I've more or less followed along with Goldfrapp from the very start - "Lovely Head", "Human" and, especially, "Utopia" on the radio and then the majesty of Felt Mountain (released terrifyingly long ago, back in 2000 - but which figures, seeing as I remember walking around during first year, listening to it on my discman - or was it still a walkman at that stage? Surely not.). Later, the startling and brilliant left turn of stomping Black Cherry (2003) and dramatic Supernature (2005) - a twinned pair of elegant, vivid, electro-pop records followed by the drifting, cresting swirl of Seventh Tree in 2008, itself another sharp change of direction (and, with the benefit of the passage of time, every bit the equal of the three that came before it), before the relative misstep of 2010's Head First. And, of course, many associations built up along the way...
And now, Tales of Us - for mine, not from the top shelf of Goldfrapp albums, but still quite the rabbit for them to have pulled out of the hat at this stage in their career, 13 years and six lps in. It certainly most harks back to Seventh Tree and Felt Mountain, and is quieter than either, being built almost exclusively on folkish acoustic guitar, generally understated strings, and Alison Goldfrapp's ever captivating breathy soprano. Only a handful of individual songs stand out - "Annabel", "Drew", "Clay" - but the whole passes in such a dreamy cloud that the tendency towards indistinctness doesn't really matter. Who knows how long Goldfrapp can keep on going, creating records this good, but I only hope it's for a long while yet.
And now, Tales of Us - for mine, not from the top shelf of Goldfrapp albums, but still quite the rabbit for them to have pulled out of the hat at this stage in their career, 13 years and six lps in. It certainly most harks back to Seventh Tree and Felt Mountain, and is quieter than either, being built almost exclusively on folkish acoustic guitar, generally understated strings, and Alison Goldfrapp's ever captivating breathy soprano. Only a handful of individual songs stand out - "Annabel", "Drew", "Clay" - but the whole passes in such a dreamy cloud that the tendency towards indistinctness doesn't really matter. Who knows how long Goldfrapp can keep on going, creating records this good, but I only hope it's for a long while yet.
