Sitting at a bar in a pub a couple of years back is a lovely looking young lady. The hero of this fictional and highly clich'd story, Fred, strides forth. He has his game face on and is looking for love, or something similar. 'Hi,' he says, not showing the fear, 'My name's Fred. Can I buy you a drink?' She looks at him and smiles that smile that no man can resist. 'Sure, I'll have a vodka and orange' she replies. Fred catches the bar keeps attention and promptly orders the drink. They get to talking and soon Fred decides to go for the kill. 'Look Alice, I have Goldfrapp's Black Cherry album' But before he can even finish he's been slapped across the chops and looks on confused as she screams 'I'm not that kind of woman!' and storms out.
I know what you're thinking, that was a damn fine tale, but it also serves a purpose. In 2003 Goldfrapp made the album for the underpants charleston, Black Cherry. It was a slick sexy album that was as good to dance to as it was to' well you know (I hope). Two years later we now have the latest opus from Goldfrapp, Supernature. Questions were abound. Can it live up to the sheer sexiness of their previous album? Would it be as good of a dance floor filler? Could Allison Goldfrapp come any closer to being the new Madonna?
The first track 'Ooh La La' seems to play up to the overt sexuality of vocalist Allison Goldfrapp whilst Will Gregory backs her breathy and erotic lyrics with a driving beat and a cacophony of synths. By the time the chorus kicks in you find yourself moving along with the song and being swept up in the euphoric feelings. 'Lovely 2 C U' follows the same formula: sexy breathy vocals and driving dance beats.
The band quite clearly knows their influences well; a little bit of Madonna here, some electroclash there, and a sprinkling of every band that used electronics in the 80s. Yet, for all this, it still sounds fresh. Most of these tracks would have a sober straight man out with the rest of the gang gettin' funky.
Even when they do slow down, 'Ride a White Horse' for example, Goldfrapp still ooze class and have you moving to the beat. Okay, so it may not be a lyrical adventure and if you were to listen to the lyrics properly then you may find yourself wincing at how cheesy and silly some of them are. When things do ease up on 'Let it Take You,' it becomes a little less fun and, whilst the track is good, you find yourself getting a little antsy.
The album kicks back into dance mode and keeps the tempo high until the only real let down on the album, 'Time Out from the World,' which neither as sexy nor as danceable as the rest of the album. Combined with a terrible set of lyrics, it's easy to reach for the skip button. Luckily the album finishes off well with 'Number 1' and everyone is left happy.
So in conclusion, while it's not quite as sexy as its predecessor, we have ourselves the sexiest album of 2005 thus far. At the moment I carry this CD in my bag at all times, just in case I need it. I'd recommend you all do the same, because who knows when you'll need some music for the underpants charleston.
