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Does Alison Goldfrapp dream of electric sheep? Because Supernature, Goldfrapp’s third full-length release, must be what it sounds like when androids become aware. Together with Will Gregory, Goldfrapp’s usual synth partner, she’s made what might be the ultimate expression of her wickedly sultry electro-pop.
The album’s parts mesh seamlessly, from computerized glam to eight-bit disco and hints of Björk’s arch balladry. It’s sleeker than the sleekest Motorola, a wet dream beamed from Planet X; it’s a mirror ball exploded, and more potent than Kylie Minogue’s essence captured in a petri dish.
| Supernature Goldfrapp (Mute Records) |
We want to touch Supernature; it’s made for love. And yet, Goldfrapp’s flutter is icy. She knows she’s unattainable, the only passenger in a limo so long it bends in the middle. But that only makes her more of a fox, and the album’s glittery bump easier to get off on.
“Ride a White Horse” puts a sway in your shoulders, while “Ooh La La” and “Lovely 2 C U” are calculated, manufactured dance-pop jams that still manage to sound humanistic — they’re made by a real woman, not some Swedish songsmith. Elsewhere, “Let It Take You” is blue-lit and dramatic, and “Number 1” is buoyant and romantic, two vibrant heartsounds to offset Supernature’s otherworldly horniness. •
- Johnny Loftus
