Video: Goldfrapp "Rocket"

Goldfrapp are brilliant. The latest evidence:




: They have a new album out this month, but they are not the most effective users of the internet so you wouldn't know that from their official sites like their official blog. Americans can find the Richard X remix of "Rocket" free at amazon. Head First is out March 23.

Video: Goldfrapp "Caravan Girl"

Goldfrapp's latest single is out in the US today. Seventh Tree's last obvious single choice "Caravan Girl" was tipped as "the Song Of Summer" back in February by XO but the tracklisting for the single is so weak that even some of the bands strongest supporters are left to simply yawn. On the bright side the video is rather nice:



: Recently the band have recently done a highly praised session for NPR with Steve Lillywhite that can be streamed here and announced Fall tour dates that include a few stops in the US. Stop by their myspace for details and sample more of Seventh Tree.

Video: Goldfrapp "Happiness"

The second single from Goldfrapp's Seventh Tree is due shortly and the energetic video has been unleashed to the web. Teaming up again with "A&E" director Dougal Wilson the continuous shot video finds Alison in a series of cameos as we focus on a fellow who clearly has too much happiness to contain as he leaps around an increasingly bouncy neighborhood:



: Promotion of Seventh Tree is starting to pick up as Goldfrapp are beginning to tour. They have three US dates scheduled later this month (although if you won't be near Coachella, San Francisco or New York you're out of luck) and are scheduled to play on The Tonight Show on April 22. Stop by their myspace for single details and click here to hear the rejected Rex The Dog mix of "Happiness",

Flashback: Tricky "Pumpkin" (1995)

Tricky's Maxinquaye is not only one of the high water marks of the trip hop movement but one of the most critically praised albums of the 1990s with honors that include ranking as Spin magazine's 2nd favorite album of 1995 and one of Q magazine's 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. Portishead and Massive Attack had defined the genre in the public eye by the time the album was released but Tricky's vision changed the mixture of the genre's formula suggesting a British hip hop as even the album's biggest rock moment, the NIN-esque "Black Steel", is really just re-imagining a Public Enemy song. While some critics would argue it was the production that really grabbed the ear Martina Topley Bird got plenty of press, along with booklet photo appearances, as the sweet voiced female foil to Tricky's mumbling raps many marked her as a future star which played out when she released a 2003 Mercury Prize nominated solo album.
The album's sixth (and final) single is an odd piece of music. A largely unedited sample of The Smashing Pumpkins Gish era song "Suffer" provides the backing track as Tricky does his usual vocal interplay not with Martina as he does on almost every other track on the album but with a young vocalist Orbital had recently discovered yodelling during a performance art piece. This is the music video debut of Alison Goldfrapp:



: Following the success of Maxinquaye Tricky had a fling with Bjork, put in a memorable appearance as Gary Oldman's henchman in The Fifth Element and released four increasingly disappointing albums in four years before bragging about his record deal on the flopped single "For Real" which was his last before he was dropped by the previously indulgent Island. Tricky did stage a comeback with Blowback and is currently involved in a variety of projects including an album that might be released on April 7 2008 although you would hope to see some promotion at this point if that is true.
Alison Goldfrapp went on to ride a white horse and create amazing music with Will Gregory.

Fun Fact: "Suffer" was produced by Butch Vig who would call on Tricky to remix his band Garbage's own trip hop inspired single "Milk" shortly after the release of "Pumpkin".

Video: Goldfrapp "A & E"

What's left to say about the upcoming Goldfrapp single? If you caught the song when it first leaked you already know that it's brilliant and not really like anything else they've done before. If you've missed it then catch up and enjoy the video:



: Seventh Tree is due out at the end of February (no half year delay for the US!) so check out their helpful myspace to hear more from the duo.

2006: Top Albums

Thanks to the miracle that is the internet (and free streaming services) this past year has given me the opportunity to listen to almost as many albums as I did when I was a sub-music director at a college radio station. In spite of the access there were only a few albums that I found myself drawn to time and time again.

1. Pet Shop Boys Fundamental

Returning to the principals of the duo's "imperial period" of the late 80's with producer Trevor Horn Fundamental managed to be my favorite and most listened to album of the year despite it's flaws brought on by the Boys own attempt to create a cohesive album. If they had included the Richard X produced "Fugitive" (on the bonus disc), "The Resurectionist" and "Bright Young Things" (b-sides) we would have a classic PSB disc. Sill it's hard to complain about an album that has "Minimal", "I Made My Excuses And Left" and the chill inducing "Integral".

2. Goldfrapp Supernature

Love is a difficult thing when you're treated badly and my relationship with this album is a complicated one. The music is brilliant as the duo complete their electropop makeover in a style that is unparalleled but the endless lingering in limbo for the belated US release took it's toll and I didn't find myself giving it the attention it deserved. Still tracks like "Ride A White Horse", "Satin Chic" and "Let It Take You" changed me as they left an imprint on my soul and for that I will always be grateful.

3. Tiga Sexor

Arriving at least three years too late for a proper electroclash cash out Tiga's debut album left many puzzled on first few listens. Still I've found myself going back to the album over and over again on my mp3 player as I slowly but surely have found new tracks to obsess over and pick apart. This must be why six of the tracks have outside lives as singles even when he didn't just take the easy way out by compiling his one-off single releases as an album. It doesn't matter if Tiga is taking on Public Enemy on "Pleasure From The Bass", deconstructing NIN on "Down In It" or himself on "Type Of Guy" (which references almost every single song he had recorded before the album) there is plenty of good listening here.

4. Ferry Corsten L.E.F.

Trance star Ferry Corsten proves again that he has more interests than the melodic trance he built his name with as he storms the sub-genres that fall under the electronica umbrella with an unusually strong sense of song craft. The album's profile has been hampered by dodgy single selections like "Junk", which is his 2002 hit "Punk" with a rap over it, but the album has very few missteps and is so strong that Howard Jones sounds good and relevant on his guest track (note: I hate Howard Jones). Corsten calls his music loud, electro and ferocious but "L.E.F.", "Down On Love" and "Into The Dark" explore more complex and ambiguous territory (actually "L.E.F" must be played very loud, is extremely electro and is utterly ferocious but you get my point).

5. Junkie XL Today

The most common complaint about Tom "Junkie XL" Holkenborg is that he simply copies the style of others and he overcomes that here exploring a rock-ish style of trance that he has been developing as a remixer over the past few years on an album that also delivers strong straightforward vocal songs. Fortunately it's much better than it should be and far more complex than I can properly describe as the album conjures atmospheric post-punk like The Cure but in a more electronic way. "Today", "Youthful" and "Yesterdays" are as good as it gets from rock-friendly electronica.

There are other albums that could be contenders which haven't connected with me completely yet. Junior Boys So This Is Goodbye is a truly solid album and Hot Chip's The Warning has many fantastic tracks but I rarely find myself listening to them like I do with the albums that made the cut.

Lightning Round

This past week has seen more news and newly released songs than I've had time to blog about so here is what's caught my attention.

• Goldfrapp: Announced an US exclusive remix album will be out in October. Perhaps this is another limp attempt by Mute US to make up for it's utter failure to promote Goldfrapp or even digitally release any of the "Supernature" singles apart from the teaser "No 1" ep but I find it telling that if you do a google news search that you find that the vast majority of the press coverage of the "We Are Glitter" announcement is in UK publications. Only a couple of American news sources have picked up on it because no one knows why they should care. You're doing a great job Mute! While we're talking stupid promotion, do the handlers of Goldfrapp's myspace know that if you post a blog everyone can read it? Why are they sending bulletins about new singles, remix albums and tour dates but not letting the more casual fans who haven't made the band their "friend" know?
  
  
• Dangerous Muse: There's a new song "Give Me Danger" that can be streamed on their myspace that expands ever so slightly on the subdued synthpop pallet they've established with their previous three songs. They've got my attention and I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the EP the song features on when it's released at the end of the month. Listen for a high-pitched synth that almost exactly echoes the main riff of Depeche Mode's "New Life" at 3:08.
  
  
• Scissor Sisters: "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" has hit the blog world like a hurricane this past week as every upbeat song about feeling down should. The chorus is great and it's hard to believe that a song more 70's anything released in 70's comes from a band that has roots in the electroclash scene. Go figure. I'd post a link to the video but if you look for it on youtube you will discover that it was "removed at the request of copyright owner RIAA". Who will the record company blame when "Ta-Dah" flops in the US? Not their legal department that is putting the kabosh on fans promoting a new single that might create some buzz for a band just outside the mainstream's radar. Perhaps listening to the 1:12 sample of the song available on the official myspace will get people interested.
  
  
• Luke Haines: I thought I was ahead of the curve when I discovered that the former Auteur and Block Box Recorder had a new track produced by Richard X only to find that XO beat me to it by several days. "Off My Rocker At The Art School" is a bit by the numbers for a Richard X production but the lyrics are a daft which is a good thing. Stream it at Luke Haines myspace and while you're there check out his work with The Auteurs and their song "Lenny Valentino" which is one of my favorites of the mid-90's.
  
  
• Client: They recently revamped their myspace with some stunning new photos that demonstrate new dimensions to their distinct looks and play up the band's newly added third members alternate career as a model. Their blog links to video of them performing live in Mexico which makes for a fascinating watch if only to see one of the show's hosts wearing a Joy Division shirt. More importantly they've added their fantastic single "Rock And Roll Machine" from their first album as a free download.

Slow Motion Career Suicide

I love Goldfrapp, but I think their management/record company is insane. Mute US delayed the US release of "Supernature" for half a year so "the band could tour and promote" the album properly in North America but over a month after the album's delayed release there have only been two US dates and one tv appearance. Earlier this week I received an email from ticketmaster bot that is supposed to notify me about any Goldfrapp tickets going on sale which they were about to at 10 that morning. Some of the mystery was cleared up by this recent myspace bulletin:

we are very sneakily activitating ticketmaster for the yet to be announced dates in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. Will try to be sneaky with the upcoming East Coast visits as well. Stay tuned m'deers!!

: Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they are finally doing some live US dates, but isn't the point of promoting a band to get people to know about the concert?

Supernature

Regular readers of this blog no doubt realize that I'm quite excited about Goldfrapp and that I had been looking forward to the release of their "Supernature" album which is out today. Stream it for yourself this week at this site.

All This Running Around

Depeche Mode just announced the tracklisting of their next single "A Pain That I'm Used To" and in the process united a number of my current obsessions:

01. A Pain That I’m Used To (Jacques Lu Cont Remix) [7:51]
02. A Pain That I’m Used To (Jacques Lu Cont Dub) [8:00]
03. A Pain That I’m Used To (Goldfrapp Remix) [4:39]
04. A Pain That I’m Used To (Bitstream Spansule Mix) [7:22]
05. A Pain That I’m Used To (Telex Remix) [3:28]

: I think the song is horrible choice as a single because it works within the context of the album by setting a tone but the track doesn’t really go anywhere. As a standalone track it’s doomed to flop when it comes to radio and with anyone outside the hardcore DM fans. Still, they’ve pulled together an amazing set of remixers, including the ubiquitous Stuart Price in his Jacques Lu Cont persona, who might take the song in interesting directions (although his LRD album and "Playing The Angel" feature songs called "Damaged People" so that might have been a better song to take on) and apparently following the precedent set by “Precious” are not including an album version or radio edit of the song on a standard format of the single. It might find some takers.

All Night Operator

Goldfrapp's latest single "Number 1" ranks a respectable 9th on the UK's single chart this past week, but the real surprise is how much fuss Alison has stirred up with some straight talk when asked about Madonna:

"She's always got her eye on what everyone's doing and she's always nabbing people, the latest DJ or whatever, to get them to put their thing on her thing, you know."

The singer continued her outburst by suggesting that Madonna lacks creativity. "I think it's quite clever, but I don't know if that's creative," she said.

: Nothing controversial there to my ears; just a highlight to the different approaches to music.

Goldfrapp just teased the US with the "Number 1" EP which is something of a digest of their last two UK singles and announced a one-off live date in NYC. However, Mute has once again pushed back the US release of "Supernature" even further until March 2006. The rest of the world had the album in August! Why a record company would treat fans of a band with a cult following like this in this day and age of instant on demand internet access to music is beyond me.
Stranger yet is the report of one amazon.com customer that claims Mute is blocking all orders of "Supernature" as an import. It is odd that the album is not listed on the number one consumer site on the web unless you visit the co.uk version of the site. Maybe there is something to it...

Twist

Sad news for US fans of Goldfrapp:

As part of the global strategy to launch and break the highly anticipated forthcoming album by GOLDFRAPP--the U.K.'s finest electronic pop alchemists--Mute US will now release Supernature in February 2006 to accommodate the overwhelming demands of the international marketplace.

The UK and Europe--where demand for GOLDFRAPP is extremely high, both on the promotional and touring side--will release the album on August 22, 2005. European tour dates begin this summer with festival dates and continue into the fall with club dates. The duo--Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory--are already in the midst of a very extensive European promotional trip.

Because of the demand for GOLDFRAPP in the UK and Europe, Mute U.S. will release the album in the New Year to take advantage of the increased visibility and flexibility in the band's schedule. This scenario allows them to be in America to coincide with Mute's U.S release date in February.

Through pioneering electronics, crystalline vocals, visual theatrics and dark-sex decadence, GOLDFRAPP have moved through the ambient shadows into the technicolor dream that is the hallmark of classic British pop music.

Supernature follows their Mercury Prize-nominated debut release Felt Mountain (2000) and second album Black Cherry (2003), which received one rave review after another in the American press including four-star accolades from Rolling Stone and Blender. The new album is the sound of GOLDFRAPP breaking through their own crash barrier--a strident, psychedelic, 100% uncompromising creative force at the top of their very own game. Alison says Supernature is “…an über world of sound and hybrid creatures. It’s a place to take part in fortnightly disco séances, where people dance with spirits and howl like beasts of the forest wearing lycra and stilettos.”

: While it's fantastic that Goldfrapp will be making out to the US to actually promote their music I don't want to wait another half a year to buy the album.