Tales of Us

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Tales of Us
Studio album by Goldfrapp
Released 6 September 2013 (2013-09-06)
Recorded April 2011 – May 2013
Bath, Somerset; London
Genre Folktronica, dream pop, ambient, trip hop, downtempo, baroque pop
Length 44:42
Label Mute
Producer Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory
Goldfrapp chronology

The Singles
(2012)		 Tales of Us
(2013)
Singles from Tales of Us
  1. "Drew"
    Released: 15 July 2013 (2013-07-15)
  2. "Annabel"
    Released: 2 September 2013 (2013-09-02)
  3. "Thea"
    Released: 2 March 2014 (2014-03-02)

Tales of Us is the sixth studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, released on 6 September 2013 by Mute Records.

Background and release

Goldfrapp began recording their sixth studio album in April 2011,[1] recording in the English countryside, then mixing in London.[2][3] A re-launch of the band's official website was synchronised with the announcement, which featured a video trailer directed by Lisa Gunning.[4][5] The duo débuted songs from Tales of Us at the Manchester International Festival on 17 and 18 July 2013.[2]

The track "Drew" premiered on 15 July 2013 on Lauren Laverne's BBC Radio 6 Music morning show.[6][7] Within hours, the full Lisa Gunning-directed "Drew" music video was uploaded to the duo's website and to YouTube.[8] On 2 September 2013, Goldfrapp announced via Twitter that expectations of a "Drew" release that day were the result of misunderstandings and it would not be made available for sale before the album.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 74/100[10]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [11]
Clash 7/10[12]
The Guardian [13]
The Independent [14]
Mojo [15]
musicOMH [16]
NME 5/10[17]
Pitchfork Media 6.1/10[18]
PopMatters 7/10[19]
Slant Magazine [20]

Tales of Us has received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 25 reviews.[10] AllMusic's wrote that although "Tales of Us isn't as immediate as, say, Supernature", it is "Goldfrapp's most sophisticated work to date, and one of their most consistently satisfying albums."[11] Jordan Mainzer of musicOMH viewed the album's aesthetic as "striking" and "noticeably starker than anything [Goldfrapp have] made before", concluding, "This is real music, about real people, dealing in real emotion. That it sounds so gorgeously lush too is mere icing on a very rich cake."[16] Andy Gill of The Independent stated, "The delicate guitar and piano figures and the sombre languor of strings behind Alison Goldfrapp's breathy vocals create something akin to a cross between the dreamlike mythopoeism of old folk tales and the lush cinematic arrangements of Michel Legrand."[14]

Mojo critic David Hutcheon opined that compared to Felt Mountain and Seventh Tree, "the mood [on Tales of Us] is all of a piece, the songs are stronger, and nobody suggests lightening the atmosphere with a high-energy single to reassure listeners that Alison hasn't taken leave of her senses."[15] Slant Magazine's Blue Sullivan praised the vocals as "simultaneously gorgeous and terrifying" and dubbed the album "a vital change of pace for Alison Goldfrapp, who's made a brilliant career of being the siren of lost souls."[20] Ryan Lathan of PopMatters noted that "Alison has rarely sounded this captivating and the album contains some of the loveliest vocal performances she's recorded thus far." Lathan continued, "Goldfrapp have seemingly rekindled their creative fires and the result is a challenging and devastatingly beautiful record."[19]

Will Salmon of Clash called the album a "frequently beautiful return to form" and commented that "Tales Of Us is relentlessly one note but frequently beautiful, and a welcome change from the theatrics of its immediate predecessor, 2010's Head First"[12] In a more mixed review, Pitchfork Media's Andrew Ryce felt that "some of the duo's unique imagination is replaced with a traditionalism that feels incongruous with the rest of their career", adding that "[d]iehard fans of Goldfrapp will no doubt find something to love here, but for the rest of us, it's a thin record that doesn't do much to prop up its skeletal frame."[18] The Guardian's Dave Simpson argued that "the tunes don't all carry the album's single pace. As a result, Tales of Us is slightly more mesmerising soundscape than collection of genuinely outstanding songs."[13] Jeremy Allen of the NME was negative in his review and panned the album as "samey and indulgent".[17]

Commercial performance

Tales of Us débuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 13,817 copies, earning Goldfrapp their fourth consecutive top ten studio album.[21] The album fell to number nineteen the following week, selling 4,484 units.[22] Internationally, Tales of Us reached the top ten in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, and the top twenty in Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway and Portugal.[23][24]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory. 
No. Title Length
1. "Jo"   4:38
2. "Annabel"   4:01
3. "Drew"   4:46
4. "Ulla"   3:49
5. "Alvar"   5:37
6. "Thea"   4:50
7. "Simone"   4:18
8. "Stranger"   4:12
9. "Laurel"   4:10
10. "Clay"   4:20

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tales of Us.[25]

Goldfrapp
Additional personnel

  • Sa Dingding – guest vocals
  • John Dent – mastering
  • Annemarieke van Drimmelen – photography
  • Steve Evans – additional programming (3, 6, 7, 10)
  • Fascination Management – management
  • Greg Freeman – additional engineering (1, 3–5, 10)
  • Lenka Rayn H. – additional photography
  • Nick Ingman – string conducting, string scoring
  • Aidan Love – additional programming (7)
  • Mat Maitland – art direction
  • Eduardo de la Paz – assistant mixing (all tracks); additional engineering (7)
  • Julie Rubio – image treatments
  • Craig Silvey – mixing
  • Gary Thomas – string engineering

Charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[26] 15
Austrian Albums Chart[27] 24
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[23] 6
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[28] 14
Czech Albums Chart[29] 42
Danish Albums Chart[30] 23
Dutch Albums Chart[31] 16
Finnish Albums Chart[32] 32
French Albums Chart[33] 33
German Albums Chart[34] 9
Irish Albums Chart[24] 15
Irish Independent Albums Chart[35] 4
Italian Albums Chart[36] 38
Norwegian Albums Chart[37] 19
Portuguese Albums Chart[38] 14
Scottish Albums Chart[39] 5
Spanish Albums Chart[40] 47
Swiss Albums Chart[41] 8
UK Albums Chart[42] 4
UK Indie Albums Chart[43] 3
US Billboard 200[44] 75
US Alternative Albums[45] 16
US Independent Albums[46] 16

Release history

Region Date Label Format(s)
Australia[47] 6 September 2013 Mute Records
Germany[48]
  • CD
  • LP+CD
  • digital download
Ireland[49]
  • CD
  • digital download
Netherlands[50]
  • CD
  • LP+CD
France[51] 9 September 2013
  • CD
  • LP+CD
  • digital download
Italy[52]
Netherlands[53] Digital download
Sweden[54]
United Kingdom[55]
  • CD
  • LP+CD
  • digital download
United States[56] 10 September 2013
  • CD
  • digital download
Sweden[57] 11 September 2013 CD
United Kingdom[58] November 2013 Deluxe box set

References

  1. ↑ Corner, Lewis (11 April 2011). "Goldfrapp 'start work on new album'". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rettig, James (11 June 2013). "Goldfrapp Announces 'Tales of Us' Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 
  3. ↑ "Goldfrapp reveal new album is coming". The Line of Best Fit. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Goldfrapp to release new album 'Tales of Us' in September". NME. IPC Media. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 
  5. ↑ Copsey, Robert (11 June 2013). "Goldfrapp reveal new album title, artwork". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 
  6. ↑ "Nile Rodgers joins Lauren". BBC Radio 6 Music. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Timeline Photos". Facebook. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013. 
  8. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Drew". YouTube. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013. 
  9. ↑ "someone got a bit muddled with ...". Twitter. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Tales of Us – Goldfrapp". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Phares, Heather. "Tales of Us – Goldfrapp". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 8 September 2013. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Salmon, Will (27 August 2013). "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us". Clash. Retrieved 18 September 2013. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Simpson, Dave (5 September 2013). "Goldfrapp: Tales of Us – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2013. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Gill, Andy (7 September 2013). "Album: Goldfrapp, Tales of Us (Mute)". The Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2013. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Hutcheon, David (September 2013). "The evil I". Mojo (238): 84–85. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Mainzer, Jordan (10 September 2013). "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us". musicOMH. Retrieved 15 September 2013. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Allen, Jeremy (5 September 2013). "Goldfrapp – 'Tales Of Us'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 18 September 2013. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Ryce, Andrew (12 September 2013). "Goldfrapp: Tales of Us". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 18 September 2013. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lathan, Ryan (13 September 2013). "Goldfrapp: Tales of Us". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 September 2013. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Sullivan, Blue (9 September 2013). "Goldfrapp: Tales of Us". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 9 September 2013. 
  21. ↑ Jones, Alan (16 September 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Arctic Monkeys' AM doubles predecessor's week-one sales". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 16 September 2013. 
  22. ↑ Jones, Alan (23 September 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Arctic Monkeys beat Avicii to No.1 on albums chart". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 9 October 2013.  (subscription required)
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2013. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Top 100 Artist Album, Week Ending 12 September 2013". Chart-Track. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 14 September 2013. 
  25. ↑ Tales of Us (CD liner notes). Goldfrapp. Mute Records. 2013. CDSTUMM356.
  26. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2013. 
  27. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2013. 
  28. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2013. 
  29. ↑ "TOP50 Prodejní: GOLDFRAPP – Tales Of Us" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 5 October 2013. 
  30. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us" (in Danish). danishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2013. 
  31. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2013. 
  32. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2013. 
  33. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2013. 
  34. ↑ "Goldfrapp, Tales Of Us" (in German). charts.de. Media Control. Retrieved 16 September 2013. 
  35. ↑ "Top 10 Independent Artist Albums, Week Ending 12 September 2013". Chart-Track. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 14 September 2013. 
  36. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 37 (dal 09-09-2013 al 15-09-2013)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 20 September 2013. 
  37. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2013. 
  38. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us". portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2013. 
  39. ↑ "2013 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013. 
  40. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us". spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2013. 
  41. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Tales Of Us". swisscharts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2013. 
  42. ↑ "2013 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013. 
  43. ↑ "2013 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013. 
  44. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 September 2013. 
  45. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Chart history: Alternative Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 September 2013. 
  46. ↑ "Goldfrapp – Chart history: Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 September 2013. 
  47. ↑
  48. ↑
  49. ↑
  50. ↑
  51. ↑
  52. ↑
  53. ↑ "Tales of Us by Goldfrapp". iTunes Store Netherlands. Apple. Retrieved 9 September 2013. 
  54. ↑ "Tales of Us by Goldfrapp". iTunes Store Sweden. Apple. Retrieved 9 September 2013. 
  55. ↑
  56. ↑
  57. ↑ "Tales Of Us – Goldfrapp" (in Swedish). CDON.se. Retrieved 9 September 2013. 
  58. ↑ "Tales of Us – Deluxe Box Set". goldfrapp.com. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 


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