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It must be hard being responsible for one song which
becomes the staple of every ‘chill out’ album on every
coffee table in every land. With hit single ‘Utopia’
Goldfrapp achieved the kind of social resonance
which is nothing short of remarkable for purveyors of
abstract, operatic electronica. Follow-up ‘Black
Cherry’, due for release on April 28, will
set Goldfrapp up at the centre of another cultural zeitgeist.
 Immaculately
dressed in the height of fashion, Alison Goldfrapp
is a wonder from the sole of her silver wedges to the
halo atop her frizzy hair. Disco influences rule her
world and along with her bizarrely dressed band mates
we all start to feel ashamed at our shabby, Tuesday-night
turnout wishing we had donned stilettos and shades in
preparation for sparkling synths and gut-wrenching bass
lines.
Yes, she really can reach ear-piercing range when singing
live, though she spends the rest of the time simpering
and whispering into the microphone to create the lurid,
enticing atmosphere of their spectacular new songs.
Deep Honey, Tip Toe and Twist were deliciously dirty
and dripping with glamour. And album title track Black
Cherry reached the emotional intensity of Utopia but
with an aggressive edge that should forever banish the
word ‘ambience’ from descriptions of the band.
Brilliance all round then. Except that these perfectly
executed songs served to impress, rather than excite
me. Dozens of middle-aged men might want Alison Goldfrapp’s
babies, but the ringleted diva seems to perform for
herself alone. She only really seems to be enjoying
herself by the second encore, and the otherworldly mystery
which makes her so fascinating also makes her untouchable.
Contact between band and fans was minimal and slippery
at best and there are no peaks and troughs to Goldfrapp’s
emotional intensity. Just an interminable high, at once
engaging, after a while just aloof, but undoubtedly
excellent.
Natasha House for Crud Magazine 2003©
Relevant sites:
www.goldfrapp.co.uk/
www.roadmender.org/
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