Supernature (Goldfrapp album)

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Supernature
Supernature cover
Studio album by Goldfrapp
Released August 22, 2005 (2005-08-22)
Recorded 2004, Bath, England
Genre Electronic dance
Glam rock
Length 43:18 (European edition)
48:07 (North American & Japanese edition)
Label Mute, EMI, Virgin
Producer Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory
Professional reviews
Goldfrapp chronology
Black Cherry
(2003)		 Supernature
(2005)		 We Are Glitter
(2006)
Singles from Supernature
  1. "Ooh La La"
    Released: August 8, 2005
  2. "Number 1"
    Released: October 31, 2005
  3. "Ride a White Horse"
    Released: February 13, 2006
  4. "Fly Me Away"
    Released: May 1, 2006
Alternate cover
Japanese and North American cover artwork
Japanese and North American cover artwork

Supernature is the third album by British electronic duo Goldfrapp. It was released by Mute Records on August 22, 2005 in the United Kingdom, and was the duo's first album to receive mixed reviews. Most critics complimented its blend of pop and electronic music, while others called it uninspiring.[1] Supernature was a top five album in Goldfrapp's native United Kingdom, and its lead single "Ooh La La" was a top five single.[2] In North America, where "Number 1" was promoted as the first single, the album was released on March 7, 2006, peaking low on the Billboard charts.[3]

The album represented a change in Goldfrapp's musical style, and featured pop and electronic-dance music; inspirations were disco music artist Donna Summer and New Wave band New Order. Supernature received a Grammy Award nomination in 2007 for "Best Electronic/Dance Album".[4] In January 2006, the album was certified platinum in the UK, and has sold one million copies worldwide as of early 2007.[5][6]

Contents

[edit] Recording and production

Supernature contains music in the same pop and electronic-dance styles featured on Goldfrapp's 2003 album Black Cherry (especially Black Cherry's singles "Strict Machine" and "Twist"), but it focuses on subtle hooks instead of large choruses. Goldfrapp's lead singer Alison Goldfrapp called the album's writing process "an electronic, glam cross between Berlin, New York and north-east Somerset",[7] and said that she was inspired by artists such as Donna Summer and New Order.[7]

Goldfrapp and Will Gregory recorded the bulk of Supernature in late 2004 in the countryside of Bath, England—the same place they recorded Black Cherry. They had rented a small house and spent some months writing music; they later explained that the unpopulated location kept them from distractions and that the majority of the process was "very basic".[8] Goldfrapp has said that the duo respect certain boundaries when writing lyrics,[9] referring to their studio sessions as a "democratic affair".[9] The lyrical content of the song "Number 1", which became the album's second single, is about the importance and meaning of relationships, even though they do not necessarily last.[8]

In an interview with College Music Journal, Goldfrapp explained that they had never intended to create dance music.[9] However, the singles released from Black Cherry were successes across nightclubs in North America, and as a result, they decided to write a more dance-oriented album.[10] Although this made the duo nervous, "Ooh La La" was the group's first song to feature the electric guitar.[11] Before its composition, the duo avoided the use of the guitar because of the guitar's overly recognizable rhythm.[9] Four-on-the-floor bass drums are also present on several of the album's tracks, and the piano ballad "Let It Take You" features evening-effects composed on a synthesizer.[12] "You Never Know" begins with Alison Goldfrapp executing a synthesized voice, supported by both pads and synthesizers.[12] Goldfrapp and Gregory have cited "Satin Chic" as their favourite song on Supernature.[12]

Alison Goldfrapp named the Roland String synth as one of her favourite keyboards.[11] "Number 1" features an old synth and a bass arrangement that the group began to use frequently after recording the song. Another Roland String model, the SH-09, is another favourite; she played the duo's song "Train" (2003) on it and enjoys the sounds that it makes.[11] Goldfrapp was also impressed by a Russian synth, enamored with its Russian-language writing.[11]

[edit] Critical response

Supernature received mixed reviews from pop 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".[13] Rolling Stone said the album was "toxic and delicious" and that "Supernature will make you do bad things — and like it".[14] However, Pitchfork Media reviewer Nitsuh Abebe was less impressed, and wrote that the album's 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."[15] 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".[16] All Music Guide reviewer Heather Phares called Supernature "Goldfrapp's most accessible album" and named "Ooh La La" as its best song.[17]

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"; he described the album as "one sharp recording".[18] Jessica Suarez of Spin magazine compared "Ooh La La" with Black Cherry's "Strict Machine", saying that "Ooh La La" sounds "so simplistic that [its] minimalist repetition occasionally teeters over into redundancy". She praised "Ride a White Horse" and "Fly Me Away" for featuring Alison Goldfrapp's "velvet-soft vocals, which stay that way even when heavily processed".[19] A less favourable reception came from Stylus magazine reviewer Edward Oculicz, who stated "Supernature is not a great album" and called several of its tracks too "dull".[20]

Rolling Stone magazine included the album in its list of the top fifty albums of 2006, ranking it at number thirty-two.[21] At the 2007 Grammy Awards, Goldfrapp received two nominations for "Best Electronic/Dance Album" and "Best Dance Recording" for "Ooh La La".[4]

[edit] Chart performance and sales

Supernature debuted on the UK albums chart at number two (blocked from the top position by James Blunt's Back to Bedlam), and sold 52,976 copies.[7] The album remained on the chart for thirty-one weeks, and was certified platinum on January 13, 2006.[22][5] In Australia, the album reached number twenty-three, although it received limited promotion.[22] The album reached the top forty in Austria, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland[22] and sold one million copies worldwide.[6]

Supernature became Goldfrapp's first release to chart on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States, where it peaked at number one-hundred thirty-eight.[3] It reached number three on the Top Heatseekers chart and number five on the Top Electronic Albums chart.[3] The album has sold 49,000 copies in the U.S. since its release in March 2006.[23]

[edit] Songs

 Audio samples:
  • "Let It Take You"
    The use of evening effects is layered over Goldfrapp's vocals throughout this ballad.
    "Ooh La La"
    A top-five single in the UK, it was Goldfrapp's first song to feature the electric guitar.
    "Satin Chic"
    Goldfrapp cited this song as their favourite on Supernature.
  • Problems playing the files? See media help.

"Ooh La La", Supernature's opening track, was chosen as its lead single "because it was up and in your face and it carried on the theme of the glammy, discoey beat from the last album".[24] It was the duo's first song to feature the electric guitar, and received positive reviews, often being noted as a highlight of the album.[25][17] In the United Kingdom, "Ooh La La" was Goldfrapp's most successful single release, reaching the top five.[2] It was also promoted in U.S. dance clubs, and peaked in the top ten of the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[10] The second track, "Lovely 2 C U", received mixed reviews from critics, with one reviewer stating that it was the "worst offender of sounding by-numbers, its lazy glam affectations sounding all the worse amid a chorus striking only in its complete dullness".[26][20]

Alison Goldfrapp performing "Number 1" at the Wireless Festival in June 2006.
Alison Goldfrapp performing "Number 1" at the Wireless Festival in June 2006.

"Ride a White Horse", the third single, was inspired by the disco era.[27] Like previous singles from the album, the song was another top-twenty single in the UK.[2] The ballads "You Never Know" and "Let it Take You" have minimal background electronics, and were generally well-received by critics, who drew comparisons to Goldfrapp's debut album Felt Mountain.[28][13] "Fly Me Away", another synth ballad, had an associated music video which featured Goldfrapp as an animated doll; the video, however, was never released.[29] The song was not heavily promoted and was less commercially successful than the other singles. "Slide In", an electroclash song about sex, and "Koko" were compared to Gary Numan's early compositions.[30][31] A remix of "Slide In" by DFA was released as a promotional single in the UK in early 2006.[32]

"Satin Chic" is a disco song with glam rock and cabaret influences, similar to early Elton John.[13] Cited by Goldfrapp and Gregory as their favourite song on Supernature, it was remixed by The Flaming Lips and issued as a limited edition single in September 2006.[12] The tenth track, "Time Out from the World", features an orchestra and whispered vocals by Goldfrapp. Critics liked the song, writing that it was an "exception to the prevailing style of Supernature" due to its "haunting, yet glamorous, atmospherics".[16][31] The album's closing track and second single, "Number 1", is about the importance and meaning of relationships.[8] The song, which is based around a synth and bass arrangement, reached the top ten in the UK and number one on the U.S. Dance Chart.[10]

[edit] Track listing

All tracks were written and composed by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, except where noted.

  1. "Ooh La La" – 3:23
  2. "Lovely 2 C U" – 3:25
  3. "Ride a White Horse" (Goldfrapp, Gregory, Nick Batt) – 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 editions of Supernature.

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

[edit] Personnel

The following people contributed to Supernature:[33]

[edit] Release History

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."

These are the formats of major album releases of Supernature.

Release format Country Cat. no. Release date
Regular album[34] Europe CDStumm250 August 22, 2005
U.S. regular album[35] U.S 9296-2 March 7, 2006
Deluxe edition[36] Europe LCDStumm250 August 22, 2005
Limited edition deluxe album[37] UK LCDStumm250 August 22, 2005
U.S. limited edition deluxe album[38] U.S. 9312-2 March 7, 2006
Vinyl album[39] UK Stumm250 August 22, 2005
Japanese edition[40] Japan TOCP-66432 August 2005
Canadian edition[41] Canada 094635886023 March 7, 2006

[edit] Charts

Charts (2005) Peak
position[22]
Australian Albums Chart 23
Austrian Albums Chart 33
Belgian Albums Chart 16
Dutch Albums Chart 36
French Albums Chart 43
German Albums Chart 26
Italian Albums Chart 36
New Zealand Albums Chart 35
Norwegian Albums Chart 36
Swiss Albums Chart 29
UK Albums Chart 2
Charts (2006) Peak
position[3]
U.S. Billboard 200 138
U.S. Billboard Top Electronic Albums 5
U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers 3

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Supernature by Goldfrapp". Metacritic.com. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c "UK Chart Archive". everyHit.com. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d "Billboard Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  4. ^ a b "2007 Grammy Award Nominations". Grammy Awards. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  5. ^ a b "British Platinum Certification for Supernature". British Phonographic Industry. January 13, 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  6. ^ a b "Goldfrapp Radio". Goldfrapp.com. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  7. ^ a b c "Week 34 Chart Roundup". ChartSingles.net. August 30, 2005. Retrieved February 18, 2006.
  8. ^ a b c Lash, Jolie. "Goldfrapp Unleash Supernature". Rolling Stone. March 7, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2006.
  9. ^ a b c d Grow, Kory. "British electro-duo Goldfrapp evens out the odds with their latest, Supernature". College Music Journal. Retrieved March 25, 2006.
  10. ^ a b c "Billboard U.S. Single Positions". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 27, 2006.
  11. ^ a b c d Gallant, Michael. "Retro Disco Ooh La La". Keyboard Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2006.
  12. ^ a b c d Supernature. North American DVD — "Little bits of Goldfrapp". Information about the recording of Supernature. Accessed March 27, 2006.
  13. ^ a b c Begrand, Adrien. "Goldfrapp – Supernature". PopMatters. September 19, 2005. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
  14. ^ Gitlin, Lauren. "Goldfrapp, Supernature (U.S. edition)". Rolling Stone. March 6, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
  15. ^ Abebe, Nitsuh. "Supernature by Goldfrapp". Pitchfork Media. September 1, 2005. Retrieved October 26, 2006.
  16. ^ a b Hubbard, Michael. "Goldfrapp – Supernature (Mute)". MusicOMH.com. August 22, 2005. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
  17. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Supernature (Goldfrapp)". All Music Guide. March 7, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2006.
  18. ^ Carver, Andrew. "CD review: Goldfrapp: Supernature". Jam Canoe. Retrieved March 27, 2006.
  19. ^ Suarez, Jessica. "Goldfrapp, Supernature". Spin magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2005.
  20. ^ a b Oculicz, Edward. "Goldfrapp; Supernature". Stylus magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2006.
  21. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of the Year". Rolling Stone. December 11, 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  22. ^ a b c d "World Music Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  23. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Ask Billboard". Billboard.com. August 3, 2006. Retrieved August 3, 2006.
  24. ^ van den Boogert, Kate. "ITV Goldfrapp: Ooh La La". GoGo Paris in England. July 6, 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  25. ^ Hubbard, Michael. ""Ooh La La" Single Review". MusicOMH.com. August 8, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  26. ^ Vernon, Polly. "Supernature Album Review". The Guardian. July 17, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  27. ^ Timmermans, Arjan. "Interview with Goldfrapp". ArjanWrites. December 9, 2005. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  28. ^ Empire, Kitty. "Alison's Wonderland". The Guardian. August 14, 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  29. ^ "Fly Me Away". Mute Records. Retrieved May 31, 2007.
  30. ^ Doran, John. "Supernature Album Review". PlayLouder. August 26, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  31. ^ a b Lynskey, Dorian. "Supernature Album Review". The Guardian. August 12, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  32. ^ ""Slide In" Promotional Single". Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  33. ^ Supernature (CD liner notes). Mute Records. August 2005.
  34. ^ "Supernature European CD". Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  35. ^ "Supernature U.S. CD". Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  36. ^ "Supernature European Deluxe CD". Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  37. ^ "Supernature Limited Deluxe CD". Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  38. ^ "Supernature U.S. Deluxe CD". Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  39. ^ "Supernature Vinyl". Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  40. ^ "Supernature Japanese CD". Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  41. ^ "Supernature Canadian CD". Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved June 16, 2007.


v • d • e
Goldfrapp
Related articles – Alison Goldfrapp – Will Gregory – Goldfrapp discography
Studio albums
Felt Mountain – Black Cherry – Supernature – Seventh Tree
Compilations
Singles
"Lovely Head" – "Utopia" – "Human" – "Utopia (Genetically Enriched)" – "Pilots" – "Train" – "Strict Machine" – "Twist" – "Black Cherry" – "Ooh La La" – "Number 1" – "Ride a White Horse" – "Fly Me Away" – "Satin Boys, Flaming Chic" – "A&E" – "Happiness" – "Caravan Girl"
Related article
Languages