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.
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