GOLDFRAPP - Felt Mountain

Goldfrapp are Alison Goldfrapp, a former collaborator with Tricky and Orbital, and Will Gregory, and they’ve just released a brilliant first album. Children of John Barry, Ennio Morricone and 60’s French pop, they play with melodies and orchestrations like others with buckets and spades.
Goldfrapp create a very atmospheric soundtrack with Felt Mountain. From Lovely Head, the opener, the listener is transported into their bittersweet pop song universe. More Portishead than Saint Etienne, the pop aspect is only a pretext here. At times introvert and dark, at others luminous, the songs from Felt Mountain could be taken from the soundtrack of a long lost James Bond movie. Goldfrapp charm, scare, fascinate, create an ever-changing impression. Alison is schizophrenic… at least in her singing. Sometimes sounding like a young Shirley Bassey (Utopia), she becomes Françoise Hardy in no time (Paper Bag). The voice is intense, soulful, the lyrics organic (“No time to fuck, but you like the rush, Where would we, Be without sums” – Paper Bag), or cynical (“My dog needs new ears, Make his eyes see forever, Make him live like me” – Utopia).
Goldfrapp might be new kids in town, but you will hear from them again no doubt… Felt Mountain is going to be big… a landmark album!