Supernature

Using glam rock and disco beats from the seventies, dressing them up in the electronica of the eighties, adding the sophistication of nineties pop and sprinkling with indie essence from the noughties, might seem like a strenuous route to get success. Goldfrapp made it look easy on their 2005 smash hit album "Supernature". Alison Goldfrapp had come a long way from her debut, ten years before, with Orbital. Joining up with Will Gregory had released the muse within Alison, firstly on the beautifully dreamy trip-hop surprise "Felt Mountain" and then on the more daring "Black Cherry" - a glittering album of fairy tale meets nature via the hot sweaty floor of your local nightclub. Now here on "Supernature" we were witnessing an entirely more confident animal, strutting her stuff and displaying her talents as a peacock does it's tail feathers.

Apart from the four singles lifted from the album: "Ooh La La", "Number 1", "Ride A White Horse" and "Fly Me Away" there were plenty of other highlights. The first ballad on the album, "You Never Know", seems to have an obvious Kate Bush influence and in sound is the nearest to the sort of music that appeared on their debut album. The breathy tones of Alison's voice against a sparse electronic background on "Let It Take You" has the effect of mesmerising the listener and drawing you into the song completely. "Slide In" and "Koko", which both appear to be about sex, also seem to share an influence from Gary Numan in their style.
"Satin Chic" sounds like a cross between a song from Cabaret on steroids and Lieutenant Pigeon's "Mouldy Old Dough", which sounds like a terrible concept but works really well. "Time Out From The World" has a title that would be a perfect fit for a Bond theme and the song wouldn't be out of place in that setting either. The orchestration takes it from being an ordinary song to one of their best compositions...imo.

The singles were all received well, although the fourth single to be released, "Fly Me Away", was not given the promotion it deserved and it's original cartoon video was not released. "Ooh La La", inspired by T.Rex, is still the band's biggest seller and highest placing chart single. If you're looking for an album to dance around the house to as you get ready for a night out, or an album stuffed with great hooks and sing-a-long songs, or superb use of synthesisers that swirl and soar in all the right places, then most of the tracks on here will certainly fit the bill...whichever you are looking for.

Ooh La La

Number 1

Ride A White Horse

Fly Me Away

(The unreleased video)