Spring Break
Goldfrapp brings blissful, snoozy album
The group's latest album was unexpected, but pretty nonetheless. Die-hard fans were dissapointed by the change in style
by Bradley Stern
Arts | 3/4/08
Posted online at 12:13 AM EST on 3/4/08
Many moons ago, the Goldfrapp album leaked. The general reaction from most electronica enthusiasts upon hearing the group's first studio album in over three years can be best summarized as: "What the hell is this?" What happened to the ripping guitars of "Ooh La La" or the pulsating electric waves of "Strict Machine" that practically oozed sex appeal from the speakers? That's gone, shelved-for now, at least. So if you've returned to the British electro duo seeking the polished synthesizers and creeping, dirty disco sounds that have defined Goldfrapp releases for the past two years, then kindly turn the other ear and revert your attention to the group's back catalog.
In a way, the new album, which officially came out Feb. 26, serves as the necessary comedown from Goldfrapp's previous excursions onto the dance floor. With all of the electric ferocity and glamour that permeated the group's most recent album, 2006's Supernature, there was hardly room to breathe. Even the slower tracks of the album maintained such a raw and gritty texture to their construction that none of the songs truly felt like an escape from the screeching synthesizers. Naturally, then, hearing Seventh Tree for the first time was an alarming experience.
I'll admit that I got a bit nervous after hearing the entirety of the album. Had Goldfrapp's sophisticated sense of humor faded out with the last verses of "Number One" on Supernature? After all, there's nothing ostensibly chic about Seventh Tree. The songs put the focus on Alison Goldfrapp's paper-thin soprano which, when stripped of the glossy sounds below, ends up sounding terribly subdued. I feared that Alison had simply gone limp. It wasn't until the first lyrics of the opening track "Clowns" finally spilled onto the Internet that I could rest easy: "Only clowns would play with those balloons. What'd ya wanna look like Barbie for? Dear oh lord it's easy, Roasting, roasting, roast indeed, mahogany, Titties that live on on and on on and on."
In a way, the new album, which officially came out Feb. 26, serves as the necessary comedown from Goldfrapp's previous excursions onto the dance floor. With all of the electric ferocity and glamour that permeated the group's most recent album, 2006's Supernature, there was hardly room to breathe. Even the slower tracks of the album maintained such a raw and gritty texture to their construction that none of the songs truly felt like an escape from the screeching synthesizers. Naturally, then, hearing Seventh Tree for the first time was an alarming experience.
I'll admit that I got a bit nervous after hearing the entirety of the album. Had Goldfrapp's sophisticated sense of humor faded out with the last verses of "Number One" on Supernature? After all, there's nothing ostensibly chic about Seventh Tree. The songs put the focus on Alison Goldfrapp's paper-thin soprano which, when stripped of the glossy sounds below, ends up sounding terribly subdued. I feared that Alison had simply gone limp. It wasn't until the first lyrics of the opening track "Clowns" finally spilled onto the Internet that I could rest easy: "Only clowns would play with those balloons. What'd ya wanna look like Barbie for? Dear oh lord it's easy, Roasting, roasting, roast indeed, mahogany, Titties that live on on and on on and on."
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