Seventh Tree

Product Information

Road to Somewhere and Some People veer close to bucolic easy listening: they're a bit middle of the public bridleway.

BEST OF ALL, a foldout poster (and believe me this is every Goldfrapp fan's wet dream) of Allison herself, in white pagan robe, completely barefoot with her deliciously hot long legs exposed and dark eyeliner standing cross-stance on a tree with the head of the owl mask perched high above with a lake background. postcards containing unseen photos included alternate shot of the owlman, and Allison standing in a cute polka dot uniform alongside a horse behind a tree. Despite being critical of Alison Goldfrapp's "wispy, ethereal, often impenetrable vocal approach", Dave Hughes of Slant Magazine opined that the album is "most compelling for the way in which the band's regained austerity and naturalism contrasts with their more recent hedonism.

Some of the tracks launch themselves into hippy psychedelia and here and there it sounds like some of the instruments are being looped backwards ( "Little Bird" ).

Quite what the lyrics are driving at remains a mystery - they could just be a load of old bollerghs - but notice of a musical volte-face is duly served. It arrived containing the CD, as well as a bonus DVD containing the making of the album, with nice home footage of Will and Allison's house studio and luscious countryside scenery.

Barney Hoskyns of The Observer commented that the duo "have made an album as hummably lovely as it is knowingly referencing of a certain tradition of neo-psychedelic English whimsy. It opens with its most opaque track, Clowns, a misty confection of gently picked acoustic guitar, strings audibly influenced by Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left, twittering birdsong and an almost completely incomprehensible vocal: "Only clowns apley wurgh doh bollergh," she sings, her voice equal parts Kate Bush and Liz Fraser. Each Goldfrapp album is like a different wardrobe to wear and Seventh Tree presents it's own unique weaving of colorful fabrics and cloths. It makes me wonder why others can't put a whole album on one disc like this (and still sound good), as the whole two disc thing is just too much to be bothered with, even if they (Occasionally) bring anything more to the party in terms of sound quality.