I know it's almost two years old at this point, but why the hell didn't someone tell me how enjoyable this album is? It's chock full of overblown synthesizers and sultry female vocals, a combination I have a hard time resisting, even if I'd kind of written Goldfrapp off a while ago. I had tried really hard to like their debut, Felt Mountain, with varying degrees of success. I mean, I like Alison Goldfrapp's voice, the songs were beautifully arranged, but most of the time I just found the album kind of boring. There are a few good songs on there (particularly Human), but it just didn't quite work for me. I only pulled it out when I was looking for something background to listen to at work (you know, in those rare times when I have a job). Even then I found myself skipping songs or turning it off altogether.

So I raised an eyebrow when this follow up came out, but didn't have the motivation to buy it or otherwise acquire it through illegitimate means. I was browsing around on Rhapsody yesterday and I came across this and grabbed it. Rhapsody is a simultaneous godsend and curse for the unemployed music junkie. I can listen to all this stuff that I can't afford, but I can't listen to it outside of my computer. If I had the money, I'd spend a couple grand on installing some sort of in-dash computer with wireless access so I could listen to it in the car, but that's of course silly both for monetary and lacking technical skill reasons. Now if I could just get it to work on my Treo...

Anyway, this album was instantly more accessible than its predecessor. Although I've had the silly elitist habit of shunning accessible music in the past, I'm working hard on shaking it. I suppose you could consider the songs here "pop" in some areas, but I honestly don't much care anymore. Trip-hop has always walked that delicate line between indie and mainstream (at least in this country, I've always had the impression that it's much more mainstream in the U.K. and Europe). Not too mention that the Pop mainstream has spent the last few years catching up to the electronica I hold so dear. Seeing as how I rarely listen to music on the radio, and I don't watch TV, I have no idea what's what any more and I'm not sure I feel qualified anymore to rate an album like this. So I'll simply say I like it and leave it at that.