Seventh Tree

This is the dreamy kind of music that sounds pleasant while it's playing, but it doesn't really go anywhere and you forget what each song sounded like as soon as it's ended.

Pleasant but very samey. I've listened to it multiple times, and though the sound is nicely atmospheric, i am not really drawn to any track in particular.

Of the albums I’m listening to for the first time on this list, this might be the best so far. I had only really known Goldfrapp from ‘Ooh La La’ being in commercials in the 2000s. This was fairly different from what I would have expected given what I knew of her (and upon listening to some of their other top songs, this was a different direction for them). I was so surprised though on this that every song hit. I was expecting eventually there was one that didn’t work but right up until the end it was still working. This album is going to stay in the rotation.

Reminds me of Cocteau Twins and I'm a big fan of this genre in general. Dreamy, chill.. a great album to listen to on a cold and rainy Saturday morning. "Happiness" was beautiful. One of the best new songs I've found through this so far (300 albums in, time flies dude!)

Pleasant. Mild. Nice. Pretty. Wears a cardigan and hides behind fringes.

Matched my drive to work: Sunny and chill.

Goldfrapp’s airy voice just doesn’t do it for me

What a boring album. It was only 45 minutes, but half way through I thought to myself it needed to be over. It was not. The lyrics remind me of indie music, but there is more electronica to the music. Uninspiring and unmemorable.

dejligt

A very interesting album. It has a vaguely ethereal feeling to all the songs, many of which have honestly fairly depressing themes. That being said, all the songs in the album were great to listen to, if you happen to be in the right mood for this sort of music. Standouts in the album for me are "Happiness" and "A&E", both of which hit very good instrumental and lyrical themes that honestly keep you paying attention to the music.

A dreamy sound and a departure from the future electronica sound Goldfrapp usually bring, Alison’s vocals soar over lush arrangements. Occasionally straying into CocoRosie territory but nevertheless still a perfectly relaxing album.

I really liked the first track, but everything after that turned into a blur of songs that I could not separate out, and that left no lasting impression of anything. Perfectly fine for background music, but don't expect to remember that you had it on.

Great voice and occasional glimpses of beauty but otherwise very bland and forgettable - a marked departure from earlier Goldfrapp records

BORING!!!!! Who decides this is one of the 1001 albums I must hear before I die? Only a second star cause the girl on the cover looks like Goldie Hawn

Another case where I do not understand what this album has of extraordinary.

Really, really dull. It's kinda pleasant in small doses I guess but this kind of music isn't really my thing. There was one song that stuck out (Happiness? I don't even care enough to look it up) that was pretty good and stood out but this was a "it's just there" album. Ultimately I have no clue why it was included, but I can see some people really liking it

What a strange suggestion. Given that I'm not even sure to include *Felt Mountain*, Goldfrapp's debut, in my own list, I have a lot of trouble considering this later album of theirs seriously. *Felt Mountain* was already a patchy effort, some great moments mixed with quite a few snoozefests, especially those dreary instrumentals on side two. *Seventh Tree* is more cohesive in comparison, it's true. But replacing valleys and peaks with flatlands does not necessarily mean your band has improved overall. Besides, I've always found this project quite opportunistic, as great a vocalist as Alisson Godfrapp is. *Felt Mountain* was already like an afterthought of the trip-hop wave, never really reaching the heights of a Portishead in its neo-noir aesthetics. It was too late AND not enough. The 180-degree turn towards dance music in the following LPs also looked suspicious, like a money grab. And the quieter, smoother *Seventh Tree* released after this dance music period tried a little too hard to capitalize on a glossy version of the psychedelic wave that was surging again by the late naughts. A lot of acoustic textures, especially on the first side, allowed the band to do so while keeping their cool. But those textures, as nice as they are, can't make up for what's missing in this record... And what's missing in it? Well, memorable songs, for starters--or at least more than a couple of them. Striking melodies and unforgettable harmonies... And along with that: clear intents, a strong identity, genuine risks, heartfelt or witty lyrics... Pandering to the trends of the day doesn't necessarily give you those types of assets. I have nothing against "followers" (some of them did write essential albums once in a while), but for those, the songwriting needs to be top-notch. And well, said songwriting is just *OK* here. "Clowns" is the understated opening statement that's to be expected in that sort of *quote-unquote*, "more-authentic-album-aimed-at-a-more-mature-audience". "Little Bird" is the missing link between the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" and Beach House's "Zebra" or "Silver Soul"... but sadly, it is doomed to remain a passing footnote whenever someone has to mention those other legendary songs. "Happiness" seems to recycle the lessons of Feist's hits "My Moon, My Man" and "1234", released the year before, but without anything approaching (or even approximating) the soaring hooks and emotional choruses of the latter, unfortunately. Less lively but equally tedious--in spite of an interesting lo-fi guitar sound and the Billie Holiday overtones in its introduction--"Road to Somewhere" leads to nowhere fast. And "Eat Yourself" applies its piece of advice so well that the song instantly fades out of your memory as soon as it is over. Up to this point, only "Some People" does have anything ressembling a proper chorus, even though it's still lacking something that would bring the song to yet another level. Don't get me wrong, Goldfrapp doesn't write and perform bad music per se, and more power to you if you can appreciate what they do. It's just that "decent" is not the sort of thing that can keep you awake at night, is it? A couple of more straightforward songs towards the very end of this album--incidentally leaving aside the acoustic-psychedelic flourishes so prevalent in the rest of the tracks--show that Goldfrapp could still be a little more convincing when their heart was into it. The problem is that before those two tracks, the pop-rock diamond-in-the-rough "Caravan Girl", and the part-angsty, part-dreamy "Monster Love" (sounding like a proto-Lana Del Rey torch song about Hollywood and its many dangers), you also have the chatty MOR FM borefest "A&E", along with that very awkward "Cologne Cerrone Houdini". In those two other unfortunate cuts, Godfrapp even commits the crime of confusing style with substance, either through their excessive reliance in pop's hackneyed formulae for the first example, or through their heavy-handed borrowing of Serge Gainsbourg/Andrew Loog Oldham-like strings to painstakingly try to disguise how vacuous the second song actually is. To put it in a nutshell, successes and duds even things out at the end of this LP. And before that, there's nothing too lively happening anyway, in one direction or another. So if you wish to single out genuinely *essential records*, I'm not sure this innocuous LP filled with a lot of forcibly understated / *actually very naive* cuts--well-suited to be played as background music in a Starbucks--is what you're really looking for. Your call. 2/5 for the purposes of this list. Which translates to a 7/10 grade for more general purposes (5+2). Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 512 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 232 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 113 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 142 (including this one)

Would make great background music for a cottagecore instagram post

Beautiful album. Sat listening on a soggy February day and it took me to a warm sunny summer's afternoon.

Bra greier, dette blir med videre.

I did not expect this gorgeous melodic treat. I loved this album. Added, with pleasure.

Smooth sound. Pleasantly surprised.

Awesome!

beautiful!

Great album!

Should’ve listen to it a long time ago

Amazing!

Why was this so good I really liked it

Oh boy. They're so much fun.

I think I really enjoyed this sort of folksy 2000s stuff. I know that this was a departure, but I would hazard a guess that it was a departure in the correct direction.

Beautiful album, played this on repeat when it came out, and I was delighted to see it appear for me today. A detour from the previous two synth pop albums, and an expansion of the sound. If you like this, try 2017's Tales Of Us.

beautiful

Loved this one very unusual. Clow is such a great song.

Seven out of five trees agree, this is Gold(frapp)

Ahh, so dreamy. Fave tracks, Little Bird, A&E, Cologne Cerrone Houdini, and Caravan Girl

9/10 wonderful production absolutely loved the creativity here

Love this sound, so beautiful and varied and great

Astonishingly good. From earthy pagan psychedelia to glacial disco via pure pop. I don't know how they did it but they did. Outstanding.

Used to listen to this album regularly. Excited to get back into it. 5/5

Nice and calm, just the way I like it

As heart warming lo-fi goes, its one of the best. Tight too

Awesome album, I thought this was great, it really surprised me. The kind of albums I’m doing this challenge to find! The first track was just absolutely incredible and set the tone for the whole thing.

outstanding

Wonderful album I would have never found on my own. Reflective and poignant, chill but meaningful. Great album

Un excelente disco de música "alternativa" liderado por una voz femenina. En mi opinión, este LP de Goldfrapp se adelantó bastante a las tendencias sonoras que dominaron los tabloides mainstream e indie, pudiendo incluso considerarse como un precursor del ya característico sonido de la segunda década de los 2000s. Muy recomendado, me enamoré del proyecto con este trabajo.

Es un disco que me gustó mucho, crea una atmósfera particular, relajada. También me inspiró a componer.

Based on other reviews, I was expecting a dreary, almost ambient affair, but Seventh Tree really surprised me. It’s a gorgeous sounding, often folky affair with often great lyrics often full of bits of great observation. It may have been enhanced by the setting. I listened to this on a walk along a windy beach front, checking the windows of the shops and hotels for help wanted signs. I’ve recently moved house, and am looking for a job, and so the melancholy existentialism fit my mood and the setting perfectly. But I’m otherwise a sucker for this sort of depressing dreamy Folk Pop, I think I’d have enjoyed this regardless of my circumstances. I will 100% come back to this, so I’m tempted to give it a five, cos I’m sure I’ll fall more in love with it. Screw it, listening to Caravan Girl again clinched it for me

yaaaass #bellasara #rhiannonneedshertroughcleanedout!

She's one to pick songs for my playlist. Check the lyrics for below. 5/5 A&E Eat yourself. Some People Monster Love Little Bird (listen to it again).

I remember this name from the radio days but never really listened to them. Clowns is a really beautiful acoustic guitar tracked backed by these beautiful strings and what seems to be bird song towards the end. I feel like the band "Jockstrap" must be heavily influenced by this duo (being of similar makeup and aesthetic blending of the acoustic/organic with the electronic). "Little Bird" takes a much trippier approach. Happiness and Road to Somewhere are quite beautiful additions. Maybe it's due to just listening to portishead, but this feels like the flip side of the same coin. Trippy, electronic and organic instrumentations, but a little brighter. I can go on about Cologne Cerrone Houdini's great beat and beautiful strings or Eat Yourself's haunting vocals or caravan girls explosive ending synth arpeggios but just go and listen. This album's content is weirdly not in the list of their most popular songs except "A&E" which makes sense to me just being so vibrant and deeply emotional feeling. It's been a long time since I've immediately felt an album this way so 5 stars for that alone. Signing up for this website was worth it for an experience like this alone.

I very much enjoyed Goldfrapp’s Felt Mountain. This had a different feel but if anything I enjoyed it more! Just an really excellent album that was a pleasure to hear.

An absolute breath of fresh air. Really nice!

That was really nice to listen to!

Another delightful album from Goldfrapp! I love them. A happy day.

So pleased this featured on my list - an absolute peach of an album! I'd associated Goldfrappe with the 'Oooh la la' track and discounted them for so long on that basis, then this album came along. Changed my mind forever. Beautiful.

How have I never heard of this before?! This should have been all over the place during college! I don’t know if this is because of getting two 1-star albums in a row or a testament to how good this is (probably a combination of both), but this really vibed with me. One of the best discoveries of this project for me so far.

As a long-time Goldfrapp fan, it feels unfair to the other bands when I rate this. Nevertheless, very good album. You definitely need to be in a specific mood for it, but the first 10 seconds of the first song already put me in it.

Just like the accompanying video, the music ebbs and flows, dappled in sunshine and shadow. It's warm, evocative, tender and moving. The wispy vocals, hazy production and shimmering arrangements sparkle. A flawless, perfectly gorgeous album. This is now on my vinyl want list!

Made me sad. This is the kind of music I’d like to make, only…shit voice. 🙁

Loved this! I knew of Goldfrapp but never really took much notice. Great vocals, lovely, airy music and fine melodies. Definitely worth more listening time!

Great production and nice sound but generally pretty down tempo. 7/10

7/10. Some really enjoyable stuff, but the vibe was a bit too mopey for my taste. I liked the other Goldfrapp music that Spotify started shuffling after I finished though.

7/10 nice dreamy pop music but it kinda put me to sleep at times

Really good. Plenty of variety, unpredictable changes and interesting from start to finish.

Not what I was expecting

Never heard it before but really enjoyable.

A 4 as you like some of their other albums more. Good stuff though

Nice album to listen to. I've never heard of this group and I enjoyed hearing them. I can see myself listening again.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Clowns, Happiness, Road to somewhere

A classic

At first I wasn't into this album, but then Happiness came on

4.25

Jeg likte denne. Fikk litt hipp A.kraus-vibber. legger denne i biblioteket av album jeg skal høre mer på.

Not like their others, same quality.

Creo que el rocksito de estos tiempos no se explicaría sin Goldfrapp. Debo reconocer que en su momento nunca me llamó porque era demasiado tranquilo para mi gusto. Hoy con más paciencia y apertura encuentro muchas cosas positivas y aunque sigue siendo a ratos demasiado lento y atmosférico, cuando pisan el acelerador se escuchan muy, muy bien. Hapiness y Caravan Girl fueron las que más me gustaron.

I liked this album when it came out despite it being a bit left-field compared to previous Goldfrapp records. Listening now, I still enjoy the high pop elements but occasionally it does swoop into bland territory, albeit perfectly fine and well produced musical wallpaper. Happiness and A&E are great songs.

Listened Before? N This was actually great! A little weird at first but they have a unique sound and I love it. Added to Library? N Song added to Playlist: A&E

Muy chulo. Más melódico que el disco que conocía

I like this a lot. Great melodies that are just unexpected enough to be constantly interesting yet still completely accessible. "Happiness" is a particular favourite - I love the classic-pop progression combined with electronics; fantastic. If you'd told me "Road to Somewhere" or "Monster Love" was Kate Bush I wouldn't have batted an eye. The album drags just a bit in parts - each song in isolation is quite good, but the album suffers a little from too many similarly slow-paced songs. Pacing could have been a bit better overall, but in sum I really enjoyed this - nothing necessarily chill-inducing but I'll listen to this again. 7/10 4 stars

Very pretty, can hear lots of Alpine

Cool vibes but less engaging energy than I was hoping for. Closer to Joni Mitchell than Bjork. Nice enough but could have done with an electro banger or two to make me sit up and take notice.

i fell asleep to this album but in a good way

No está mal. Algo popi

Sounds like a mix of the Cocteau Twins and Kate Bush. No worse for that.

Got some Joni Mitchel vibes from the opening track. Not sure what she's talking about though - hard to decipher, but the song's called "clowns" and I heard the word "titties," so I'm guessing this is some condemnation on cosmetic surgery and fake appearances - which I can dig. Or maybe I'm totally wrong. Very nice song though. The next two remind me of Electric Light Orchestra, especially in the case of "Happiness" sounding like "Mr. Blue Sky." This album is growing on me, which I did not expect. Next the album strolls into Pink Floyd "Dark Side" territory before really settling in its own thing for the final few tracks. I will definitely come back to this album from time to time. Good stuff!

first listen a lovely album

Nice and dreamy, whimsical. Makes me curious about this band, which I've been aware of but have not listened to much.

i only knew goldfrapp's music from supernature. this album was a complete departure! and i like it. it's serene. actually, it's surprisingly serene considering the variety of topics goldfrapp covers on this album. it's a nice easy listen, almost like you don't have to pay attention to the lyrics, but the lyrics are beautiful. each song is unique and has such purpose. overall, a lovely listen that i can't wait to come back to.

Ikke det jeg forventet, men bra. Hadde forventet noe mer elektronisk. Minner litt om Beth Orton

Entertaining and smooth. I'll try out more of their stuff.

Pop, electrónica. Chill out.

This Album was right in my wheel house when it comes to some soft pop! This album made me super happy and hit me in the feels in the right way possible! Standouts include Happiness, Some People, and Caravan Girl

Мне даже больше Адель понравилось, но всё равно местами уныло.

I was familiar with their more dance-tronic material as well as the 2000 release that had a James Bond vibe happening and more in-your-face, eclectic instrumentation to offset Goldfrapp's airy voice. This is more mellow and understated by comparison. It was brave to release this after a chart-topping dance album. The subtle songs and elegant production take a while to grow on you, but I like it. Between a 3 and 4 for me.

Muy chulo. Más melódico que el disco que conocía

A&E is the absolute standout track on this.

Some really nicely written relaxed pop stuff

Removed again. Yeah fair enough. Felt Mountain is obviously great, Black Cherry is possibly even better so if a 2nd Goldfrapp album is going in it's 100% that one, I love both those albums and regularly go back to them. I stepped off though at Ooh La La because it sounded just like Train but without the character so I thought, ah, out of ideas. So I never listened to Supernature - I think I may have listened to Seventh Tree once as it cropped up in year end lists but it definitely didn't leave an impression on me at the time. So, here goes... Will this be another lush, sumptuous album you could just drown in... or not? And the answer is.... Well the first track is certainly gorgeous. More than a hint of those sweeping John Barry strings that have always hovered around their sound. To be fair, it stays good. Not the same impact as those two albums but enough to encourage me to check out their later stuff and give this a listen again.

This is a great late night, chill vibes album. Was really nice to get play chess and listen to monster love. Felt like a French version of Japanese breakfast

I’ve always loved Goldfrapp but haven’t heard this album. What a surprisingly chill album. I like it but wanted something more upbeat. I thought I would enjoy it better if I was in a chill mood.