Goldfrapp "Felt Mountain" Mute Corporation 9135-2 2000 (39:32)
Lovely Head (3:49)
Paper Bag (4:05)
Human (4:36)
Pilots (4:29)
Deer Stop (4:06)
Felt Mountain (4:17)
Oompa Radar (4:42)
Utopia (4:18)
Horse Tears (5:10)
Alison Goldfrapp has contributed vocals to Tricky and Orbital albums and now, with film composer Will Gregory, makes her debut as Goldfrapp . "Felt Mountain" strikes a dreamy balance between smoky jazz, film noir and modern electronic weirdness. Alison's slow and sultry vocals (including some whistling and pseudo yodeling) harken back to the classic jazz vocalists of the first half of this century and are undoubtedly the focal point. Her words are enveloped in layers of sweeping string arrangements, bass guitar by Adrian Utley of Portishead on several songs and odd synth and percussion sounds, fragments and melodies. Thankfully the influence of film score is greater than that of trip hop ... the sort of slinky, sexy tunes you'd hear during the opening and closing credits of a James Bond film. I'm especially enamored with the molasses like flow of "Pilots" and the electro pulse of "Utopia". "Deer Stop" achieves a Beth Gibbons style whine via vocal styling and effects. "Felt Mountain" and "Oompa Radar" (Oompas presumably as in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"?) are both with vocals but no lyrics, the latter with goofy waltz passages. These 3 tracks I've just mentioned and "Horse Tears" are a little bit sparse and disappointing in comparison to the first 4 and "Utopia". Regardless, it's a fine debut for what should become a very promising solo career. A single for "Utopia" is due out later this year ...
Where did I get this cd? - a local Best Buy.