Goldfrapp go off the rails with Train.

What the hell is going on inside the nouveau burlesque universe inhabited by Miss Alison Goldfrapp? Formerly acclaimed for her lush, soaring, operatic excursions on disc, she has now, it appears, gone the way of “stardom desperation” and done a second-rate Bowie on us: morphing, chameleon-like, into a skewed electro-pop wannabe.

On a par with the way Dave B returned to hook up with new romantic bitch-god Steve Strange et al in the early 80s (in an attempt to get “hep”, again), Goldfrapp has donned ludicrous layered frocks (courtesy of Kylie Minogue’s dress designer), Victorian doll make-up and Mary Poppins hats. Why ditch the effortlessly intelligent Left Bank chic, circa Felt Mountain, an LP that beguiled with its cinematic sonics and divine vocals?

And while her record company, Mute, spunk loads on a bonkers poster blitz and tiresome media campaign, we say “try-hard trendy is a bad look, luv”. An ersatz Kylie “Shocked” transformation isn’t going to make you the darling of CD:UK, nor hip electroclash club NagNagNag either. Goldfrapp should ditch the panto posturing and concentrate on what she does best, “singing”.

PS. What’s with the wolf licking a bloke's undies on the Train sleeve? That’s just plain Dada gone la-la. Stuart Turnbull 25 April 03

Goldfrapp – Black Cherry, released 28 April 03 on Mute Records.

The single, Train, is out now.

useful link: www.mute.com/goldfrapp