(Mute)

www.mute.com

After the diversion into Cocteau Twins ethereality for Seventh Tree, Goldfrapp returns to reclaim her spot in the dance clubs with Head First (Mute). The fifth album from the titular Alison Goldfrapp, plus longtime collaborator Will Gregory, falls into the tradition of second and third records, 2003's Black Cherry and 2005's Supernature, rather than the eerie trip hop of the first, Felt Mountain (2000), or 2008's lovely pastoral Seventh Tree. It's back to club anthems, shiny choruses, and slick synths - subtlety and depth be damned.

Goldfrapp gives good singles, and "Rocket," "Believer" and "Alive" will end up on the playlists of lovers of well-crafted dance-pop (although one suspects that many Goldfrapp fans appreciate listening to dance-pop more than dancing to it). Not coincidentally, those three tracks open Head First, and its hit-me-with-your-best-shot sequencing: the rest of the album turns more subdued and indirect (and occasionally diffuse), as in the slinky strut of "Shiny and Warm" or the slow-burn abstraction of "Voicething" (the grabby chorus of "I Wanna Life" is the late-album exception).

Between the singer's crystalline vocals and Gregory's well-orchestrated synths, Goldfrapp - the duo - is an ersatz Eurythmics for the not-so-new millennium. That's fine, but on Head First the not insubstantial pleasures are ephemeral ones.

Standout Tracks: "Rocket," "Alive" STEVE KLINGE