Felt Mountain

6,0/10

This album has the strengths and weaknesses of a debut by a clearly talented and idiosyncratic artist. We have such a lush and engrossing sound, led by an utterly sensuous and beguiling voice, simultaneously titilllating and menacing: a dip into a lustrous black. However, sometimes the record takes the aesthetic too far, and stumbles into mild self-parody. The circus music of Oompah Radar (wow, some people find clowns sinister!) and the occasional stabs at surrealist lyrics (gosh, dream imagery!) don't fully work. All this is to be expected: with such a unique artistic vision, Alison Goldfrapp is comparable to Kate Bush, in that her muse leads her to either to the misguided or the inspired. However, like Kate Bush, Goldfrapp has the sheer flair and savvy to transcend her whimsies on her best work, such as on her two subsequent albums. Felt Mountain is a great introduction to her work, but "introduction" is the operative word.

Mjög góð plata.

I didn't know this singer but listening to her I don't like. Sorry.

I’ve always enjoyed bitter flavours. Especially when they’re matched by something sweet. A soft liquorice, a very dark chocolate, or a particularly gin-forward negroni. A fondness for bitter flavours has been shown to correlate positively with “dark” personality traits – anything from callousness to everyday acts of cruelty. Like many people my age, my first proper taste of the world’s bitterness was most probably September 11, 2001. Not the day itself – that spectacle of cruelty that was something so implacably stupendous that it resisted categorisation, in my mind and the collective’s, for many years – but instead its immediate aftermath. The Patriot Laws and its seeming enshrining of overt racism wrought deep cleavages into places I’d never before noticed as teetering on fault lines. Being brown became a crime; it breaks my heart to think how the boys I’d grown up alongside must have felt being on “the other” side of that equation. It’s been said that 9/11 marked the official end of the cultural 90s – and Felt Mountain, which first appeared in 2000, makes a strong case for being among the 21st century’s musical expeditionary party. To listen to it is to be pulled into a soul-wearying morass. It’s exhausting, alienating and totally compelling. Music for the beginning of a century that looks like the end of the world. Culture’s response to the War on Terror was largely a case of plus ca change. Delillo wrote a sad and ponderous piece about a performance artist. NOFX took on the political establishment. The South Park guys took the piss using puppets. If it’s true that any of those things could have been happening before the towers fell, it feels important to notice the things that couldn’t have. The things that belonged to the new paradigm entirely. Monkey Dust was one of those things. An almost violently offensive collection of animated skits that skewered everything and everyone they touched: charmingly boisterous wannabe jihadis, mild mannered cottagers, simple serial killers, overzealous and murderous paedofinders … to watch Monkey Dust and its cast of walking comic contradictions was to know the joke, oh poor citizen of now, was on you. That bitterness appealed to me. Not the casual acts of violence I saw in the real world, never, but rather the knowing weltschmerz that found a way to pull light from total darkness. The world made by Harry Thompson and Shaun Pye was one where history happened first as a farce; let the Angel keep its tragedies. For the past 20 years, the whistled opening tune of “Lovely Head” has rattled around my own embittered-but-usually-laughing noggin without me ever realising it was from a song, let alone one by Goldfrapp. Mobilised in Monkey Dust to add an eerie sort of profundity to on-screen depictions of public urination, ruination and antisocial behaviour, the song’s peripatetic melody drives at a weird kind of parochialism. The joy of living in a deep circle of hell but still being responsible for taking the dog for a walk. So we return full-circle. It’s 2026 and nothing about this record feels out of place with the current moment. Still drenched in anomie, still reeling from the US’ spiteful foreign policy, still talking about NOFX. The only thing really missing is the sense of humour. As someone once put it: “Essex. London.” RIP Harry Thompson.

A limp nothing of an album. I'd say that it's not worth listening to, but it's so boring that there's barely anything to listen to at all.

Not their best, but still very good.

some lovely spooky sounds

Solo por "Lovely Head" y "Human" ya merece la pena escucharlo de nuevo. También está muy bien "Utopia". Entiendo que habrá quien no le guste pero a mí es un disco que me trae recuerdos y me parece interesante como retrato de los 2000.

Too slow for me

Lush I'd never given this a property listen. Cinematic in parts.

Bit spacy but pretty good

Very spacey, but I liked it! It sounds like film music, in a good way.

3.5

Laid back, but a little weird. Liked it overall

Put together by an insane circus ringmaster

Very nice and dark. Paper bag and Deer Stop as two favorites. Will put this into the rotation!

pretty good electronica - quirky.

love love love!! very experimental yet orchestral

Wow, never heard of goldfrapp before, but this is sick.

nice production. Found nothing in it beyond that.

An ok album, with a couple great tracks

It’s not really my thing

Kind of cool. Could be a cool movie score. No track that particularly stand out to me. Probably a 3 just because it's a good listen but not something I'd enthusiastically listen to again. A stand out track or two would push it to a 4

Its always nice to get a little further off the beaten path with these albums, though I’m not this was really forging new ground in 2000 compared to, say, Laurie Anderson in 1986. And it’s hard to judge the lyrics since so much of it was basically incomprehensible. I did like it though.

Heeft wat donkere nummers maar wel wat ik mooi vind

Early you get James Bond soundtrack vibes from this, then in the back half it's more of a horror movie score. Very sultry vocals with squealing electronic backing of a theremin, orchestral strings. Pretty good. Some parts get a little weird, the ending of Deer Stop kind of meandered a bit and could have stopped sooner. Oompa Radar was pretty unique, polka evil circus vibe.

A lovely low-key album. Alison's vocals work well with these smooth, lush sounds that move so slowly, it feels like you're in a memory or a dream. It experiments with some weird ideas and doesn't always pay off, but for the most part it's a nice album. Even the circus music ended up sounding pretty good!

Sounds like she’s in her dressing gown. Like that time I saw her live.

Woah!!! This was actually really really cool. Reminds me of a bunch of contemporary artists — like Sylvan Esso (male + female duo, less dance my though), Portis Head, and even gives me Billie Eilish inspiration vibes with the eerie vocals. Also a hidden Kanye sample in here. Really enjoyed this actually haha.

Really enjoyed. Smooth, James Bond type jams. Late night cocktails and sexy eyes.

I saw that this album is on this list and was very much looking forward because I dig trip hop. I was not disappointed. The strings are from heaven. Goldfrapps voice at times is so similar to Beth Gibbons (Portishead) I would have believed this to be a Portishead album if I wouldn't have seen the title. Absolute favourite. Only Critique: Oompa Radar feels out of place. And it could be a bit longer!

was expecting to like this more than i did. think they found their stride on the next album.

quite like this. Not all of it super-catchy. a lot is quite jazzy- some of it just slightly annoying, like Oompa Radar Utopia is good

Alison Goldfrapp's voice is amazing. Has a very trip hop, portishead vibe. Bit boring in parts

This was entirely new to me (I'm a 60's to 80's music fan, "old school" my kids say!) and a pleasant surprise. The eerie ethereal atmosphere and vocals are somewhat enthralling without bringing you down. Ideal for when you want to unwind, favorite spirit in your hand. Vaguely reminiscent of 20's French music (cabaret influences?) together with splashes of other genres (tango in Human &/or Utopia?) and maybe even movie soundtracks, it's still very much a 2000's sound. Definitely worth re-visiting when you want that "unwind" vibe.

Crap

A startlingly intimate and atmospheric album. Certain songs such as Deer Stop grabbed me immediately. Alison Goldfrapp's vocals are haunting and when they are altered the effect is electric.

A delightfully intriguing album with so many influences and styles that it is a perfect album to listen to multiple times and come away with a different emotion or understanding each time.

Boring

Beautiful lyrics, inspired me to listen to the slower Goldfrapp albus like Us and really enjoyed them, didn't realised the variety of styles the band has to offer. Really enjoyed the album, particularly the first 4 tracks!

Pretty but overall kind of boring me to sleep. I like utopia and the first track!

Actually like this quite a bit.

James Bond meets eraser head.

not good, weird

cool, trip hop kind of?

Super boring. Maybe a little like Enya? Very ambient/ethereal..... not much in the way of actual instrumentation.

Not something I would typically listen to but I’m glad I did. Very cool artsy electronic pop that doesn’t get so artsy it becomes unlistenable. Dark and ethereal. My favorite track was “Human” which I swear could have been a title song for a Bond movie.

This is nice. Made in 2000, but going for a Dusty Springfield vibe just with more electronica influences. I like it. Favourite track: “Utopia”

Not an album of many words, however the instruments and sounds used create an eerie and off-putting feel. This isnt the sort of music that I would put onto a playlist however I see some of the appeal. This album is a 4/10. Favorite song(s): Utopia

Never heard of this group. I'll be listening to more for sure. Very chill and haunting vocals.

J'aurais payé si cher pour ne jamais avoir affaire au trip-hop.

woah i wasn’t expecting this to be kind of psychedelic... this was pretty good! the only track the really struck me was human but as a project i thought this was consistent and intriguing. overall i really enjoyed listening to this

- definitely getting an ethereal vibe from this album - kind of like the mix of elements from regular pop, to more folky stuff, to just straight up weird; it felt like I was watching an electro-western (so basically Westworld) - oh nvm about the western shit, this is now full on cabaret stuff, I’m so confused yet so intrigued - Highlights: Human (love the part that Kanye would end up sampling), Lovely Head, Oompa Radar (name one modern pop album that just puts a freaking waltz in there) - Would I revisit this album as a whole? I doubt it. Do I think it’s rather neat? Most definitely - Ultimately I do think the sheer uniqueness of the album carried it early on but ultimately my interest was not held through the middle tracks. Strong closer though, and the production is admittedly A-tier

2.5 rounding up to 3. Undeniable talent, but left me cold - too much artifice.

Great.

This is great! This album is yet another reminder of why I love this 1000 albums project. I doubt I'd ever hear of them or hear their music, and I love this. I don't even usually listen to electronic music, but this is different. The mix in real instruments, too, and incredible vocals. Some tracks are dreamy and haunting, which I love. Some are also downright beautiful. Some are a bit too jarring for me, but overall, very good. Thank you, 1001 albums generator!

Really good

surprenant, merci au cousin d'Hugo Martins d'avoir inclus cet album à la liste, un très beau 3/5 bien mérité

Haunting vocals ring out in each track as if a siren were trying to lure you off your path. While very talented, Goldfrapp fails to make any lasting impact other than fading into the background.

A very dynamic album, switching up styles almost every song. Songs go from broody and sulking to angelic to Latin inspired, and more.

I have absolutely no idea when anyone would choose to listen to this

Me ha encantado, con la voz envolvente de la cantante y esa música evocadora

Perfect

fucking great

Lush and atmospheric. A total departure from what I believed Goldfrapp to be.

Insipid, soul less and forgettable.

Goldfrapp reminds me of nothing as much as Portishead, minus the hip hop trappings, the edginess and the haunting and haunted quality of Beth Gibbons' voice. Instead we get Allison Goldfrapp, who is inoffensive but not especially evocative. That pretty much describes the music as well, which like Portishead is based on torch songs, exotica, spy soundtracks, and other assorted 50s and early 60s ephemera. I mean, this is not badly written or arranged, but it's been done before and much better. Felt Mountain is unforgivably bland. I never thought I'd say this, but I sorely miss the hip hop influence.

Very good

Varsin hyvin otessaan pitävää musiikkia. Moni levy häipyy helposti taustamusiikiksi, mutta tämä levy piti otteessaan. Hyvällä tavalla kiinnostava ääni laulajalla. Rauhallista ja silkinpehmeää musiikkia, missä on paljon tunnetta. Sellaista vähän parempaa Bond-tunnaria koko levy.

Not really my style but it was alright. By the end I had had enough.

chill

Elektronista erikoismusaa (ei nyt niin erikoista) ei herätä suurempia tunteita.

No nyt! Tämä oli tähän saakka ensimmäinen minulle ihan uusi artisti, joka osui ja upposi ekalla kuuntelukerralla. Näiden löytöjen toivossa tätä 1001 levyn projektia tulee kuunneltua. Piti laittaa heti levy uudelle kierrokselle! Tällaiset hyvät naislaulajat ja rauhalliset biisit toimii minulle, näitä on mukava fiilistellä. Levyn ekassa biisissä on vähän sellaista Bond-tunnari -meininkiä.

nice but nothing essential. Pleasant background noise.

well this was different, not terrible but not something I want to go out of my way to listen to again

I liked the idea of this more than I enjoyed listening to it unfortunately kinda gossamer thin

funky futuristic experimental stuff. good background listening as it is chill

I could see how you could get absorbed in this album without ever getting too invested in it. Reminds me of Beach House of the xx that I've listened to lots in the past but couldn't recall one song from memory.

Absolutely love this album.

meh

4

Great album - more of the same please

Música ambiental/electrónica curiosa

Very weird Berlin Babylon vibes, loved it

It felt like I was listening to a Bond soundtrack or something inspired by the circus at times. Admiringly this was one of my least favorite so far.

I feel like I've walked in on a David Lynch listening party. "Deliciously weird" as she calls herself. Like Madonna says, this is borderline.

Not a bad album. No real standout tracks. Interesting backing tracks, Has a Portishead vibe. Interesting that Kanye sampled them.

Just plain bad. Weird singing and background music. 1/10.

Spooky, weird, but generally enjoyable. Would listen again.

Masterpiece

Her voice is amazing, truly angelic at points. But it is wasted on this boring album.

Never heard of this band, this album, or none of this. I LOVED IT! Kind of a trance techno jazzy tango thing. Super retro futurism of the early 2000s. I liked a lot of the remixes on the extended album. This is going into my rotation STAT.

J’ai bien aime, c’est special et tres atmospherique. Je n’ai pas entendu beaucoup de chose comme ca. 4.25

Me likey

pleasant

Quite nice radiohead vibes

it's not bad, but too repetitive

Not bad! The first song was quite catchy.

Zu viel Geld für sowas - 2

This is like if Portishead was sadder and worse

It sounds a lot like a James Bond soundtrack. Enjoyable.

I was completely oblivious to this album but damn does that Alison Goldfrapp song some moodymusic.

not my THANGGG

It's a genre I like so I want to give it 3 stars but it's seriously so annoying I can't

I want this to grab me. But it hasn’t. I’ll put Portishead on first.

Not my thing.

I'm listening to Felt Mountain by Goldfrapp this morning. Reading the artist biography puts them close to a lot of artists I enjoy. Trip-hop was a big deal for me back in the late 90s, so there is much I can enjoy form this album. Though it's quite strange at points. Like a soundtrack for a dream I'm having. Is that a Theremin I hear? Okay a song later in the album has grabbed me, it's called 'Utopia' and it's scratching an itch right now. It's like the best James Bond theme song that was never used for James Bond. This will go on my playlist of songs I enjoy from the 1001 album thing I'm doing.

Artsy Trip-hop

Not a big fan of this album. It was too weird for me.

Somethig different. This music is very special. I do not know if I like it or not.

Weird album

What was that. Weird confusing sounds

Tuttu levy tutulta bändiltä. Tällä kertaa kuuntelut meni vähän sivukorvalla töitä tehdessä, mutta kyllähän tämä ihan toimivaa fiilistelyä on. Monet biisit ovat jännästi hyvin pelkistettyjä, mutta samalla todella suurieleisiä.

Not great. Not. Great.

James Bond soundtrack :)

hard to describe, kinda trippy but very ambient

I wasn't totally impressed.

Not familiar at all with the artist but wasn’t terrible!

Ultra sexy sheek

I actually really like this! Some very interesting combinations of sounds that come together in a way that's ahead of its time.

I felt that mountain...

most of it sounds like it belongs with a Bond movie from the 70s

twas ok

big no

Lekkere easy listening. Ritmisch zeer lekker, met synths en veel verschillende lagen van geluiden. Niet echt een heel spannend album, het is voorbij zonder dat ik er erg in heb.

Pretty different from everything else I listened to. Very interesting listen.

Very unorthodox and different but good. Angelic voice, a synth sounding like many various instruments and a movie score-like composition

Appreciate this but didn’t really like it. Their later stuff is more my style.

Sort of like Portishead but with a James Bond kinda feel. Not something I’d listen to a lot, but good. Mostly mellow.

A good 10-12 years ahead of it's time. Wonderful album full of pleasantly strange sonic landscapes and beautiful vocals.

too poppy, bad chick movie music

Interesting, a mix of Massive Attack-like electronic and lounge, jazz vocals. Blends really well and I can't help but wonder if they've ever done a theme to a Bond movie. "Oompah Radar" is a total miss though. Favorite tracks: "Human", "Utopia", "Felt Mountain"

Beautiful album. It's aged well, too. Lasts about the right amount of time, though it loses a bit of momentum near the end.

unexpectedly good! kinda goofy instrumentals sometimes, and not in the funny way. didn't vibe with all of it but it is well produced

3.5 - have to be in the right mood

Surprisingly good!

Very unique and interesting, absolutley not what I was expeting. Dont exactly know where I stand on it yet, ill have to come back to it.

Very lush and dreamlike production, this album seems classic, surprisingly so for one that I've never encountered before.

This was too weird for me, Felt like nonsense. 2/5.