It feels like Alison Goldfrapp has been around forever yet even after all this time, she sounds fresh and vibrant on her second solo album entitled Flux. Inspired by the Northern Lights, her follow up to 2023’s The Love Invention is the initial release on her new AG Records label. Working with pop producer Richard X and Stefan Storm, Alison has created a beautifully uplifting album. In her career Alison has had nine Top 40 singles, multi-platinum album sales and Brit and Grammy nominations. She received an Ivor Novello award for ‘Strict Machine’ yet I don’t think she is someone you would say is really a household name. Perhaps the recent tour with Scissor Sisters will ensure that Flux gets some of the additional coverage it deserves.
Opening with ‘Hey Hi Hello’ there’s a pristine pop sheen with a high melodic quota and a sweet little earworm of a chorus. It’s not a million miles from the hi-energy disco tuneage of Kylie Minogue. ‘Sound & Light’ pings with a shuddering bass squelch that makes my hips want to shake and Alison provides an icy cool vocal delivery. There’s a smorgasbord of delightful fuzzy sounds and cascading synths that propel the song along with effervescent energy.
Recent single ‘Reverberotic’ has the kind of tongue in cheek song title that Prince would have used in his latter years. There’s a brilliant suave skank to the synths as they swerve and wriggle with perverse intent. Alison fits right into the atmospherics with a wonderfully robotic delivery, and I mean that in a good way. ‘Strange Things’ drops down the tempo for a shimmering and cool layer of pumping synths over a pulsating but uncomplicated beat. A host of synth wooshes align with Alison’s breathy delivery. ‘UltraSky’ veers a little of course by focussing more on the sounds than the melody. It’s a lush production with strings providing the main melody focal point. Then ‘Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star)’- suffers the same fate as ‘UltraSky’ in trying to showcase studio trickery with fidgety grooves providing some distraction from the less memorable vocal melody.
‘Find Xanadu’ instantly reminds me of the ELO/Olivia Newton-John classic, and I’m pleased to report this banger gets us back on track with memorable hooks and some delightful synth tones. With a gorgeous set of lilting 80s synths to open the elegant ‘Cinnamon Light’ the song also possesses a wonderfully woozy chorus. Sometimes the simpler arrangements make for the better song letting the vocals provide the joys, and on the slinky ‘Ordinary Day’ Alison leads the charge with some ace melodies. Album closer ‘Magma’ rounds things off nicely with a gorgeous layer of heavenly vocals and floaty synths over a shuddering train track beat.
Alison Goldfrapp has always been an artist to whom I’ve been drawn. Her early recordings must have really got into my conscience as I seem to have continually bought her CDs (as part of the duo Goldfrapp with Will Gregory) and even a live DVD at one point in time. Like St. Vincent she likes to re-invent herself with her appearance and sound. But there is always one constant and that is a knowing way with a melody with gorgeous pop tones to sing over. Flux is another set of glorious pop songs to add to her wonderful back catalogue.
