Music Review: Goldfrapp “Seventh Tree” (Mute) * * * 1/2
Allison Goldfrapp spent the last half-decade establishing herself as Britain’s preeminent electro-dance diva — she so thoroughly inspired Madonna’s recent dance music that the English music press started calling Madge “Oldfrapp.” But a great number of original Goldfrapp fans have hungered for a return trip to “Felt Mountain,” her gorgeous 2000 debut that channeled John Barry soundtracks and emphasized down-tempo languor. Goldfrapp’s excellent new collection, “Seventh Tree,” returns to a more contemplative pace, but the sound tends toward sunny electro-folk rather than grand cinematic sweep.
Goldfrapp and chief musical strategist Will Gregory haven’t exactly made a Fairport Convention record, but the duo softened the machines and forced them to co-exist with organic instruments. The gorgeously contemplative “Some People” is almost entirely acoustic: piano and cellos with just a hint of synthesized strings wafting behind the mix. “Cologne Cerrone Houdini” features the kind of thunderstorm strings Paul Buckmaster arranged for Elton John’s “Madman Across the Water,” offering the perfect dramatic wrap for Goldfrapp’s golden vocal tones.
“Seventh Tree” is not completely devoid of beats: “A&E” bubbles along on percolating chirps and strums until a cascade of tumultuous drums piles into the song’s final act, and “Caravan Girl” actually hits the dance floor with its organic percussion and ELO-style spacey synths. Except for those brief dance explosions, the club kids will largely feel betrayed, but with “Seventh Tree,” Goldfrapp is giving her music a much-needed shaking up, albeit a gentle one.
Random 10 for March 3, 2008
1. Joni Mitchell, “Free Man in Paris.” This past year brought a much deserved reappraisal of Mitchell’s music, which never really fell out of favor but, like all things, rides the sine wave of relative popularity. Unfortunately, none of the three discs that came out — Nonesuch’s all-star A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock’s Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters and even Mitchell’s own comeback, Shine, could do justice to the catalog. I was especially taken aback by Sufjan Stevens’ cover of “Free Man in Paris,” which nearly did away with Mitchell’s melody in favor of a plodding new interpretation that undercut the song’s great narrative. One could scarcely do better than the jazzy, music industry-skewering original from 1974′s Court and Spark, a song written about her old roommate, David Geffen.
2. Alice Smith, “Desert Song.”
3. Gruff Rhys, “Lonesome Words.”
4. Evangelicals, “The Water is Warm.”
5. The Glands, “I Can See My House From Here.” While it does not specifically sample The Four Seasons’ “December 1963 (Oh What a Night),” mainly because Frankie Valli turned the Athens band down, the central rhythm, piano riff and nostalgic lyrical bent perfectly evoke that childhood gem. No word on whether this band still exists, but their self-titled 2001 disc was such a beautiful avant-pop confection, I can imagine that The Glands felt they had said it all and didn’t need to say any more.
6. Miles Davis, “Generique.”
7. The Flaming Lips, “The Wizard Turns On…”
8. CSS, “Meeting Paris Hilton.”
9. Ane Brun, “To Let Myself Go.”
10. Goldfrapp, “Clowns.” Allison Goldfrapp spent the last half-decade establishing herself as Britain’s pre-eminent electro-dance diva, but a great number of original Goldfrapp fans have hungered for a return trip to Felt Mountain, her gorgeous 2000 debut that channeled John Barry soundtracks and emphasized down-tempo languor. Goldfrapp’s excellent new collection, Seventh Tree, returns to a more contemplative pace, but the sound tends toward sunny electro-folk rather than grand cinematic sweep. The club kids will feel betrayed, but with Seventh Tree, Goldfrapp is giving her music a much-needed shaking up, albeit a gentle one.
Music Video: Gnarls Barkley, “Run”
This is the first video from GB’s second disc, The Odd Couple, due April 8 on Downtown/Atlantic. While “Run” is unlikely to be the paradigm-shifting R&B/pop/hip-hop/whatever sensation that “Crazy” was, it represents a significant refining of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse’s classic R&B aesthetic — as wonderful as St. Elsewhere was, much of it felt like a scrapbook of ideas. If “Run” is any indication, Gnarls Barkley is moving deeper into the Hollard/Dozier/Holland rules of songwriting, and there’s not a thing wrong with that.
