WORTH A LOOK?: ***
OUT: 31/3/17
TRACKLISTING: Anymore; Systemagic; Tiger Man; Become The One; Faux Suede Drifter; Zodiac Black; Beast That Never Was; Everything Is Never Enough; Moon In Your Mouth; Oceans
We saw Goldfrapp at Camden Roundhouse this week and they played six of these 10 tracks there.
- Read on for reasons including why we can’t wait for Goldfrapp’s Glastonbury set
We were a little bemused to see Will Gregory (singer Alison Goldfrapp’s, erm, Goldfrapp collaborator) in the audience ahead of the gig rather than soundchecking onstage but, apparently, he no longer plays live with the band.
No matter, as the ‘Frapp clearly chose the best three-fifths of this album to premiere at their first London show since a Royal Albert Hall headliner in November 2014.
The interesting thing about Goldfrapp is that they’ve no qualms about wrong footing much of their core audience with downbeat and folky collections not least fourth album Seventh Sign and sixth Tales Of Us.
This album succeeds in mixing the odd introspective moment with some of their finer, better-loved uptempo dancefloor moments. Anymore and Systematic (live clip above) make for a thrilling opening with driving synths to the fore and some lunar imagery in keeping with the album’s loose theme.
Unfortunately, it is only really Everything Is Never Enough (live clip below) elsewhere that really matches those early heights. We’ve described it elsewhere as a mix between the Dandy Warhols and Depeche Mode and it’s the one fans of the Kate Bush-fronts-T-Rex Bolan boogie will go delirious for.
The elemental aspect of Moon In Your Mouth and Oceans mean the album closes in dreamlike mode, embracing nature, and this is the reason why we can’t wait to see Goldfrapp next outdoors at Glastonbury.
Their love of Pagan imagery means it is outside where they are most in their element. Although there’s nothing in this collection that can rival their imperial phase of hits including Strict Machine, Ooh La La and Ride A White Horse.
monstagigz 
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