Goldfrapp, Woodpigeon

Goldfrapp, Head First
Remember how desperately you wanted to get your Supernature-style groove on during the release of the British duoâ??s 2008 dance-ditching release, Seventh Tree? Now you can. Whimsical introspectiveness takes a zippy ride on the ABBA rocket, soaring through a cosmic heaven thatâ??s about as blissful and levitating as a sugar rush. Upon their livelier descent into this euphoric fantasy â?? driven by spacey synths, walloping drums and Alison Goldfrappâ??s dreamy murmurs â?? is an opening bunch of songs thatâ??s to ears what cotton candy is to mouths. Launching with the futuristic â??Rocket,â? adorned in air-lift effects and the irresistible â??ooh ooh oohâ? chorus, their direction switcheroo â?? swathed in Saturday Night Fever disco, especially with the feel-good buoyancy of â??Aliveâ? â?? is still moving, but more literally this go â??round. Thereâ??s the calming nature of â??Daydreamâ? and the effervescent, roller-skating-ready â??Believerâ? â?? sounding as gay and fun and carefree as Goldfrappâ??s ever been. Mellowing in the latter half of the breezy nine-song set, thereâ??s still the in-a-daze effect that cohesively links the outing as if itâ??s transitioning from nighttime dance party to morning-after lull on â??Voicething.â? Big drums become a subtle synth drone while Alisonâ??s voice chirps and channels Enya. Sure beats an alarm clock.

Grade: A-

Woodpigeon, Die Stadt Muzikanten
Mark Hamilton, the out frontman of the Canada-born Woodpigeon, sounds exactly like youâ??d expect him to if you took a passing glance at his pic. Itâ??s the beard, the cold-gear clothes â?? and the solemn look on nearly every photo heâ??s in. And, like the Ray LaMontagnes of the world, thatâ??s just what his band delivers on their third full-length (and, at over an hour, itâ??s about as full as can be, sometimes cumbersomely so): lo-fi and orchestral folk-rock tunes for the bummed-out and winter-weather worn. Themes are derived from a recent trip to Europe and his grandparentsâ?? immigration to Canada â?? and all of them are crafted with the utmost circumspection, embellishing on theatrical leanings and, on â??Empty-Hall Sing-Along,â? scoring a rollicking melody that does exactly what its title suggests. Also worth fawning over is Hamiltonâ??s fragile voice: Dreamy and surreal, heâ??s like an angel whispering into your ears as he alternates seamlessly from sigh-inducing soother to barroom toe-tapper. Losing yourself in the intimate chill of Woodpigeonâ??s sound â?? especially on â??…And as the Ship Went Down, Youâ??d Never Looked Finer,â? like a waterfall tumbling into a pool of instruments â?? is about as easy as finding your way out.

Grade: B+

By Chris Azzopardi