GOLDFRAPP

Head First

[Mute]

Eight years into their career, the British synth-pop duo of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory took a brief detour from the dancefloor for 2008’s acoustic-leaning Seventh Tree, followed by the score for the 2009 John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy. With Head First, they return to the buoyant beats of their highly accessible electronica. “I’m feeling alive again,” Goldfrapp sings on “Alive.” That relentless affirmation soaks through every track, from the cheery revenge anthem “Rocket” to the gentler “Shiny and Warm.” Synthesizers lend a surreal quality to the sound on the aptly named “Dreaming” as well as the stunning lyric-less “Voicething,” a compelling demonstration of how Goldfrapp’s percussive vocals can keep even the most swirling compositions crisp. The nine-track album is compact, but it’s jam-packed with enough energetic rhythms and hooky melodies to inspire the laziest listener to get up and dance. – KD