The fifth album from Goldfrapp is quite a departure from what we’ve heard before, but in a more mainstream direction. Most pop bands operate in reverse, starting off in the mainstream before looking leftfield to find new directions/ideas from which to re-energise their sound or put forward the case for widening their appeal.

Head First is not much more than a no frills electro-pop album. There’s no ballads, at least not in the traditional sense, no clubby tracks, and the record certainly dispenses with the diversity, mystery and hypnotism of Goldfrapp’s past ventures.

If anything, Head First is plagiaristic by nature, travailing 70s disco mixed with a large dollop of effervescent 80s synthpop. Believer sounds like pure Yazoo/Numan with its bouncy keyboard-driven basslines and shrill synth pads, Dreaming, meanwhile, whiffs of Lionel Richie’s Hello, and Head First is very 'Abba' in its production style.

Alive, reeks of formative Prince, for its sliding rock guitars wedged between piano chords, overlapping vocals and sparkling melody tones.

The closing track, Voicething, is the only moment that Head First ever gets escapist – but it’s a pretty lacklustre effort; Imogen Heap does this sort of thing with far more style and passion.

Head First is a surprisingly imitative album, but that’s not to say a bad one. Goldfrapp has enough class to give the songs a tasteful, respect-worthy sheen, Alison Goldfrapp’s vocals are exemplary, and on occasion the songwriting is good, but not quite good enough to lift this record above the ordinary.