'Felt Mountain' entranced countries the world over with its attractive, cinematic excursions. Although it was hardly a classic it did boast two of the year's finest singles in the beautiful forms of 'Pilots (On A Star)' and 'Human'. Intriguingly, Goldfrapp have taken a step towards an electro/glam-rock sound. Cunningly, they still draw on their old sound as the aurally sumptuous title track and 'Forever' attest but their new direction boasts delights of its own. Recent single 'Train' and possible future single 'Twist' employ primitive synths but the pill is sweetened with stomping electro-disco choruses. In lesser hands it would sound like bandwagon-jumping but Alison Goldfrapp's stunning vocal range and Will Gregory's ear for a tune as well as his superior arranging skills are definitely not run-of-the-mill. Gregory doesn't rely on strings so much this time but when he does they are used in the right place as on the weird but captivating 'Tiptoe'. The final result is an album that builds on the success of its predecessor but takes more risks and eventually surpasses it.