Seventh Tree

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Road To Somewhere' as opposed to Road To Nowhere talks about a relationship wandering aimlessly and ponders if it is not too late to bring it back on track. So how could a group that's already established success with slow, lush ballads-- think 2000's "Pilots", 2003's "Forever", or 2005's "You Never Know"-- release an album filled with a whole bunch of uncompelling attempts at them? 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. The successor to two collections of camply sexualised, glam-influenced electro-pop, Seventh Tree represents a dramatic rethink: out go the stomping glitter beats and whip-crack synthesisers, in comes "psychedelic folk".

The album then slows down with a set of sadder, slower pieces that talk about loneliness and despair about broken relationships. 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.Opener, Clowns, captures both the eerie stillness and magic of nature, which counterpoints the subject matter of breast implants and surveillance magnificently. When you've appeared on stage playing a theremin with your crotch while dressed as a kind of besequinned Nazi air hostess, as Goldfrapp did after the release of 2005's Supernature, you could reasonably argue that you've explored the possibilities of camply sexualised glam-influenced electro-pop pretty thoroughly.

The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.In a mixed review, Rolling Stone 's Christian Hoard felt that the "slow pace can be a snooze", but wrote that the album "still makes for good post-party chill-out music". After spending years on the dancefloor with Black Cherry and Supernature, Goldfrapp take a breather with Seventh Tree.

They don't come much more well-worn than pilfering the slippery funk and cinematic strings of Serge Gainsbourg's Melody Nelson, yet Cologne Cerrone Houdini is a delight: a slow, sensual drift of a song, further enlivened by Goldfrapp's intriguing decision to sink zer verses in a Cherman accent. 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 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.If Supernature was the slightly hardcore night before, then Seventh Tree is the post-coital, pre-shower (late) morning after.