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Review: Goldfrapp mines pop's rich pastBy CNN's Peter Wilkinson  Goldfrapp: Stage presence for sure, but sound is perhaps not suited to the live stage. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSBRIGHTON, England (CNN) -- Goldfrapp is riding a wave of current bands that feel no shame about plucking the best bits of pop's past. Whereas their forerunners would often play down any obvious nods to their influences, this English band glories in building thunderous dub-based songs around various iconic riffs. Think Donna Summer's "I Feel Love," The Sweet's "Blockbuster," Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" and almost anything played by Marc Bolan. Now on their third album, Goldfrapp's latest music -- especially when performed live -- seems largely to be built from a fusion of early disco, glam-rock stirred up with 90s big beat. If your ears can stand the apocalyptic bass lines and your eyes the airport runway-style light show, you'll enjoy spotting the composite parts. What is debatable, though, is whether the band's music has its own identity. Is the sound greater than the sum of its parts? Opinions are divided. The band, comprising the blonde-haired Alison Goldfrapp, wearing a black cat suit and pink bat-winged cape, and four musicians, certainly have a striking stage presence. The impression is boosted by four dancing girls, who sport animal-themed outfits such as white horse-head and lion masks. Goldfrapp is always watchable onstage but her voice -- a little like Madonna's -- which is fine in a studio, fails to engage the emotions onstage where it struggles against the full, layered sound of a four-piece band. The young crowd at Brighton's Dome on Monday came wanting to dance but failed to get their feet to move to the rather unmelodic sound. Only a few numbers such as "Beautiful," "Ooh La La" and "Ride a White Horse" really lift off. Several numbers hint at a more atmospheric mood but the overall effect is spoiled by a muddy sound. Goldfrapp is certainly different and there is obviously no shortage of good material in the band's record collection to plunder. But whereas Donna Summer in the 1970s combined disco beats with a fantastic soul voice, Goldfrapp at present lacks the X-factor. 
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