Alison Goldfrapp is best known as half of the synth-pop duo Goldfrapp. Following more than twenty years and seven albums alongside Will Gregory as Goldfrapp she is finally releasing a solo record under her own full name. The Love Invention (Skint / BMG Music) was co-written by Goldfrapp in collaboration with production luminaries Richard X (Pet Shop Boys, M.I.A.), James Greenwood (Daniel Avery, Kelly Lee Owens) and Toby Scott (The Gossip, Annie).
Fans of Goldfrapp (the band) will be pleased to learn that The Love Invention does not represent a complete departure from the catchy and quirky synth-driven songwriting that characterised those seven albums and numerous singles. But that’s not to say that this is just another Goldfrapp record in all but name. The most obvious differentiating feature here is the prevalence of eminently danceable four-to-the-floor beats that form the backbone of most of the album’s eleven tracks. Whereas those Goldfrapp records lean towards ambient atmospherics or electronic interpretations of indie-rock grooves, most of The Love Invention’s songs could sit more than comfortably in a club dancefloor environment.
Borrowing elements of house, techno and trance aesthetics, the electronica arrangements are driving and energetic yet gracefully restrained. There is a pleasing old-meets-new feel to the synth sounds, from disco-inspired drums to reverb-drenched rhythmic bleeps that seem to float out of the speakers and up the sky. The sound is punchy, hi-fi and modern, but it is also littered with retro-isms including old-school handclaps, warm 70s-style analog pads and ABBA-esque orchestration.
The songs themselves burst with rich melodies and snappy hooks that instantly lodge themselves in the memory. Goldfrapp’s voice, often multilayered and processed so that it seems to be simultaneously emanating from several different spots around the room, is effortlessly smooth as it dances around octaves and shapeshifts from whisper to howl. Whilst these are unquestionably pop songs, there is a sophistication and experimental edge to the writing and arrangement that affords them a depth and longevity that perhaps belies their dance-pop aesthetic.
Highlights include the elevating psychedelic house of ‘NeverStop’, the heavy electro-funk of ‘Love Invention’, ‘In Electric Blue’’s dreamy juxtaposition of melancholy and ecstasy, ‘Subterfuge’, with its eccentric downbeat pulsating grooves, and the darkly surreal album closer ‘SLoFLo’.
If The Love Invention’s purpose is to deftly combine dancefloor-friendly electronica with worldly and intelligent songwriting then it is a great success. It illuminates a part of Alison Goldfrapp’s psyche that we didn’t quite see in full with her “main” band, but is also a continuation of the chart-friendly yet artful songwriting style she has become known for.
If it’s heavy metal you’re looking for, Ghost Cult Mag readers, then this ain’t it. But if you’re into innovative electronica and imaginative pop music then this is for you.
Buy the album here:
https://alisongoldfrapp.lnk.to/TheLoveInventionPR
8 / 10
DUNCAN EVANS