Alison Goldfrapp Flux
Alison Goldfrapp's Flux opens as a shimmering study in reinvention, where synth-pop atmospherics and ethereal vocals collide to produce moments of real wonder. Across five professional reviews the record earned a 60.4/100 consensus score, a reflection of critics praising sporadic standout tracks even as they question the album's overall momentum. Critics consistently point to “Reverberotic”, “Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star)”, and “Find Xanadu” as the best songs on Flux, tracks that pierce the gauzy production with heft, melody, and occasional vocal grit.
The critical consensus emphasizes themes of longing and connection, nostalgia and reinvention, and lush but sometimes distant production. Reviewers from Pitchfork and The Line of Best Fit celebrate the nocturnal beauty and honest vulnerability of songs like “Hey Hi Hello” and “Find Xanadu”, while The Independent and The Skinny note a mid-tempo monotony that buries Goldfrapp's voice in the mix at times. Far Out Magazine frames the album as cautious rather than adventurous, arguing that the most memorable moments - notably “Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star)” and the robotic peak of “Reverberotic” - are the exceptions that prove the rule.
Taken together, professional reviews suggest Flux is a polished, synth-heavy collection that rewards selective listening: several tracks emerge as must-listen highlights, even if the record as a whole trades some of Goldfrapp's former theatrical edge for introspective sheen. For readers asking "is Flux good" or searching for the best tracks on Flux, the consensus points clearly to those standout singles as the record's strongest statements, with the rest offering pleasant if occasionally distant ambience.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Reverberotic
5 mentions
"“Reverberotic” is a triumphant song that shape-shifts from ambient elegance to electro-groove and back again."— The Line of Best Fit
Find Xanadu
4 mentions
"Lead single "Find Xanadu" is the album’s beating heart though."— The Line of Best Fit
Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star)
5 mentions
"Even when Goldfrapp dives back into dance-pop territory, as on the housey "Play It (Shine Like a Nova Star)", the effect is euphoric, but also strangely intimate, raw"— The Line of Best Fit
“Reverberotic” is a triumphant song that shape-shifts from ambient elegance to electro-groove and back again.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Hey Hi Hello
Sound & Light
Reverberotic
Strange Things Happen
UltraSky
Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star)
Find Xanadu
Cinnamon Light
Ordinary Day
Magma
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Alison Goldfrapp returns on Flux with a shimmering set where the best songs show her still knows how to cast spells - the ecstatic “Hey Hi Hello” and the bruised, vocoder-stung “Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star)” stand out. The record trades in airbrushed textures and shivery synth grooves, and tracks like “Reverberotic” and “Strange Things Happen” exemplify the album’s nocturnal, reverbed beauty. Flux rewards listeners seeking the best tracks on Flux with moments of genuine awe rather than hollow pastiche.
Key Points
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“Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star)” is the best for its emotional bite, vivid imagery, and hardened production.
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Flux’s core strengths are its airbrushed synth textures, Goldfrapp’s sinuous voice, and a consistent nocturnal, atmospheric mood.
Themes
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Critic's Take
Alison Goldfrapp drifts through Flux with a gauzy, vaporous voice that makes songs like “Find Xanadu” and “Reverberotic” the clear best tracks on the record. Helen Brown’s tone is fond but wary, praising the album's dreamy production while noting its tendency to evaporate mid-tempo, so the best songs are those that actually seize the old freakishness - notably “Reverberotic” and the wistful lead single “Find Xanadu”. Those tracks show Goldfrapp reclaiming a bit of her edge, even as much of Flux remains a vanilla, lovely breeze rather than the sharper thrill of her past work.
Key Points
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“Reverberotic” is best because it recaptures Goldfrapp’s playful, freakish edge and stands out amid the album.
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Flux’s core strength is its dreamy, detailed electro-pop production and nostalgic Eighties-tinged melodies, even when songs sometimes feel insubstantial.
Critic's Take
In a confident, inward-turning record like Flux, Alison Goldfrapp lets songs such as “Find Xanadu” and “Reverberotic” do the emotional heavy-lifting, marrying high-gloss synth-pop with honest vulnerability. The reviewer hears an album of ownership and subtle transformation where the dancefloor remains but the heart sits closer to the surface. Best songs on Flux are framed as both joyous and sanctified - the lead single “Find Xanadu” becomes the album’s beating heart while “Reverberotic” serves as a triumphant, shape-shifting centerpiece. This is Goldfrapp reinventing without spectacle, trading theatrical swagger for earnest wonder and mature shimmer.
Key Points
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The best song, "Find Xanadu", stands out as the album's beating heart with joy-saturated synth-pop and earnest wonder.
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Flux’s core strengths are its fusion of shimmering synth-pop hooks with intimate, vulnerable songwriting and confident artistic ownership.
Themes
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Critic's Take
Alison Goldfrapp's Flux reads like a cautious step rather than a leap, and the best songs are the rare moments that cut through that restraint. The review identifies “Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star)” as the defining track, praising its "heavy, pounding bass" that makes it a real shining star, and singles out “Reverberotic” for its robotic peak. Overall, the album's synth-heavy pop and whispered vocals feel overly safe, so the best tracks on Flux are those few that inject character into an otherwise reserved record.
Key Points
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The best song is “Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star)” because its heavy, pounding bass and epic production make it a true standout.
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The album's core strength is its moments of strong production, but overall it is held back by safe synth-pop arrangements and restrained vocals.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a measured, sometimes weary voice Rhys Morgan concedes that Alison Goldfrapp's Flux contains bright exceptions amid a prevailing lethargy. He singles out “Reverberotic” as the album's thumping, brilliant exception with the best toplining, while “Play It (Shine Like a Nova Star)” and “Cinnamon Light” puncture the malaise with bounce and fizzy sweetness. Morgan's phrasing is exacting - meticulous craftsmanship meets conceptual indifference - which frames why listeners asking "best songs on Flux" will likely point to those three tracks. The praise is cautious rather than celebratory, noting polish but also a mid-tempo monotony that dilutes much of the record's shimmer.
Key Points
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Reverberotic is the best song due to its thumping energy and the strongest toplining on the album.
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Flux's core strengths are meticulous production and occasional buoyant tracks that puncture an otherwise mid-tempo monotony.