Customer Reviews
Golden - By: J. P. Oley, 27 Mar 2008 
This album is exquisite, beautiful, wonderful. A truly lovely piece of work. It sounds like Goldfrapp are developing as artistes & they're playing stuff they're much more into. You can't really compare it to their other albums; Black Cherry is a sublime opus that stands on its own. I can't say how good this record is; it's just great! If you like Goldfrapp, you might like Broken Social Scene.
Feeling like I needed you - By: E. A Solinas, 25 Mar 2008 I confess, I'm still getting used to the glitzy, glammy sound Goldfrapp hadin its last album. Now it has gone to the other extreme -- floaty, instrumental pop.
Fortunately it doesn't take long to get used to this new style, because it fits Goldfrapp like a fine silk glove.The dancy electrobeats are translated into shimmering downtempo, the hard edges softened into acoustics -- it's a floaty, dreamlike, bittersweetly beautiful little album, full of swirlingly addictive instrumentation & wistful vocals.
It opens with the mellow rippling guitar, overlaid with an ethereal fog of sorrowful violins, a touch of synth, clips of birds singing happily. "Only clowns would play with dull balloons," Alison Goldfrapp singsin a girlish slur. It's pretty hard to hear what's she singing ("Roasting, roasting, roast indeed, mahogany"), but the exquisite quality of the music makes up for it.
This is where you know it's all going to work.
And she doesn't disappointin the songs after, startling with the quivering synth & satiny vocals of "Little Bird" ("We dance by the sea/the land of blue & gold/is where we were free/do you lie, lie lie?") & catchy, sunny "Happiness." And it sets the tone for some of the songs that follow -- exquisitely sensuous pop melodies, odd chorale ballads, dramatic electronica, & the sprightly dancy chamberpop of "Caravan Girl."
The highlight has to be "A&E," a warm fragile little melody spun that ripples with piano & soft keyboard. And as the melody picks up into a swirling instrumental speckled with electronic blips, the tone turns a bit darker. "I was trying to phone you when I'm crawling out the door.... I was feeling lonely, feeling blue/Feeling like I needed you/Like I've woken up surrounded by me/A&E..."
Most bands can't pull off a total change of sound -- they're going to disappoint a lot of, & often the quality of their music suffers because they're simply not used to this style. Fortunately Goldfrapp is not one of those bands -- it's hard to imagine anyone being turned off by the lush, bittersweet sound of this album.
The songs are spun out of a lot of acoustic instruments -- waves of elegant strings & a low-key piano, with some acoustic guitar & jazzy drums to keep the melodies grounded. But they haven't totally abandoned electronica -- there's a trip-hoppy downtempo flavour to these songs, mostly expressedin warm, misty synth that gently wraps around the chamberpop & folky melodies. But you do get some kooky catchy organ again toward the end.
And Alison Goldfrapp sounds like she's having fun. Her flexible, silky voice can become whatever the melody requires of her -- girly slurring, terrifying perkiness ("We're here to welcome you!"), an otherworldly balladeer -- but most of the time she sounds lovelorn & wistful.
And while the music may be more accessible, the songs she sings are flavoured with depression, moments stolen with a lover you'll never really have, & even drug overdoses ("It's a blue, bright blue Saturday, hey hey/And the pain has started to slip away/I'min a backless dress on a pastel ward that's shining/Think I want you still/But it may be pills at work").
Goldfrapp have really outdone themselvesin the shimmering, exquisite "Seventh Tree," a sharp deviation from their previous music. Utterly spellbinding from beginning to end.
Lovely work - nice package ... - By: P. White, 16 Mar 2008 This album is a gem & very uplifting to listen to. It never jars & creates a fine old mood. The style ranges from trip-hop (evolved) to psychedelia with smatterings of theme & acoustic. Alison out sings the rather over rated Duffy on most tracks & it grows with every listen.
This set contains an impeccably produced box of Alison's hand written lyrics (and doodles), a poster (useless unless you iron it), several postcards with photos of Alison & her band, the CD & a DVD with a short film & a video for one of the tracks. Very good value I think.
frappacino on my coffee table - By: Stephen Otoole, 12 Mar 2008 
The latest Goldfrapp is a puzzling affair. I can see what the idea was; to sum up, bucolic melancholic,via kate bush,Liz Fraser,etc: but i just don't think they accomplished their mission.I wasn't a huge fan of the last two albums but they had pizzaz & a certain off kilter energy.This album starts well but then just seems to drift into inoffensive lite-balladry. They seem intent on ironing out all the quirkiness that made them stand out so much on earlier albums.To be honest Felt Mountain hasn't really been bettered, as it was, & still is, the most interesting record they've madein terms of originality.Are they just crowd pleasing?The first three songs are 'lovely' but please Alison,leave the ethereal arias to Liz Fraser.Kate Bush can also sleep easy.
Goldfrapp Gone Ambient (again?) - By: Carl Paras, 08 Mar 2008 
If you like Goldfrapp for their upbeat danceable electro-pop tracks, this album is not for you, there's only one upbeat track, the rest are more folk & ambient, which is not bad really, but there's too much of it. A little to the like of "Ooh la la", "Strict Machine" would have been nice, for their more hyper fans.
