Felt Mountain

Loved and discovered a new Kanye interpolation source

This isn’t my type of music unfortunately. I don’t like these genres as of recent, but I will remain hopeful!

Kind of dull, sadly. Still love the title track, but the rest is background music at best

Simultaneously relaxing and unnerving. Very pretty mixing and vocals. A lot of the instrumentals make me think of if Gorillaz were to score a Laika movie. Utopia is probably my favorite. Also get Mag bay vibes. Good listen with a lot of interesting textures and sounds. Nice and quick and kept me engaged.

I can definitely see why this is labeled trip hop but also so many fun instrumentals that I haven't heard much in Portishead or Massive Attack or whatever else Highlights: "Lovely Head", "Pilots", "Horse Tears"

2/5

Found this boring after a few songs. I sort of get the appeal but not for me.

It was fine. But it was a little redundant and it became monotonous.

wasn’t a big fan

Kinda haunting. Not bad. Maybe bit slow to my taste. The music itself is pretty interesting but the vocals dont get me too much. Gives me the James Bond vibes. Weirdly classy. Hard to imagine this was made in the 2000's. I would have guessed like ib the 80's. Really atmospheric. Human and Felt Mountains top tracks atm.

Boring and confusing. Very little redeeming qualities, other than it could be background music that wouldn't distract the task I was doing.

Sounds like felt, feels like felt. Lovely, relaxed music.

I tried listening to this unknown group but I got bored. Poor album for me.

7/10… art pop / downtempo / *2000

Once described as a "strange and beautiful mix of the romantic, eerie, and world-weary". I describe it as utterly boring. Some songs have a cabaret feel that reminds me of movies about WWII.

I probably wasn't in the right head space to be listening to this today, and that of course highlights one issue with a project such as this. I still enjoyed it for the most part, but something just felt missing.

Very cool and different, fun one to find from the list, will add to the collection for relisten - dark and moody with a sensuous and dangerous vibe

Weird, eerie, kinda dug it.

Weird scale: Might be the strangest album I've ever listened to but I kinda dug it. Not in a "oh you know what a good listen on this commute would be" way but in a stormy Halloween night with a book way.

Great!

As noted, the previous album -Seventh Tree- on this list was medicinal. This album didn’t quite have that same effect on me. It was beautiful but (again, maybe my mood) a little too nebulous. The song Utopia was perfectly in the pocket and my favorite track on the album. The song Deer Stop reminded me of those late Progressive Era jazz singers like Vaughn De Leah, except for with an evolving electronica. Lovely Heads another example, though the singing through the voice box was weird, and made it somewhere between Kill Bill Spaghetti western and Dead Can Dance. I haven’t listened to all the Goldfrapp albums but I don’t know if this one was needed on the list.

Random thoughts: * Interesting recording and sound. I think she nailed the sound she was going for. * It sounds retro and future at the same time. * It has a vibe that requires just the right mood for listening. I'll need to find that again when I am at the right mood and time. * Overall, it was interesting and a decent inclusion. However, again on 1001, there is no way we need two Goldfrapp albums on this listen. One will do.

Strange but I did not hate it

That sure was a strange and wild ride. Not really my vibe except for a few jazzier parts but even then they mixed in other instruments/sounds that I really disliked. I have written on some previous albums on this list that I hate random sounds that I feel don't fit in with the song or extra stuff that just add on top of already good things and ruin them by being to much. This album is a great example of that. Why add strange alien noises when the song works great without them just because you sing about aliens? I just don't get this album I guess. The thing that I dislike the most is that the album without the random additions that is there, right underneath, that sounds so good at times.

While it is not among my favorite Goldfrapp albums (that would be HEAD FIRST), this one was an interesting mix of James Bond 60s electro cabaret bombast, a bit of bossa nova (as on the track "Pilots"), Wiemar era polka, and general all around synth glory. I've always been a fan of Will Gregory's contributions to Tears for Fears "The Working Hour" and "I Believe", and he brings his sophisticated and nuanced chord progression ideas to this album. The mixing was sublime. songs breathe and swell organically. The edges of loops are rarely detected.

This is weird and warped and I really liked it.

Imagine not liking this. Like a James Bond soundtrack but the film is set in space and it's a bit spooky.

No.

This one bored me to tears.

Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?: ✔️

I’d heard of Goldfrapp name before but never listened to them. What a pleasant surprise.

mostly just kinda weird in a good way tho

When Alison is singing this album rips so hard, when it’s weird instrumentals it’s a little weaker but still strong. The only issue i really had was with Oompah, felt like a long idea that didn’t really accomplish what it was aiming for. Thoroughly enjoyed the rest of this thing though, so many strange sounds that all worked well and so many video game synths.

Nice and mellow

Really nice chilled out album

435/1089 opening track was so atmospheric i liked the Bond vibes but i’m not a massive fan of the whistling/other high-pitched sounds, the mixing on it is so sharp and unpleasant to me. and the next track opened with something similar i feel kinda sad bc i went expecting to like this one and it’s a type of music i usually would quite like but it’s just really not clicking atm okay human has some life and intrigue to it Oompa Radar is SO Runescape Varrock core omg the mixing is just so shrill and crunchy faves: Human, Oompa Radar 60/100

A very enjoyable set of songs that would fit like a glove in a James Bond soundtrack. Slightly better than Seventh Tree, in my opinion. It almost put me to sleep at times with its slow and dreamy vibes, but I did listen to it after a long shift, so I'll blame myself for that one. Favourite track: Human

It's a different vibe that I'm not sure I would be in very often, but it's not bad. Overall enjoyment, but not a new favorite.

AHS Freak Show soundtrack

It's got a retro jazz lounge type sound that mixes with the more modern sound/production in an interesting way. I probably would have liked it more when I was college, I was more into this type of thing then.

Very enjoyable. I had never heard their early stuff, so I didn't realize it was less upbeat/dance focused than the stuff I'm familiar with. Reminds me a lot of Air, which is a good thing.

I like Goldfrapp but when it’s more electronic.

Have you ever read Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse? Because this is the music that is likely playing when you enter the Magical Circus.

What a breath of fresh air! This is lovely and at album #33 generated, it is my first 5 star album. Utopia instantly added to my playlist, several others likely to be added after a few more listens, because I am definitely listening again.

Alternates between potential James Bond music and Circus Music with ease (not a compliment) Best Song: Utopia 5/10 Stars: 3

I was forewarned that opening track whistled so it was skipped. No need for it!. I think I should have skipped second track as well. What a miserable voice. All the way through such a miserable whiney voice. Im sure it would be a nice voice if it sang rather than whined and whispered. Bloody annoying. Helped it along a bit. Most miserable oompah Ive ever heard. Overall it was pretty shit. Those breathy vocals, I honestly thought she was having an asthma attack. Whatever they were trying to achieve , they failed unless the aim was to have a really irritating album.

Cool. Like alternative James Bond. On the slow side for my tastes but the instruments were smooth and stylish; not often you hear a synth imitating a theremin in pop music.

Beautiful voice. Like the slightly strange cinematic sound around it. Really nice atmosphere.

Great discovery ! Loved the change of pace from the ultra predictive stuff this list has. Pretty limp album though but that's part of the point. Also pretty strong for a debut album

I found myself irritated by tge instrumentation and the vocals. Otherwise, this was fine.

This was a good album! Ambient, cool production, dark, and funky. Reminds me of Portishead. Rating: 7/10 Favorite Song: Human

capaz era para 7/10

Whatever. Not for me

Weird and very theatrical

Almost some decent songs

This is right up my alley - great vocals, downbeat electronica, rich orchestration (or at least rich synthesis). Very James Bond soundtrack feel.

Amazing Vibes and very unique.

Oompah Radar is a bit much for me. Fave Tracks: Human, Deer Stop 3.3/5

Like a 1940s lounge singer. Not at all what I expected but very very good

i loved that one goldfrapp song on the sherlock soundtrack when i was 14 so it makes sense that i liked this too

4/10 Deeply unlikable. Bond-esque, which says it all really. So dull at times it feels like it could collapse on itself and form a deep rift in space-time that would encompass a fundamental nothingness.

It took a couple listens for this to click with me. The strings are really shimmery and her voice is really interesting. Utopia is a gorgeous song. The humming synths and background vocals just give it such a shine. Favorites were Human, Pilot, and Utopia.

Last track could have been a great Bond theme.

Didn’t hate this, but there was certainly nothing spectacular about it. The vocals are ok but nothing amazing and the music is try hard budget Morricone.

Totally fine. Electronica that had a real Bjork feel to it. But that said I think I’d rather be listening to Bjork.

Interesting and very Bjorkian. As far as mononyms go I would say Bjork absolutely destroys Goldfrapp. And also in terms of the music I would say Bjork absolutely destroys Goldfrapp. Goldfrapp even ripped off the title Utopia from a 2017 Bjork album 🙄

weird hipster alt electro-lounge music with some bizarre warbles and dissonance to remind you that you're listening to something ~cool~ and ~artsy~. like a melodramatic theatrical meh version of Portishead

I dont know why I missed this when it came out, it seems like something I would have loved back then. It is still really good, and it will be on my playlist.

Okay, this was definitely not what I was expecting from this project. That haunting atmosphere tied with the conceptual question of human nature and the desire for extremes makes for a very eerie listening experience. I love the noir style of this record as well paired with the more ambient trip-hop elements as well. Most certainly an interesting listen to say the very least. Quite an enjoyable one at that.

somehow very unmemorable (except for that one part of that one song with weird vocal effects). could not care less. wouldn't really listen again

Mangler revidering

I'm believing more and more that this album list is heavily-biased by whatever pedantic hipster who wrote it got a chip on their shoulder that their favorite deep-cut music was considered pretentious and bad.

“Goldfrapp are renowned for their trailblazing shapeshifting from cinematic minimalism to bold, glittering synth-pop, with a sound that’s defined by constant reinvention.“ Let me translate this: these ppl don’t know what they’re doing & what they’re doing is so boring. Snobby pretentious “gallery people” probably listen to this to feel superior to the lesser artists like SKA or some shit.

They probably meant to put Goldfinger

We have heard about many historical debuts, but when Goldfrapp, the iconic triphop/downtempo duo made their appeareance back in 2000 with this amazing album, many fans of Portishead or Massive Attack realized that there was life for the chillout sounds beyond both of them. The record as a whole, experiments with a strong variety of sounds like 60's pop, folk and electronic music. With songs like the opener "Lovely Head" and the second one "Paper Bag" there are about being obseessed with someone and not being able to have them, followed by the third single Human that features a Mambo beat, you can tell exactly where this is going. It is probably that you will have in your mind the constant depiction of a cabaret and it's nothing to be ashamed of. The truth is, this one its an album charming, elegant, soft, and somehow kinky and emotionally driven by insane amounts of pleasure, an ode to hedonism and the luxury that you don't wanna miss out.

A lot different and less synthy than i expected! I guess i wasn’t as familiar with Goldfrapps “game” so to speak. Also a bit more mellow and subdued than i expected hence why i think Human is the best track on here but t the rest is still VERY nice and downright elegant and cinematic at times.

No estoy seguro, pero mal no

I don't know, the whole album just sounds like a soundtrack to a sad movie from pre-2000, although this came exactly in the year 2000. Anyway, it's overall pretty chill, but just a bit meh, because nothing exciting happens throughout any of the songs.

Pretty good emotional stuff, i liked it a good bit but not what i'd normally listen to.

Huh interesting? Not exactly my jam but interesting enough for 2 stars - it makes me feel sleepy

As someone from the States, I was only a teensy bit familiar with Goldfrapp before this. I remember hearing Number One on alternative radio back in the day and really liking it, but that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge. So when Felt Mountain popped up, I was expecting something at least somewhat similar. Yeah... not even close. But that ended up being a very welcome surprise. This album has such a cool atmosphere to it, mixing old-school cabaret sounds with electronic music and this dreamy, almost cinematic quality. A lot of the instrumentals feel like they could have come straight out of a film score, and Alison Goldfrapp's vocals fit that style perfectly. It's elegant, strange, a little mysterious, and very much its own thing. Utopia was easily the standout for me. That song is magnificent. It has this old cabaret charm to it, but somehow also sounds incredibly Y2K at the same time, which is a combination I didn't know I needed. My only real issue is that Felt Mountain can get pretty slow at times. There were definitely moments where I wished it would pick up the pace and give me a little more energy. Still, the atmosphere and production kept pulling me back in, and this absolutely feels like one of those albums that could grow on me with repeat listens. A very pleasant surprise.

Unexpectedly gorgeous. Lovely Head is very well known, and always makes me think of the 90s show Monkey Dust, but the rest of the album is just as good - sultry, creepy, sexy, dark. Like Portishead jamming with Chet Baker at a carnival, but much better than that sounds. A decent 5.

I bought this at the time on the strength of the first single from it - Lovely Head. Whilst this was an interesting song I remember thinking the rest of the album didn’t improve on the first track. From re-listening today my view hasn’t changed.

Day969 - reading the reviews is better than listening to the album. it’s everything that’s being said, from bjork-adjacent to bond movie-ish

Not Horrible ...

Did not like this.

267. ok

Very interesting and mesmerizing mix of almost vocal jazz and more modern electronic production. It really works

FREEEEEEEDTYLE 4

Favorite songs: Lovely Head, Paper Bag, Pilots, Felt Mountain, Horse Tears

I love the high drama of Human. I don't know what happens in the back half of the album but the instrumentals really take the wind out of its sails.

This will be very polarising. It’s ok, and nothing more. Some of it is spell binding, some of it is awful.

Bjorkish

Probably not very clever to describe it as sounding like a James Bond soundtrack, but also not inaccurate. Smoky female vocals, strings and lounge beats. Not going to raise your pulse, and it doesn't want to. Dig it

Vaca come back

Interesting early work. She hadn't fully figured out her sound by this point

British? Belong on list ? My feelings? British ✔️ Belong on list 〰️ Feelings : it’s a grower. I’ve heard this album recently. This second time I sure am digging it. I can really get into spooky atmospherics and well constructed minimalist soundscapes. In fact I think it’s becoming one I will want to return to. Thank you 1089! 4 Boolean: still not sure it actually belongs on the list, but I am going with TRUE

Great mas gente haciendo ruidos raros y lo consideran experimental y sin razón alguna debería estar acá

The name seems familiar but not sure if I’ve heard anything by them before, none of this album anyway. This is like chill electronic, sounds like movie soundtrack stuff, almost a Portishead type sound sometimes, I like it.

The album starts with ‘lovely head’ and has makings of being a bond theme- that is however after some whistling that just made me think The Muppets 😬 just the track never gets the big notes and disappears. ‘Human’ also feels very similar with that bond theme style again that never gets going. The tracks do feel a little dreamy but also very boring mundane and pleasant at best. That is until we hit ‘oompah radar’ This had a great musical arrangement and made me feel like I was at the circus watching a trapeze artist, I love when a track transports me like that. ‘Utopia’ is lovely- proper Cerys Matthews vibes I was feeling and the fact she actually sung made the track so much better. The last track then threatens a massive bond theme ending and yet surprise surprise it peters out to nothing. Overall very disappointing that the album threatens so much but it very rarely delivers. Also her lack of actual singing and a lot of ‘noises’ make the album feel very one dimensional. Fave track- ‘utopia’ just misses out to ‘oompah radar’ which I thought was great. Worst track- ‘pilots’ but it could have been one of about half that just didn’t do anything for me. The two tracks I love making an average album score a 6/10