Supernature (Goldfrapp album)

Infobox Album
Name = Supernature
Type = Studio
Artist = Goldfrapp


Released = Start date|2005|8|22|df=yes
Recorded = 2004, Bath, England
Genre = Electroclash
Electropop
Length = 43:18 (European edition)
48:07 (North American & Japanese edition)
Label = Mute, EMI, Virgin
Producer = Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Axr7ibk59fakb link]
*"The Guardian" Rating|4|5 [http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/story/0,11712,1547203,00.html link]
*"NME" (8/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/11996.htm link]
*Pitchfork Media (7/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/18146-supernature link]
*PlayLouder Rating|5|5 [http://www.playlouder.com/review/+supernature/ link]
*PopMatters (7/10) [http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/g/goldfrapp-supernature.shtml link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/9408363/rid/9437758/ link]
Last album = "Black Cherry"
(2003)
This album = "Supernature"
(2005)
Next album = "We Are Glitter"
(2006)Singles
Name = Supernature
Type = studio
single 1 = Ooh La La
single 1 date = 8 August 2005
single 2 = Number 1
single 2 date = 31 October 2005
single 3 = Ride a White Horse
single 3 date = 13 February 2006
single 4 = Fly Me Away
single 4 date = 1 May 2006

"Supernature" is the third album by British electronic duo Goldfrapp. It was released by Mute Records on 22 August 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. [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/goldfrapp/supernature?q=supernature "Supernature" by Goldfrapp"] . Metacritic.com. Retrieved 16 June 2007.] "Supernature" was a top five album in Goldfrapp's native United Kingdom, and its lead single "Ooh La La" was a top five single. [http://www.everyhit.com/ "UK Chart Archive"] . everyHit.com. Retrieved 28 February 2008.] In North America, where "Number 1" was promoted as the first single, the album was released on 7 March 2006, peaking low on the Billboard charts. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=408637&model.vnuAlbumId=741463 "Billboard Chart History"] . Billboard.com. Retrieved 29 May 2007.]

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". [http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/49th_Show/list.aspx#02 "2007 Grammy Award Nominations"] . Grammy Awards. Retrieved 29 May 2007.] In January 2006, the album was certified platinum in the UK, and has sold one million copies worldwide as of early 2007. [http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=32501 "British Platinum Certification for "Supernature"] . British Phonographic Industry. 13 January 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2007.] [http://goldfrapp.com/radio/ "Goldfrapp Radio"] . Goldfrapp.com. Retrieved 29 May 2007.]

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", [http://www.chartsingles.net/news/music-news/1252/ "Week 34 Chart Roundup"] . ChartSingles.net. 30 August 2005. Retrieved 18 February 2006.] and said that she was inspired by artists such as Donna Summer and New Order.

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".Lash, Jolie. [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/9440429/goldfrapp_unleash_supernature?rnd=1143215823390&has-player=true&version=6.0.8.1024 "Goldfrapp Unleash "Supernature"] . "Rolling Stone". 7 March 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2006.] Goldfrapp has said that the duo respect certain boundaries when writing lyrics,Grow, Kory. [http://cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=9547290 "British electro-duo Goldfrapp evens out the odds with their latest, "Supernature"] . "College Music Journal". Retrieved 25 March 2006.] referring to their studio sessions as a "democratic affair". 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.

In an interview with "College Music Journal", Goldfrapp explained that they had never intended to create dance music. 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. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=408637&model.vnuAlbumId=766707 "Billboard U.S. Single Positions"] . Billboard.com. Retrieved 27 March 2006.] Although this made the duo nervous, "Ooh La La" was the group's first song to feature the electric guitar.Gallant, Michael. [http://www.keyboardmag.com/story.asp?sectioncode=29&storycode=12983 "Retro Disco Ooh La La"] . "Keyboard Magazine". Retrieved 25 March 2006.] Before its composition, the duo avoided the use of the guitar because of the guitar's overly recognizable rhythm. 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."Supernature". North American DVD — "Little bits of Goldfrapp". Information about the recording of "Supernature". Accessed 27 March 2006.] "You Never Know" begins with Alison Goldfrapp executing a synthesized voice, supported by both pads and synthesizers. Goldfrapp and Gregory have cited "Satin Chic" as their favourite song on "Supernature".

Alison Goldfrapp named the Roland String synth as one of her favourite keyboards. "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. Goldfrapp was also impressed by a Russian synth, enamored with its Russian-language writing.

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".Begrand, Adrien. [http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/g/goldfrapp-supernature.shtml "Goldfrapp – "Supernature"] . PopMatters. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 24 March 2006.] "Rolling Stone" said the album was "toxic and delicious" and that "Supernature" will make you do bad things — and like it". [Gitlin, Lauren. [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/9408363/rid/9437758/?rnd=1143207967765&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.1212 "Goldfrapp, Supernature (U.S. edition)] ". "Rolling Stone". 6 March 2006. Retrieved 24 March 2006.] 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." [Abebe, Nitsuh. [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/18146/Goldfrapp_Supernature "Supernature" by Goldfrapp"] . Pitchfork Media. 1 September 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2006.] 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".Hubbard, Michael. [http://www.musicomh.com/albums4/goldfrapp-3_0705.htm "Goldfrapp – Supernature (Mute)"] . MusicOMH.com. 22 August 2005. Retrieved 24 March 2006.] Allmusic reviewer Heather Phares called "Supernature" "Goldfrapp's most accessible album" and named "Ooh La La" as its best song.Phares, Heather. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Axr7ibk59fakb "Supernature (Goldfrapp)"] . Allmusic. 7 March 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2006.]

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". [Carver, Andrew. [http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2006/03/24/1503872-sun.html "CD review: Goldfrapp: "Supernature"] . "Jam" Canoe. Retrieved 27 March 2006.] 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". [Suarez, Jessica. [http://www.spin.com/reviews/online/2006/03/060310_goldfrapp/ "Goldfrapp, "Supernature"] . "Spin" magazine. Retrieved 27 March 2005.] 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".Oculicz, Edward. [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3304 "Goldfrapp; "Supernature"] . "Stylus" magazine. Retrieved 27 March 2006.]

"Rolling Stone" magazine included the album in its list of the top fifty albums of 2006, ranking it at number thirty-two. [ [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/12800635/the_top_50_albums_of_2006/7 "The Top 50 Albums of the Year"] . "Rolling Stone". 11 December 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2007.] At the 2007 Grammy Awards, Goldfrapp received two nominations for "Best Electronic/Dance Album" and "Best Dance Recording" for "Ooh La La".

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. The album remained on the chart for thirty-one weeks, and was certified platinum on 13 January 2006. [http://acharts.us/album/15280 "World Music Charts"] . aCharts.us. Retrieved 29 May 2007.] In Australia, the album reached number twenty-three, although it received limited promotion. The album reached the top forty in Austria, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland and sold one million copies worldwide.

"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. It reached number three on the Top Heatseekers chart and number five on the Top Electronic Albums chart. The album has sold 49,000 copies in the US since its release in March 2006. [Caulfield, Keith. [http://billboard.com/bbcom/ask_bb/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002950226 "Ask Billboard"] . Billboard.com. 3 August 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2006. ]

ongs

"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". [van den Boogert, Kate. [http://goldfrapp.free.fr/php/home.php?type=PRESS&id=1132&year=05 "ITV Goldfrapp: Ooh La La"] . "GoGo Paris in England". 6 July 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2007.] 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. [Hubbard, Michael. [http://www.musicomh.com/singles/goldfrapp-7_0705.htm ""Ooh La La" Single Review"] . MusicOMH.com. 8 August 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2007.] In the United Kingdom, "Ooh La La" was Goldfrapp's most successful single release, reaching the top five. It was also promoted in U.S. dance clubs, and peaked in the top ten of the "Billboard" Hot Dance Club Play chart. 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". [Vernon, Polly. [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/reviews/story/0,13875,1527822,00.html "Supernature" Album Review"] . "The Guardian". 17 July 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2007.]

"Ride a White Horse", the third single, was inspired by the disco era. [Timmermans, Arjan. [http://www.arjanwrites.com/arjanwrites/2005/12/meeting_goldfra.html "Interview with Goldfrapp"] . ArjanWrites. 9 December 2005. Retrieved 13 June 2007.] Like previous singles from the album, the song was another top-twenty single in the UK. 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". [Empire, Kitty. [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1548754,00.html "Alison's Wonderland"] . "The Guardian". 14 August 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2007.] "Fly Me Away", another synth ballad, had an associated music video which featured Goldfrapp as an animated doll; the video, however, was never released. [ [http://www.mute.com/releases/viewRelease.jsp?showPrices=false&id=4846825 "Fly Me Away"] . Mute Records. Retrieved 31 May 2007.] 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. [Doran, John. [http://playlouder.com/review/+supernature/ "Supernature" Album Review"] . PlayLouder. 26 August 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2007.] Lynskey, Dorian. [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,11712,1547203,00.html "Supernature" Album Review"] . "The Guardian". 12 August 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2007.] A remix of "Slide In" by DFA was released as a promotional single in the UK in early 2006. [ [http://goldfrapp.free.fr/php/home.php?sscat=126&cat=103&type=VINYL ""Slide In" Promotional Single"] . Goldfrapp.free.fr. Retrieved 30 May 2007.]

"Satin Chic" is a disco song with glam rock and cabaret influences, similar to early Elton John. 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. 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". The album's closing track and second single, "Number 1", is about the importance and meaning of relationships. 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. North American and Japanese versions of the album concluded with the B-side to the "Number 1" single, "Beautiful", a track with an electroclash sensibility reminiscent of songs from Goldfrapp's previous album "Black Cherry". [http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/goldfrapp/reviews/8664]

Track listing

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

# "Ooh La La" – 3:23
# "Lovely 2 C U" – 3:25
# "Ride a White Horse" (Goldfrapp, Gregory, Nick Batt) – 4:42
# "You Never Know" – 3:27
# "Let It Take You" – 4:30
# "Fly Me Away" – 4:25
# "Slide In" – 4:17
# "Koko" – 3:23
# "Satin Chic" – 3:28
# "Time Out from the World" – 4:47
# "Number 1" – 3:25

Bonus tracks

All bonus tracks appear on the Japanese and US editions of "Supernature"
#

"Beautiful" – 4:51

European special edition

* Supernature in 5.1 & Stereo
* Little bits of Goldfrapp: documentary
* Jakko and the poet in Frappworld
* Photo gallery of Goldfrapp

US special edition

* Supernature in 5.1 & Stereo (excluding bonus track "Beautiful")
* Music videos of "Ooh La La" and "Number 1", live video of "Ride A White Horse" and special performance of "Satin Chic"
* Little bits of Goldfrapp: documentary
* Jakko and the poet in Frappworld
* Photo gallery of Goldfrapp
* Ooh La La (little pictures video)

Personnel

The following people contributed to "Supernature": ["Supernature" (CD liner notes). Mute Records. August 2005.]
*Alison Goldfrapp – lead vocals, backing vocals, synthesizer, art direction
*Nick Batt – synthesizer, programming
*Will Gregory, Daniel Miller – synthesizer
*Adrian Utley – guitar, bass
*Charlie Jones – bass
*Dave Power – drums
*Ewan Pearson – programming
*Nick Ingman – orchestra lead
*Steve R. Evans – engineering
*Mat Bartram, Alex Dromgoole, Richard Edgeler, Tim Roe – assistant engineering
*Dave Bascombe, Mark "Spike" Stent, Jeremy Wheatley, Paul PDub Walton – mixing
*Lee Groves – mixing programming
*Ted Jensen – mastering
*Rachel Thomas – set design
*Mat Maitland, Gerard Saint – art direction

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".

References