Countryside Manner
Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Justin Kleinfeld
With Seventh Tree, Goldfrapp's Will Gregory and Alison Goldfrapp change the landscape for a more expansive yet introspective sound
With the release of 2005's Grammy Award—nominated Supernature, UK electronic pop duo Goldfrapp hit the big time. The album's highly danceable and catchy tracks were heard in numerous television advertisements (most notably Motorola, Target and Verizon), television programs and films, thus cementing them a massive new level of fame and exposure. However, longtime Goldfrapp fans would have probably never seen that coming despite a distinct evolution in sound over the years. Goldfrapp's 2000 Mercury Prize—nominated debut album Felt Mountain (the first of four albums on Mute Records) matches Will Gregory's cinematic backing tracks with Alison Goldfrapp's unique and sometimes bizarre vocal style and is already considered a classic. The album was mysterious, shy and cold, which largely reflected Alison's own personality. 2003's Black Cherry was Alison's own way of opening up artistically, and the music was far more cabaret and accessible when compared to the dark and depressive Felt Mountain. As the fan base continued to expand, Goldfrapp's supporters were still deeply rooted in the underground.
But while Supernature (2005) was packed with smash hits (“Ooh La La,” “Fly Me Away” and “Ride a White Horse”) and came across more like Madonna-meets-Cerrone in their prime, the newfound attention and constant touring brought on another change for Goldfrapp as the time came to record their fourth album, Seventh Tree (2008).
The uptempo glitz and glamour of Supernature is replaced with a sound that harkens back to the delicate style of Felt Mountain. While some would consider it risky to tinker with a winning formula, it's important to realize that Goldfrapp has always been about the art front and center — fame is an afterthought. “I think it's unhealthy to be aware of yourself,” Alison Goldfrapp says. “Neither of us is interested in the fame side of it or the kind of attention that feels pretty shallow and a bit unhealthy in some ways. We've managed to avoid that, and we aren't tabloid fodder or anything like that. Being on tour has made me appreciate home and what home means. It's about enjoying the simple things in life.”
After the whirlwind of success that accompanied Supernature, Goldfrapp and Gregory both agreed that a change was necessary. In fact, the earliest writing for Seventh Tree was done while in the midst of the Supernature tour. “You know, after being surrounded by this hugely successful record for such a long time and being recognized in a way that was far more intense than previous records, our heads were about to pop,” Gregory says. “We thought it would be nice to explore a larger and less intense musical space, and that was our frame of mind from the earliest songwriting on this album.” The resulting record comes across as far more psychedelic than past releases, and Alison Goldfrapp describes it as “a combination of the naive English folksiness with a bit of horror and Californian sunshine thrown in.”
STRINGS AND A FLOOD OF IDEAS
As with past releases, much of the writing and production on Seventh Tree took place at Goldfrapp's countryside studio near Somerset, England. The—beautiful studio setting and sense of country isolationism squashes most distractions that often come with fame and enables Goldfrapp and Gregory to work with clear minds. Each of the tracks on Seventh Tree start with a process that the duo considers a “jam session.” Unlike a traditional rock band jam session, however, Goldfrapp's version of this concept includes any idea or influence that gets the creative juices going. “There's no formula at all to the starting point of any track, and it's like a sketch where over time the picture becomes clearer,” Goldfrapp says. “Sometimes I'll have a little melody idea, but quite often it starts from musical jamming or sounds that we particularly like. Sometimes it could even be us talking about a concept, idea or atmosphere. Sometimes a film has an atmosphere that we like, and it becomes part of the inspiration for a song.”
This multidimensional approach to the formation of Seventh Tree is exemplified by the title and subject matter of each song. While most songs center on the concept of “going nowhere,” it's far more complicated. The standout track “Cologne Cerrone Houdini” features a wonderful Shirley Bassey quality. It's interesting to note that this track marks yet another reference to French disco legend Cerrone (Supernature is also the name of a classic Cerrone album), but Goldfrapp's explanation of the title is more of a random coincidence than another tribute. “We were jamming, and the word ‘Cerrone’ just came out of my mouth,” she says. “Subconsciously, maybe I was thinking of Cerrone, but it wasn't something in the front and center of my mind. The ‘Houdini’ part came because I was reading a book about him and the whole idea of escapism. I used this as a metaphoric idea about an ex-boyfriend who tried to escape from as many situations as possible.”
Unlike the recording of Goldfrapp's previous three albums, Seventh Tree features several collaborators that were integral to the jamming process. One of the biggest additions to the Goldfrapp team came in the way of a collaboration with respected UK post-punk/alternative-rock producer Flood (aka Mark Ellis). In his career, Flood has either produced or engineered classic albums from the likes of New Order, U2, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode and Smashing Pumpkins. He entered the picture after most of the album material was written and exited before the mixing process began, but Gregory felt his presence: “Flood is a great exponent of the analog sequencer, and he got me into the headspace of standing in front of a modular synth with a fistful of minijacks and jumping in there. I learned a lot about having patience with patch leads and putting something together in that old-fashioned production way. The modular bleep-y sounds you hear in the track ‘Happiness’ was all Flood's doing.”
“Even if they don't do anything, it's nice to have someone else in there to help you with the music,” Goldfrapp adds. “Even if you don't agree with what they say, it helps you to form your own idea. It helped to have Flood around to bounce ideas off. Flood helped us whip our own asses, really. It can be something technical or him just sitting there staring at us. [Laughs.]”
Another key contribution on Seventh Tree came via the use of session guitar players, a choir (featured on “Happiness,” “Caravan Girl” and “Eat Yourself”) and a full string section. “On Felt Mountain, we had a budget for just one violin,” Gregory says, “and then on Black Cherry, we used four violinists, and it took them one day to play all the parts. For Supernature and Seventh Tree, we had a proper string orchestra with 30 pieces and recorded in Abbey Road. This was exciting because we sampled a sound that's great for big dramatic sweeping string writing. We always loved sweeping strings, and from great disco records to soundtracks, it's always been an influence and a great way to get wide-screen—instantly. Nobody has been able to figure out any program that replaces the sound of a real string orchestra.”
Also of note was harp player Ruth Wall, who brought in a steel-strung harp (designed in the 1600s), which was sampled on the track “Road to Somewhere.” “If you get an inspiring sound, it could really help write something,” Gregory says. Ruth came in with her lovely Celtic harp, and it had a very medieval, simple sound to it. We probably wrote three songs with that sound in mind just as an atmosphere. Sounds can be really great for initiating ideas and getting your juices going.”
Goldfrapp herself was pleasantly thrown for a loop by the harp: “I was expecting to hear more of an innocent sound come from the harp, but instead it came across twangy and nasty, much like a sitar. The sound was one of the more inspiring moments I can remember from the jamming.”
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