Alison Goldfrapp
Flux

"Flux" is the second solo album by singer Alison Goldfrapp, famous for being the voice and face of the iconic electronic music duo Goldfrapp alongside producer and composer Will Gregory.
Alison has been on the music scene for quite some time: in fact, she began her career in the 90s as a vocalist for artists such as Peter Gabriel, Orbital, and Tricky, before founding Goldfrapp.

Since 2022 she decided to go solo, and in 2023 she released her first solo album, "The Love Invention".

If Alison’s previous record didn’t add anything to her career, get ready because this "Flux," produced by Stefan Storm (member of The Sound of Arrows), Richard X, and James Greenwood, adds nothing and perhaps even less than “The Love Invention,” which was also produced by Richard X and James Greenwood.

"Flux" opens with "Hey hi Hello", a track chosen as the third single, featuring sweet and melancholic lyrics, where the synths steer towards italo-disco and Kylie Minogue. It’s a pop song with an immediate chorus, but it’s a pity that "Hey hi Hello" recalls "The Streets Where I Belong" by Annie, since Stefan Storm produced her album "Dark Hearts". I wonder if Alison herself, who has always made originality her strength, has noticed this similarity, considering that in her previous albums with Will Gregory she was the one setting the standard in terms of inspiration for many synth-pop artists. But let’s move on, it’s just the beginning.

The second track, "Sound & Light", sees Alison pushing on vintage synths reminiscent of "Voicething" from "Head-first" and "Moon in your mouth" from "Silver Eye", as if for a moment Will Gregory had come back just to bring her some decent synths because there was no more space in her studio.

The second single "Reverberotic" is perhaps one of the most interesting tracks of this second work: it’s a very synth-pop song, perfect for the dancefloor (really!), where Alison sings nonsense lyrics like a robot over a cold and buzzing synth base. In my opinion, she could have done much better. To prove this, you don’t have to look far: just take "Fever" from her previous "The Love Invention" to notice Alison’s drop in quality. However, maybe I’m too demanding, because plenty online say that "Reverberotic" sounds like it’s straight out of "Supernature". But I suggest to those who think so to go back and listen to "Supernature" or to stop pretending to be Goldfrapp posers, because "Ooh la la", "Number One", "Ride a white horse", "Satin chic" and all the other songs on "Supernature" are way more original than "Reverberotic" and don’t sound like that at all. If anything, to make a cautious comparison, because of the senseless lyrics and the cold, blaring synths, it’s "Train" from "Black Cherry".

We now come to "Strange Things Happen" and "Ultrasky", which are the best moments of "Flux" and the beginning of Alison’s comfort zone. Here Alison opens up to her more dreamy, intimate, delicate, and melancholic side, both in lyrics and melodies, typical of her dreamier productions. To emphasize this dreamy side, you can hear the string arrangements by Davide Rossi, who has played Goldfrapp gigs from "Felt Mountain" to "Head First". The latter half of the album follows in this vein and the songs all seem to blend together, but luckily to break the monotony there’s the first single "Find Xanadu", the usual synth-heavy dancefloor number, and "Cinnamon Light", which brings back the italo-disco pop sugar of "Hey, Hi, Hello".

What can I say, I’m a huge fan of Goldfrapp and Alison, I own all their records, but with this "Flux" I have to give her 3 stars and be tough but fair for her own good. Although the production is as elegant as ever, "Flux" for Alison amounts to homework done in class, with neither glory nor shame. A misstep after the previous "The Love Invention," where at least every song sounded different, avoiding monotony.
I really don’t know what happened to her for "Flux"; it’s as if she sat at a table with her team and, during a brainstorming session, said to herself: "Ok, I need to whip up an album for my label, what do people know me for? For my breathy voice, halfway between sexy and melancholic? For my meows and howls? For my pop dance tracks and my more dreamy ones? Ok, then let’s make an album like that! (by now, it feels mechanical anyway)". I find it absurd that none of her three producers pointed out to her that in many songs she sings and sounds the same, and after a while it gets tiring.

I would have never thought it, but Alison Goldfrapp’s solo career makes me miss the creative genius of Will Gregory, who has been silent for 2 decades, and now we can see that he was the duo’s secret weapon, because it’s hard to imagine something like this happening with him involved. Therefore, Alison Goldfrapp is not Goldfrapp, but Goldfrapp = Alison Goldfrapp + Will Gregory.

I really hope they get back together (both say they’re on good terms). It’s been way too long since the last album, Silver Eye is from 2017, and I think it’s time for them to reunite and put their differences aside. In my opinion, the Goldfrapp duo is a touchstone in the electronic music world, and with the career they’ve had, they deserve to have no trouble touring the world to bring their music live. Also, it bothers me to see Alison reduced to releasing little records and closing herself in her comfort zone; by now she seems like a parody of herself, marinated in italo-disco sauce. I think that’s the worst thing that can happen to an artist whose signature has always been radical change.

Dai Alison richiama Will!