Supernature (Goldfrapp album)

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Supernature
Supernature cover
Studio album by Goldfrapp
Released August 19, 2005 (Ireland)
March 7, 2006 (North America)
Recorded Bath, England
Genre Electronic, dance
Length 43:18 (European edition)
48:07 (North American edition)
Label Mute, Virgin
Producer(s) Alison Goldfrapp
Will Gregory
Professional reviews
Goldfrapp chronology
Black Cherry
(2003)		 Supernature
(2005)		 We Are Glitter
(2006)


Supernature is the third album by British electronic duo Goldfrapp, released by Mute Records on August 19, 2005 (see 2005 in music) in Ireland. The album was the first of the duo's to receive mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, most of whom complimented its blend of pop and electronic, while others referred to it as uninspiring. Supernature reached the top five in Goldfrapp's native England, where its lead single "Ooh La La" also peaked inside the top five on the singles chart. In North America, where "Number 1" was promoted as the first single, the album was released on March 7, 2006 (see 2006 in music), charting lowly in Canada.

Contents

[edit] The making of the record

Supernature comprises of pop and electronic-dance music prominently featured on Goldfrapp's previous album Black Cherry (2003) and its singles "Strict Machine" and "Twist", but it focuses on subtle hooks instead of the large choruses that made up its predecessor. Goldfrapp's lead singer Alison Goldfrapp called the album's writing process "an electronic, glam cross between Berlin, New York and north-east Somerset",[1] and she had listened to several disco music artists such as Donna Summer and New Order for inspiration.[1]

Goldfrapp and Will Gregory recorded the bulk of Supernature in late 2004 in the countryside of Bath, England, as they had with Black Cherry. They had rented a small house and spent some months writing music, explaining that the unpopulated location was not a distraction and that the majority of the process was "very basic".[2] Goldfrapp has claimed that the duo have certain boundaries when it comes to writing lyrics,[3] and she referred to their studio sessions as a "democratic affair".[3] The lyrical content of the song "Number 1", which became the album's second single,[4] is about the importance and meaningfulness that somebody shares with another, despite that it might not necessarily last.[2]

Audio samples:

In an interview with College Music Journal, Goldfrapp explained that they had never intended to create dance music.[3] However, the singles released from Black Cherry experienced success across nightclubs in North America[5] and as a result, they decided to write a more dance-oriented album. Although this made the duo nervous, "Ooh La La" became the first song performed by the group to feature the presence of the electric guitar[6] and includes a sample from Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" (1970). Prior to its composition, the duo had avoided the use of a guitar because of the recognizable rhythm it is able to add to a song.[3] Four-on-the-floor bass drums are also present on several of the tracks, and the piano ballad "Let It Take You" features evening-effects composed on the synthesizer.[7] "You Never Know" begins with Alison Goldfrapp executing a synthesized voice which is supported over both pads and synthesizers. It is only for a moment that she is neutral with the electronics in the background. Goldfrapp and Gregory have cited "Satin Chic" as their favourite song on Supernature.[7]

Alison Goldfrapp cited the Roland String synth as one of her favourite keyboards. "Number 1" features an old synth and a bass arrangement that the group began using frequently following the recording of the song. Another Roland String model, the SH-09, is also one of Goldfrapp's favourite keyboards; she played the duo's song "Train" (2003) on it and enjoys the sounds that it exudes. She was also impressed with a Russian synth, primarily on the basis of it being written in the same language.[6]

[edit] Critical response

Upon release, the album received different responses from international music-critics. In a review for PopMatters, Adrien Begrand said that "although Supernature lacks the imagination of Felt Mountain and the saucy brilliance of Black Cherry, it doesn't pander to the pop crowd".[8] Rolling Stone referred to the album as "toxic and delicious" and added "Supernature will make you do bad things — and like it".[9] However, Pitchfork Media reviewer Nitsuh Abebe was less impressed with the album and wrote that the songs "keep feeling like exercises: too thick and melodic to work like dance music, but with melodies that refuse to stick as satisfyingly as pop."[10] Michael Hubbard of MusicOMH.com wrote a review for every song on Supernature, and although he felt that it was a "curious, rather than classic, record", he criticized it for "fading out early on, with poor, low quality songs at the end which leave the listener feeling cheated".[11] All Music Guide reviewer Heather Phares called Supernature "Goldfrapp's most accessible album" and cited "Ooh La La" as the best song.[12]

In a review for Canadian-based Jam Canoe, Andrew Carver praised the different sounds on Supernature which range from "a blend of future noise" to "crushed velvet corruption", and described it as "one sharp recording".[13] Jessica Suarez of Spin magazine provided comparison between "Ooh La La" and Black Cherry's "Strict Machine"; she called it Goldfrapp's biggest weakness and "so simplistic that [its] minimalist repetition occasionally teeters over into redundancy". She praised "Ride a White Horse" and "Fly Me Away" for Alison Goldfrapp's "velvet-soft vocals, which stay that way even when heavily processed".[14] However, less favourable reception came from Stylus magazine reviewer Edward Oculicz, who stated "Supernature is not a great album", and criticized several of the tracks for being too "dull".[15]

It is nominated in the category of "Best Electronic/Dance Album" at the 2007 Grammy Awards.

[edit] Singles

"Ooh La La", the lead single from the album, became Goldfrapp's most successful release, where it reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. It was also promoted in U.S. dance clubs, and peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Dance Chart. The second single "Number 1" is based around a synth and bass arrangement, which also reached the top-ten in the UK and number one on the U.S. Dance Chart. It also reached number seven in Canada. "Ride a White Horse" became the third release and continued the album's string of top-twenty singles. Released as the fourth single in May 2006, "Fly Me Away" debuted at number twenty-six on the UK Singles Chart, remaining in the top seventy-five for two weeks.

The album was released in two versions: a single disc version, which used Opendisc technology to offer extras via a website, and a double disc version which included the album in surround sound on both discs. The first disc is a hybrid SACD with 5.1 multichannel SACD audio, stereo SACD audio and stereo CD audio. The second disc, a DVD-Video, contains the multichannel version of the album in DTS 96/24 as well as a documentary and music videos for "Ooh La La" and "Number 1."

[edit] Chart performance

Supernature debuted at number two on the UK albums chart (blocked from the top by James Blunt's Back to Bedlam), where it sold 53,000 copies in its first week. Since its release it has achieved platinum certification in the UK, where after fourteen weeks, it descended from the top-seventy-five. It has since recharted for a total of thirty-one non-consecutive weeks. In Australia the album became Goldfrapp's first release to chart at number twenty-three, although it received limited promotion. The album became the duo's first to be released in Canada, where it entered at number eighty-eight and the United States, where it debuted at number one-hundred thirty-eight. It sold 1,000 copies in its first week of release in Canada and 7,000 copies in its first week in the United States. It has since gone to sell 49,000 copies [16]

[edit] Charts

The cover artwork of Supernature sold across North America and Japan.
The cover artwork of Supernature sold across North America and Japan.
Chart (2005) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 2
Australian ARIA Albums Chart 23
Swiss Albums Chart 29
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart 35
Chart (2006) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart 3
U.S. Billboard Electronic Albums Chart 5
Canadian Albums Chart 88
U.S. Billboard 200 Albums Chart 138

[edit] Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Goldfrapp and Gregory.

  1. "Ooh La La" – 3:23
  2. "Lovely 2 C U" – 3:25
  3. "Ride a White Horse" – 4:42
  4. "You Never Know" – 3:27
  5. "Let It Take You" – 4:30
  6. "Fly Me Away" – 4:25
  7. "Slide In" – 4:17
  8. "Koko" – 3:23
  9. "Satin Chic" – 3:28
  10. "Time Out from the World" – 4:47
  11. "Number 1" – 3:25

[edit] Bonus tracks and footage

All bonus tracks and footage appear on the Japanese and North American edition of Supernature.

  1. "Beautiful" – 4:51
  2. Little bits of Goldfrapp: documentary
  3. Jakko and the poet in Frappworld
  4. Music videos of "Ooh La La", "Number 1", and a live video of "Ride a White Horse"
  5. Photo gallery of Goldfrapp

[edit] Release details

All editions released by Mute/Virgin Records unless otherwise stated.
Release format Country Cat. No. Release date
Regular album Europe/Taiwan CDStumm250 August 22, 2005
U.S. regular album U.S. 9296-2 March 2006
Deluxe edition Europe LCDStumm250 August 22, 2005
Limited edition deluxe album Europe LCDStumm250 August 22, 2005
U.S. limited edition deluxe album U.S. 9312-2 March 2006
Vinyl album UK Stumm250 August 2005
Japanese edition Japan TOCP-66432 August 2005
Canadian edition Canada 094635886023 March 7, 2006
Hong Kong gold edition (unofficial)1 Hong Kong DSD-1969 August 2005
Chinese deluxe edition (unofficial)2 China DSD 0992 August 2005
  • 1 released as a deluxe CD set in Hong Kong by Sony Records. This release is unofficial and contains songs from Felt Mountain and Black Cherry.
  • 2 released as a deluxe CD set in China by Universal Records. This release is unofficial and contains songs from Felt Mountain and Black Cherry.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Chart Singles.net. "Week 34 Chart Roundup". August 30, 2005. Retrieved February 18, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Rolling Stone. "Goldfrapp Unleash Supernature". March 7, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d Kory, Grow. College Music Journal. "British electro-duo Goldfrapp evens out the odds with their latest, Supernature". Retrieved March 25, 2006.
  4. ^ First single: Ooh La La; second single: Number 1; third single: Ride a White Horse; fourth single: Fly Me Away.
  5. ^ Billboard magazine. Information on Goldfrapp's U.S. dance-chart positions. Retrieved March 27, 2006.
  6. ^ a b Gallant, Michael. Keyboard Magazine. "Retro Disco Ooh La La". Retrieved March 25, 2006.
  7. ^ a b Supernature. North American DVD — "Little bits of Goldfrapp". Information about the recording of "Supernature". Accessed March 27, 2006.
  8. ^ Begrand, Adrien. PopMatters. Goldfrapp – Supernature. September 19, 2005. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
  9. ^ Gitlin, Lauren. Rolling Stone. Goldfrapp, Supernature (U.S. edition). March 6, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
  10. ^ Abebe, Nitsuh. Pitchfork Media. Supernature by Goldfrapp. September 1, 2005. Retrieved October 26, 2006.
  11. ^ Hubbard, Michael. MusicOMH.com. Goldfrapp – Supernature (Mute). August 22, 2005. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
  12. ^ Phares, Heather. All Music Guide. Supernature (Goldfrapp). March 7, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2006.
  13. ^ Carver, Andrew. Jam Canoe. CD review: Goldfrapp: Supernature. Retrieved March 27, 2006.
  14. ^ Suarez, Jessica. Spin magazine. Goldfrapp, Supernature. Retrieved March 27, 2005.
  15. ^ Oculicz, Edward. Stylus magazine. Goldfrapp; Supernature. Retrieved March 27, 2006.
  16. ^ Caulfield, Keith. Ask Billboard. Billboard.com. Retrieved August 3, 2006.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Goldfrapp
Alison Goldfrapp - Will Gregory
Discography
Studio albums: Felt Mountain - Black Cherry - Supernature
Selected singles: "Utopia (Genetically Enriched)" - "Pilots" - "Strict Machine" - "Twist" - "Black Cherry" - "Ooh La La" - "Number 1" - "Ride a White Horse" - "Fly Me Away"
Related article
Mute Records
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