The Singles

iTunes Review

The Singles concisely documents the efforts of partners Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory to fuse glam-rock attitude with ambient textures and electronica beats. This compilation offers most of the unit’s signature tunes, including the vampy workout “Ooh La La,” the coolly seductive “Black Cherry,” and the enraptured “Utopia” (heard here in “Genetically Enriched” form). Collectively, the tracks capture Alison’s abilities as a shape-shifting vocalist, proficient at intimate balladry (“A&E”), space-queen incantations (“Ride a White Horse”), and purring love odes (“Believer”). The production moves are just as diverse and daring, ranging from the widescreen disco of “Strict Machine” to the woozy bounce of “Happiness.” Extending the perimeters further are a pair of new songs—“Yellow Halo” and “Melancholy Sky”—that veer toward the mystical in their balmy pulsations and wistful themes. Goldfrapp continues to show a remarkable ability to please the pop crowd while lacing its work with subversion and transcendence.