Supernature

by

Goldfrapp

Edit

Um, DAMN. I really enjoyed Goldfrapp's 1st album, Felt Mountain, which was ballsy in its baroque string arrangements, Alison's Shirley Bassey delivery, and its utter lack of caring whether or not it could be danced to. This is MUCH less innovative. So why do I love it so? It's one of the few albums in my entire collection that I could easily put on at a party and not ONE person would hate it, or want to change the disc. The last time that happened was probably Blowback by Alison's old friend Tricky. Anyone who buys a lot of electronic music knows this dilemma--YOU know how cool the album you just bought is, but people less cool than you think it sounds like Depeche Mode on ketamine. With Supernature, bliss will abound.

This is certainly one of the poppiest things I own, and yet also a satisfying, joyous, sexy listen, with NO WEAK TRACKS. The videos on the DVD are utterly worth it; Alison has developed an amazing stage presence and a totally playful and ironic way to project her sexuality. She's a dreamy and somewhat geeky sex symbol for smart boys. If you're straight, male, and have an IQ over 120, you WILL SWOON. You have been warned.

Perfect for fans of any form of contemporary or retro electronic music, provided their sense of fun outweighs the degree to which they take anything seriously. This is the sexiest, most debauched thing I've bought in, well, EVER.

I was blown away when I first heard Felt Mountain, and tracked down all the Goldfrapp disks I could find. Felt Mountain's amazing, surprising, and adventurous: each of the songs is totally different, and much more psychedelic than more traditional electropop. The sound, and the skill used in putting together the instrumental tracks on that album, are superb. The string arrangements on Felt Mountain are great, too. Black Cherry was a little more industrial-sounding, but still had great, funny vocals and lyrics, and the songs weren't all homogenous as they are on this one. Supernature is bland and safe. I've listened to this a bunch of times through expecting to suddenly be blown away, and it just hasn't happened. I had such high hopes after hearing Felt Mountain, and it's a shame that she seems to have gone the way of safe mainstream corporate industrial electropop.