- 1 Anymore
- 2 Systemagic
- 3 Tigerman
- 4 Become the One
- 5 Faux Suede Drifter
- 6 Zodiac Black
- 7 Beast That Never Was
- 8 Everything Is Never Enough
- 9 Moon in Your Mouth
- 10 Ocean
About
Given Goldfrapp's fondness for following one of their albums with
its musical and emotional opposite, Alison Goldfrapp and Will
Gregory were due for a fun album to balance 2013's gorgeously
somber Tales of Us. What they deliver with Silver Eye, however,
isn't quite so predictable; instead of swinging between extremes,
they stake out a more intriguing middle ground. It's true that the
album begins with a pair of cybersexy movers that are
quintessentially Goldfrapp: "Anymore"'s hydraulic grooves and the
Radiophonic Workshop disco of "Systemagic" are untouched by EDM or
any other trends that surfaced since the last time the duo made its
way to the dancefloor. However, as Silver Eye unfolds, things get
more difficult to pin down easily. The hypnotic invocation
"Tigerman" and the standout "Become the One," which pairs tweaked,
Knife-like vocals with an undulating beat before shooting into
orbit on silvery synths and harmonies, are the first signs that
Goldfrapp aren't working from an obvious template. They continue to
subvert expectations on the album's second half, where they combine
reveries that might have been set to orchestral backdrops on
previous albums with a largely electronic palette that balances
fresh and familiar perfectly. "Faux Suede Drifter"'s languid
majesty harks back to Felt Mountain, but the psychedelic contrails
of guitars and backwards vocals feel new, emphasizing the
contributions of co-producer the Haxan Cloak and guitarist Leo
Abrahams. Similarly, the galloping percussion underpinning "Beast
That Never Was" adds a newfound restlessness to its pristine
beauty. Just when things might be getting too contemplative,
Goldfrapp pick up the pace again with the breezy "Everything Is
Never Enough," which somehow distills their entire body of work
into a single song, and "Ocean," another Haxan Cloak collaboration
that closes the album with operatic drama and industrial crunch. At
once balanced and eclectic, Silver Eye may be the first Goldfrapp
album to represent all the sides of their music equally well -- no
small feat, considering how long they've been dancing to the beat
of their own drum machine. ~ Heather Phares
Hi-Res 24-bit – 44.10 kHz
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