Alison Goldfrapp - The Love Invention
- Thread starter Glitterizer
- Start date
It’s fascinating how divisive Tales of Us is. The whole era was definitely the lowest point of my fandom. The album itself is quite pleasant, but the chiaroscuro noir aesthetic she went for felt a bit … unimaginative (to say the least), and coming after Head First it felt like they are phoning-in second era in a row. Also the lack of proper tour and remixes definitely contributed.
They've never completely struck out for me, but Head First is their weakest by a big margin. It's not even truly bad, just bad for them. Their usual standard of aesthetics/worldbuilding is missing to the point it feels like a cash grab or contract fulfillment. (And judging by their lack of enthusiasm for it now, I wonder if that's what it actually was.)
Tales of Us might not be everyone's cup musically, but it had a lot of care put into it including a complete series of short films. I feel lucky that I was able to see them in a cinema when they were new; I remember they were hard to access for a while which could have contributed to that campaign feeling remote/disconnected for a lot of fans.
Tales of Us might not be everyone's cup musically, but it had a lot of care put into it including a complete series of short films. I feel lucky that I was able to see them in a cinema when they were new; I remember they were hard to access for a while which could have contributed to that campaign feeling remote/disconnected for a lot of fans.
Their lack of enthusiasm for Head First was more to do with them having a tight deadline and they always felt that they could have done with a few months to finish it off properly.
he/him
Thea alone makes Tales of Us worth it.
(Having said that, I honestly believe their best album is Seventh Tree or Supernature.)
(Having said that, I honestly believe their best album is Seventh Tree or Supernature.)
Tales of Us and Supernature are my picks. Inside me there are two ‘frapps.
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In terms of artwork their best is forever Black Cherry. So striking and unique
Thea is so fucking good. It's the only Tales of Us song I still use regularly.
Stranger is RIGHT THERE, people
“Thea,” “Clay” and “Drew” nn
I listened to Black Cherry recently and everything still sounds like it could be released today despite coming from an album that's more than 20 years old. I adore all of the weird alien-sounding synths that hum and buzz like they're communicating with the listener, all of the intricate details in each song like the backmasked whispers and breaths in Strict Machine, the manic wailing, the shuffle beats that sound like they're about to collapse. That record was so ahead of its time and the songs just hold up so well. The title track still makes me feel so many emotions and has some of their best lyrics ("all the world in one grain of sand.."). Pair that with some of the best visuals as @Andy French mentioned, and for me it's not only their best album, but a seminal piece of work in electronica.
I don't use that word often, but their body of work seems criminally underrated considering how influential it is. Even a lot of "music people" I meet don't seem to know much about them.
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Top 5 Goldfrapp for me, every listen is a kick in the gut without fail. Simone, Clay, Thea and Laurel are up there as well for sure.
she/they
Black Cherry, Supernature, and Felt Mountain are my Goldfrapp trinity. Excited to hear whatever she's been cooking up.
I used to always say Supernature was my favorite (because of the balance it strikes between the moody/noirish and electro sides of them), but I fear I overplayed it so much when I was younger that I know it far too well and hardly ever feel like putting it on. I still respect it but tend to favor Felt Mountain these days.
Tales of Us is glorious. End of discussion.”Alvar” is incredible. And it was amazing live.
I’m in the minority here but Silver Eye is the one that doesn’t quite do it for me
I’m in the minority here but Silver Eye is the one that doesn’t quite do it for me