Review: Silver Eye by Goldfrapp

Goldfrapp has phases which they alternate in. Sometimes they’re feeling a little chill, amping up the layers and letting things meander. Sometimes they’re feeling quite glamorous, kicking out the jams with lots (and lots) of synths. What remains constant is Alison Goldfrapp’s voice: expressive no matter what the setting, lush and husky, somehow standing up through time. Silver Eye sees the group bounce back to groovy territory after the folky concept album of sorts, Tales of Us, which is expected… but what I didn’t quite expect was how this album attempts to sit in both stools. Their last two forays into pop, Supernature and Head First, were just, well, full-on glitzy delight, a shameless little thing that will not judge if you strut a little too hard. Silver Eye feels like the group had a bit of a crisis – not that big, but enough to make the second half of the album a little quieter than expected. The synthy undertones are still there, and Alison is still as wonderful as ever, but after the head rush of “Anymore”, it felt like a comedown so telegraphed you can hear the thud before it even happens. It’s not a bad album, by all means, but it just feels a bit off. [NB] | 3/5