Customer Reviews

Seventh Tree (Deluxe Edition)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

UK glam electronic duo Goldfrapp is back, and with a new sound on their fourth album. Out go the stomping beats of the last two albums ("Black cherry" and "Supernature"), and in come lots of acoustic guitar against a chilled swirling ambient soundscape, a move sure to send those expecting disco lights and balls heading for the hills. Those who like Kate Bush, Kate Havnevik or Björk will be embracing this with maniacal glee.

"Seventh Tree" is the follow up to their UK #2 Grammy nominated album "Supernature". Right from the delicately strummed guitars, ethereal vocals and haunting strings of the percussion free opening cut "Clowns", the atmosphere is one of gently floating away. "Little bird" is folk/electronica with sparse guitars and electronic flourishes ebbing and flowing, and percussion filtering in towards the end.

"Happiness" features delicate percussion initially which builds up as the song progresses, it has a nice swinging feel and is one of a pair of (the most) upbeat numbers. "Road to somewhere" is a gentle acoustic ballad with lilting beats, a faint bassline and an almost Oriental feel. "Eat yourself" is another acoustic ballad with instruments gradually building up with angelic sounding harmonies. Similar is the shimmery "Some people".

Lead-off single "A&E" is a gently pulsing acoustic song which vaguely reminds me of Cyndi Lauper's "All through the night", albeit a more sombre version. Surprisingly, it has made the UK top 10, surprising as it is beautiful but so uncommercial. The sweeping "Cologne Cerrone Houdini" is a beautiful dreamy ballad that sounds like it should be the next James Bond theme song. The other upbeat song is the poppy Cranberries-style "Caravan girl" with gently jangly guitars (it's almost as though they are afraid they will wake you up), and closing is the gentle acoustic "Monster love" with swirling electronic effects and an almost hymnal feel.

Lots of haunting or angelic harmonies, a stripped down dreamy acoustic sound garnished with swirling synths and electronic effects. Goldfrapp have made music, not for the feet this time, but for the heart.

Goldfrapp never ceases to amaze me. Every album they release is drastically different from the last, and yet every effort from this band is superb. "Seventh Tree" is no exception. I think this CD marks the most dramatic shift in tempo and style for Goldfrapp, at least since "Felt Mountain." Gone are the days of crazy electronic synthesizers and intense dance beats. "Seventh Tree" is comprised of ten warm and mellow tracks that are perfect if you're in the mood to listen to something soothing and relaxing.

All of the tracks on the CD flow very well together. I especially like "Little Bird" (which, oddly enough, sounds like a John Lennon cover); "Happiness," a slightly more upbeat song with a hint of electronica; "Road to Somewhere," a fabulous driving song; "A&E," an upbeat yet mellow track; "Cologne Cerrone Houdini," one of the band's trademark breathy and seductive numbers; and "Caravan Girl," the most energetic tune on the album. Truly, though, there are no bad songs on this CD. Goldfrapp is fabulous and flawless, as always.

Also, be sure to shell out the extra couple of dollars for the deluxe version of this CD. It comes packaged in a textured cardboard box and includes a separate DVD with a short documentary film and music video, a poster, several postcards, and a tiny lyric book with awesome illustrations. Very cool indeed.

So another Goldfrapp album is out and like clockwork, when Alison changes direction, she alienates legions of fans. This is nothing new of course. Just look at the reviews for Black Cherry from people who were huge fans of Felt Mountain. It cracks me up because these same people who are lambasting Seventh Tree right now, will be loving it in about 4 months.

People should be thankful Goldfrapp has given us another side to admire and indulge ourselves in. I didn't want another Felt Mountain, or Black Cherry, or Supernature. This album is what I wanted and before it was released I didn't know what I wanted from them. That is what's so great about Goldfrapp. You don't know what kind of musical ride they'll take you on next, but you best believe when it comes that it will be one of the best rides of your life.

So back to the album. This album is effing brilliant - dare I say before its time, like most of Goldfrapp's albums. It evokes memories of the Cocteau Twins (who I am a big fan of) circa Heaven or Las Vegas.

I plead to you people who would give this album a negative review - just wait for the initial shock of change to wear off, soak it all in, and then when the fog has cleared, come back and tell people how lush these soundscapes and alison's vocals are.

Fan's of Goldfrapp owe it to other fans of Goldfrapp. This is another one for the ages.

The world slows down and obeys the pace you've stumbled into. Weak stomachs, all encompassing warmth and the way she blinks her eyes; oh, the way she blinks. You're in love. Inhibitions bow and step aside as you two walk through the purity of the newness: the honeymoon period.

Over time this freshness subsides and affection gets lost in a labyrinth of comfort. The desire to impress morphs into a fear of complacency and before you know it, you've grown apart. You part ways and move on reluctantly only to run into each other years later and come to find things weren't really as off as they seemed. She's still got that blink you fell in love with.

Thus is my relationship with Golfrapp. "Felt Mountain", with its modern cabaret noir was so original, so new and around every turn never failed to consume me with its spell. Then astray they went into the disco electro-pop direction completely abandoning what so easily drew me in. "Seventh Tree" is a welcomed return to form and eases the strain of having lost Goldfrapp, though not enough to be completely convinced they're back.

The gentle strums of opener, `Clowns', sees Alison hunched over a microphone so delicately serenading over acoustic guitar and subtle string arrangements that you can almost feel her breath on your neck. Throughout "Seventh Tree", this extension of Felt Mountain adorns every track.

Where we see a progression is in the percussion and simple song structure. Songs like `Little Bird' spend their entire duration building to a powerful but understated drum climax. Others use electronic beats such as those used on "Black Cherry" and "Supernature's" more dance-inspired cuts but become slowed and turned down to give these tracks a strong pop feel. `Happiness' incorporates the electro-weirdout sounds that gave "Felt Mountain" its uniqueness, but here in moderation and to quite perfect pop dilution.

All said, "Seventh Tree" is beautiful pop holding most of its distinction in Alison Goldfrapp's voice. Will Gregory's production is at once reserved, but given a fair number of listens the way he underscores his muse's vocals is extremely satisfying. There is nothing groundbreaking here but, this guy at least, is so happy to be touched by what he fell in love with in the first place after such a long, uneasy absence.

Slow and low, that is the tempo, or at least the majority of the new album from Goldfrapp. Seventh Tree, the bands 4th long player, marks a drastic change in direction and sound, but one that's not completely foreign territory. Gone are the beats and electro glam elements of Black Cherry and Supernature, anything else remotely electronic has been replaced with acoustic guitars and strings. From the instant you push play, some may find similarities to the band's debut, Felt Mountain, and why that may be true in a few places, Seventh Tree is also its own animal. The songs on it are somehow less haunting, but more folk inspired. Less eerie, but much warmer in tone. For the most part, the disc feels a little too lazy, like a nice relaxing summer afternoon.

I understand the reason for the change, bands shift directions all the time, after all, how many Verizon commercials can you soundtrack? Maybe Alison was just tired of all the synthesizers and dancing? Admittedly, it took me a while to get over the fact this didn't sound like Black Cherry and Supernature, but it took me longer to figure out it wasn't as close to Felt Mountain as I first thought. It shares the same beautiful qualities of Felt Mountain, and the same personal, simplistic songs, but something is missing. I just think in the process of recording it, the mystery was lost. The appeal of Felt Mountain (and some of Black Cherry) is that it has a curious, haunting aspect to it. Seventh Tree is so stripped down in places, it fails to provoke emotion when it should be all about that. Where all of the previous work had a dynamic to the records as a whole, the simple songs on Seventh Tree pull that dynamic out and pushes the focus on a chilled-out acoustic record. An ok idea on paper I guess, but with so many elements that I loved now stripped away completely, it is a hard pill to swallow, even in it's sweetest form.

When they do decide to pick up the pace on songs like Caravan Girl, it seems way out of place and too little, too late. Even though some of it strangely reminds me of some late seventies records, it still is Goldfrapp, and there is no mistaking that. Clowns is wonderful and atmospheric and works wonders as a great opener. Clowns is one song that would have been right at home on Felt Mountain or Black Cherry. The pleasantly sunny lead single, A&E plays it a bit too safe, but does just enough to keep me from hitting fast forward. The one true and constant throughout is Alison's voice, it is still as gorgeous as ever. It shines on songs like Some People and Little Bird, and with the lack of beats and samples getting in the way, it definitely plays up the band's strongest suit. The problem is when you pull things out, you got to make sure there are things left. Apart from that amazing voice, we just don't have very much to go on. Worse yet, some of the songs aren't very melodic, even though their delivery would suggest otherwise.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad record, just one that catches our expectations off-guard big time, then fails to really wow us when it should. It is a very pleasant album and why that's not a bad thing, I have just come to expect more from them than just chilling out. No doubt Seventh Tree will grow on me as it ages, it already has, but I doubt I'll reach for it as much as those records that came before it. So while we've seen big musical changes from Goldfrapp before, Seventh Tree fails to spark all the same emotions and excitement, even though its heart is in the right place.

For the faithful, the Goldfrapp journey began long before Goldfrapp the band even began. Single after single, album after album, the eyes, ears and mind of the fan were treated to an intoxicating blend of styles, genres, rhythms, flavors and hues. If you are looking for more of the upbeat, techno numbers found on Supernature, look backward in their catalog to Black Cherry and the remix album We Are Glitter. If you're eager to move forward, this is the album for you. Slow. Lush. Haunting. Achingly beautiful. A sublime journey reminiscent of the Felt Mountain atmospherics. The big question is - REGULAR edition or DELUXE? I bought the deluxe and have little to regret. The box, lyric book, postcards and poster are all gorgeous. The DVD, however, is a huge letdown. When they say "A Short Film" - they're not kidding. It's just a few minutes of grainy nature footage peppered with Allison frolicking about - set to some generic Electronic Press Kit quotes about the band's process and inspiration. Yawn. As for the A&E video - cute, but Kate Bush did the same thing 20 years ago and you can see this video anywhere. So. ALBUM = A; Packaging = A; DVD = C-

Honestly, if Seventh Tree wasn't Goldfrapp odds are I wouldn't like it and not even give it a chance, so I can relate to some of the naysayers. However, this is Goldfrapp so I know to expect something exciting and new and different.

Contrary to popular belief, this isn't a new direction in sound or style for Goldfrapp. It seems like those who are disappointed with Seventh Tree completely forget how quiet and ethereal Felt Mountain was. Remember Lovely Head? Paper Bag? Pilots? Those tracks could easily fit on Seventh Tree. Perhaps most of those who are disappointed jumped on the Supernature bandwagon, delved into Black Cherry and dismissed Felt Mountain altogether. Frankly, the shift in sound from Felt Mountain to Black Cherry was more of a WTF moment for me than the shift from Supernature to Seventh Tree.

It took a few listens at first to get into Seventh Tree. This is definitely an introspective headphone album. Upon first listen each song seemed to blend into the next with the exception of A&E with which I was already familiar. Once I donned my headphones with the lyric book in hand, everything came together wonderfully. Seventh Tree is a beautiful and hazy listen like dust motes in a ray of summer sunshine. Each track strongly stands on its own and evokes so much emotion. Many compare this to the works of Nick Drake and I can see that comparison but for me, it's Victorialand-era Cocteau Twins all the way. Lightly strummed guitars, chirping birds, the faintest shimmer of electronics and Alison's purely angelic voice.

Read the lyrics along with listening to the beautifully dreamy yet funny opening track Clowns (which is about fake breasts) and see how Alison's voice shimmers and warbles nearly indecipherable words. The second half of Little Bird swoops and soars as Alison reaches a Liz Fraser inspired crescendo and her vocal delivery on Eat Yourself, amongst the softly strummed guitar and crackly static, is total Cocteau Twins.

Happiness and Caravan Girl are the most upbeat tracks that will satisfy those who need a substantial beat but for me I have always been a sucker for the softer side of Goldfrapp a la Hairy Trees or Let It Take You. It's refreshing to have an entire disc of slow and mellow tracks. Clowns is hands down my favorite track with Eat Yourself a close second. Other stand outs for me are Some People, Road to Somewhere, Monster Love and the second half of Little Bird.

Seventh Tree is likely to polarize Goldfrapp's fans like Black Cherry did, but as the lyrics to the closing track Monster Love says: "Everything comes round again, bringing us back again". It's lovely to see Goldfrapp coming back around to where they started.

Finally . . . the follow up to Felt Mountain.

I have been a fan of this duo from the beginning. I fell immediately in love with the mellow, ethereal, alpine sounds of their debut, Felt Mountain, but happily went along with the change toward a more electro-glammy sound on Black Cherry. Then, when Supernature was released, I felt they had reached their fullest potential and created an absolutely perfect dance-pop masterpiece. That said, I knew they would never follow up Supernature with another Supernature. But I was nonetheless disappointed when I read we were in for a supposed folk-inspired album featuring acoustic guitars. And then when I finally heard the new album for the first time, my fears were confirmed. This was not the Goldfrapp I wanted. I wanted another Supernature, dammit!

Man, I was an idiot. There was something about this album that was slowly, subtly drawing me in. Something made me want to listen more. And more. Before long I was completely addicted. This album is freakin' awesome. Like a drug you don't want to like, but can't help but adore. Screw the ultra-catchy beats, electro stabs, and lusty lyrics of Supernature. This stuff is so pure and beautiful and touching. If Supernature was a big joyous sexual romp, Seventh Tree is that amazing peaceful feeling that floods your body post-orgasm. It's somewhat reminiscent of Felt Mountain (mostly in atmosphere), but is more folk and less lounge. "Cologne Cerrone Houdini" could easily have been yanked from their debut, while "Little Bird" and "Happiness" sound surprisingly like the Beatles, "Monster Love" like AIR, and first single "A&E" like early Sarah McLachlan. So there's some variety here, but it's also very cohesive. The album is sheer beauty from beginning to end, but my favorites are probably "Clowns," "Happiness," "Road to Somewhere," and especially "Eat Yourself" and "A&E," which I admittedly didn't like at first (maybe because it was just so different), but has since become one of my favorite Goldfrapp songs ever, if not my favorite. I don't know if I can say much more to express my love for Seventh Tree. Just trust me... It's addictively beautiful.

If you're a big fan and/or a collector, the special edition is definitely worth the small extra cost. The textured box is really nice, and the hand-written lyrics booklet is interesting (I wouldn't have guessed "Clowns" was about fake breasts - "Only clowns would play with those balloons/what do ya wanna look like Barbie for?"). The dvd doesn't have a ton of content, but it's kinda cool. I love the "A&E" video, so it's nice to have. The ten-minute short film contains Alison and Will talking vaguely about the album over some nice-looking grainy imagery of woodland and countryside interspersed with Alison in various costumes. I really, really like the visual identity they went with for this album - pastoral meets pagan in a world both beautiful and eerie. Very reminiscent of, say, the original "Wicker Man." They really know how to create a wonderful brand identity.

*Note: The difference with the special edition is that, along with the studio album, it contains a DVD featuring the A&E music video/mini-documentary, as well as a fold-out poster, postcards, and lyric book*

When I heard "A&E", the first single from the album, I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. Then, once I listened to the song within the context of the rest of the album, and it seemed to fit perfectly. Alison Goldfrapp's voice has been incredible, from their first album on, but 'Seventh Tree' seems to have refined the musical atmosphere to better incorporate it, making both fit together in harmony.

This reminds me a lot more of Felt Mountain, than either Black Cherry or Supernature, though 'Seventh Tree' sounds warmer and more personal. The similarity between the two is mostly in the overall depth and expansive landscape of the songs. Present, as well, is that drifting-on-clouds vibe that carries many of the songs from beginning to end which has been present on all of them. However, while the others were mostly comprised of cool, danceable music, both 'Felt Mountain' and 'Seventh Tree' just allow themselves to be lovely and simple, though, of course, there are obviously some complicated things going on, upon closer inspection.

It's hard for me to pick favorite tracks, since they all flow so well together, but I'd probably settle on "Cologne Cerrone Houdini", "Little Bird" and "Happiness". This album has moments where it's hard to imagine that the sounds generated by the keyboards are actually electronic in any way, since they seem so natural and earthy here, more so than any of their previous releases.

Some fans of their previous work might be turned off by the slow pace 'Seventh Tree', as I was initially. I still find that, isolated, a few of the songs on here aren't as strong as the whole. 'Seventh Tree' is the flip-side of the glitz and glamour of 'Supernature', and almost Zen-like in it's tranquility. Each of Goldfrapp's albums (and individual songs) have been fantastic pictures of the evolution of their unique sound. Just as I've finished listening to 'Seventh Tree', I already can't wait to hear their next album!

Since the actual music seems already to have been discussed to death here, all I can really say is, put it on and just enjoy it ... and if it takes you somewhere go along. Other than that, the Deluxe edition of Seventh Tree is definitely worth buying over the standard CD, maybe for the little lyrics booklet included alone, with the DVD and poster making it all the better, not to mention the good-quality box it all comes in. Especially if you're already a Goldfrapp fan.