Goldfrapp - 'Supernature' (Mute) Released 22/08/05

There’s been a serious lack of sexy music out there recently. Not sexy like 50 Cent’s ‘Candy Shop’ (‘cause let’s face it, that’s just puerile), we’re talking about properly seductive music that manages to be dirty without being crude. Portishead have been absent for the best part of ten years, Prince is more interested in fellating himself and Barry White is sadly no more (R.I.P). Lucky for us, Goldfrapp are back.

Coming on like a porn soundtrack for the 21st century, the new album sees the group indulge yet more of their dirty musical fantasies. A far cry from the weird space-whistling of early hit ‘Lovely Head’, ‘Supernature’ picks up where 2003’s ‘Black Cherry’ left off, all filthy bass lines courtesy of Will Gregory, and Alison Goldfrapp breathlessly extolling the virtues of love in all its kinky forms.

By now you will no doubt have heard ‘Ooh La La’, the first single to be lifted off the album. While the bassline sounds worryingly like Doctor & The Medics’ ‘Spirit in the Sky’, the song still struts along confidently flashing it’s legs, half temptress, half alley cat on heat.  It’s easy to pick out the ‘Frapp’s influences on this record, but they stitch them together with a healthy dose of humour. You can hear the 80’s clashing unforgivingly with the 00’s on ‘Slide In’, where kitsch keyboard styles get locked into a downright nasty rhythmic grind, or check the glam rock beat getting matched with toy pianos on ‘Satin Chic’. It’s as if Marc Bolan traveled into the future and had a sex change.

It’s not all chunky electro for the dancefloor, though. ‘Let It Take You’ fades in and out of your consciousness like the last toke at the end of night. There’s barely a beat in sight, and instead you get epic synths and scattered glitches that could almost fit on the end of Bjork’s ‘Vespertine’. Not that it’s that weird, mind.

'Supernature' is a pop record in the greatest sense. Approaching it from a dance point of view it comes across as a bit too sickly, all sing-a-long choruses and glittery glamour, but take it for what it is. Accessible, melodic songs like ‘You Never Know’ do everything that every music industry mogul dreams of, and doesn’t even break a sweat. There are a few moments where it starts to sound over-familiar, but they can be forgiven on the strength of the music on offer, and y'know sometimes groups don’t have to be eclectic all the time. Just enjoy ‘Supernature’ as a slinky little number to crack on when you’re desperate for a bit of raunchiness in your life.