The Other Side Of Your World

Goldfrapp @ Hammerstein Ballroom 6/23/2010

Crystalline Green / I Wanna Life / A&E / U Never Know / Head First / Number 1 / Dreaming / Believer / Alive / Soft & Warm / Train / Ride A White Horse / Ooh La La // Utopia / Black Cherry /// Rocket / Strict Machine

Goldfrapp “Head First”

I’ve seen Goldfrapp a few times over now, and I’m pretty sure this was the first time I’ve seen Alison in a good mood on stage. It could just be a result of performing the new songs, which convey so much love, gratitude, and relief. Head First may not be her band’s best work, but it’s a lovely record and its high points are so effective in expressing — and spreading — this hard-won bliss and optimism. The concert felt much more celebratory than past Goldfrapp shows, which felt more formal in the Supernature era, and a bit stuffy and sad when they toured for Seventh Tree. Alison changed costume a few times, starting out in a gown that looked like an unfurled VHS tape, and ending up draped in what appeared to be long, pink Muppet hair. She was beautiful and commanding, and it was nice to see her smile a few times.

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Goldfrapp “Ride A White Horse” (iTunes session version)

At the end of the main set, the band swung hard into electro-glam mode. Goldfrapp can do many things very well, but this particular sound — “Train,” “Ride A White Horse,” “Ooh La La,” “Strict Machine” — is something that is all their own. Halfway through “Ride A White Horse” I found myself feeling a bit annoyed that no one else is doing this sort of thing. Yes, there were a few copycat blips on the radar, like Rachel Stevens’ excellent single “Some Girls”, but my major disappointment is in bands. I realize that not just anyone can pull this off, but this is like a new blueprint for rock music, at least on a textural level. Harsh, glamorous, precise, sexy, feminine, enormous in scope yet tightly focused. We could learn a lot from Goldfrapp.

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