Flux
Alison Goldfrapp was already in her thirties when she and multi-instrumentalist Will Gregory formed the London duo Goldfrapp. So it made sense that their subdued, lush, theatrical, early-2000s albums cemented them as masters of a sensual but grown-up strain of electro-pop: music made more for moody reflection than dance-floor abandon. Twenty-five years later, Goldfrapp’s namesake vocalist has turned the project into a solo endeavor and, by default, a creative vehicle for her personal growth. Her second album under her legal name opens with “Hey Hi Hello,” a breezy, spring-loaded tune in which she wonders, breathily: “So long, so low/Can I let it go?/Who will I dare to be?/The one I couldn\'t see.” There’s a theme of self-discovery that runs through so many of the songs to come—“Sound & Light,” “UltraSky,” “Strange Things Happen\"—and no matter whether the tone feels bright or a little melancholic, nothing can cloud Goldfrapp’s mature, positive outlook on life. Suitably, the vibe is laid-back, but with Richard X—the king of the 2000s bootleg/mash-up phenomenon—helming a good portion of the production, the album still thrums with a neon vibrancy despite its easy tempo. It\'s most effective on “Find Xanadu” and “Reverberotic,” two tracks that find Goldfrapp basking in the glow of an ethereal energy.
Think of Flux as an elegant evolution. Alison Goldfrapp is still dancing, but this time with her heart closer to the surface.
Goldfrapp said in 2023 that she wanted to challenge herself with her solo work, but she seems less edgily present here than she did with her bandmate Will Gregory
On Flux, Alison Goldfrapp proves that the 'difficult second album' strikes even veteran industry icons, as solo outing number two floats in an elegant yet directionless orbit.