Goldfrapp
Twist (Mute 9320)

Goldfrapp's Black Cherry was the most surprising, satisfying, and unheralded pop album of 2003, quickly dismissed by the indie press for being a slightly-too-late entry into the "electroclash" sweepstakes, a criticism that missed the point. The album hardly capitalized on that supposed trend, which, anyway, never got mainstream enough to really qualify as a trend.

Rather, Goldfrapp refurbished itself in a sexy new mold that recalled the best of old-school electropop … fat-ass synth bass lines, cooing vocals, seductive drumbeats, and reductive melodies that begged you to just shut off the TV, grab the lubricant, and hop into bed, already.

And unlike previous electro throwbacks, this one actually had fucking great songs, straight through. It wasn't just about the sound. Twist is the second US single from the album, a dangerously addictive brew that oozes quick hotel sex. The EP contains the single mix, a couple of even dirtier remixes, a similar b-side ("Yes Sir"), a live track more in the softer vein of Goldfrapp's earlier stuff ("Deer Stop"), and a video track (which is fine enough, but nothing fantastic).

Beautifully, Goldfrapp has resurrected the generosity and innovation of Depeche Mode's Violator-era CD-singles and taken the ideal to a bold new height. If you can't get enough Black Cherry, the singles are essential to slake your thirst.

The remixes are fookin' great, retaining the hooks and delving deep into the pure sex of it all … prolonging the buildup, teasing, tickling, massaging. It's musical Horny Goat Weed for delirious sensory eargasms.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Thomas Long-and-Strong