quite nice and I really like the production. Not as ... read more
Very surprised at how much I enjoyed this album - Goldfrapp disliked Head First themselves due to the label rushing them and being dissatisfied with its pop-leaning sound, especially coming right after Seventh Tree, in which they moved away from the glam pop sound. I find the album to be quite a vibe, the Italo disco-inspired synth pop works pretty well, doesn't feel dated and just feels good.
The album does have one of my pet peeves though, in which the singles are all grouped together ... read more
I think Goldfrapp sounds best when he's around Head First, and when he's completely embraced the pop sound of something almost like Kylie Minogue. This lightness in catchy themes is delightful.
this album is really great production wise, and it is enjoyable, but it just lacks the power that Black Cherry and Supernature have (i’m not gonna reference their other albums because they aren’t pop in this sense, so it’s unfair) and it’s a shame! it does feel a tad underbaked, but considering the circumstances it was made in, it unfortunately makes sense, this is still a solid album, but i feel like Goldfrapp albums always had a diversity in their sounds and ... read more
There’s definitely moments of pure sublimity but far too many of anonymity. The personality feels over stylized and coagulated to fit some kind of optimistic aesthetic lending songs that should sound mysterious and dynamic come off as a tad awkward and generic. Still, there is a lot of blissful experimentation that will tickle your ears in between.
Contributions By
patton, royalflush, thisisabtlgrnd, philthy, Alejandro González, erik, MarkyC, d_ism, mxdrxwBecome a Subscriber
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Track List
| 1 | Rocket 3:51 | 81 |
| 2 | Believer 3:43 | 80 |
| 3 | Alive 3:28 | 75 |
| 4 | Dreaming 5:07 | 82 |
| 5 | Head First 4:30 | 73 |
| 6 | Hunt 4:34 | 79 |
| 7 | Shiny and Warm 3:58 | 73 |
| 8 | I Wanna Life 4:13 | 79 |
| 9 | Voicething 4:44 | 75 |
Total Length: 38 minutes
