Goldfrapp

If you’re expecting any pretty feather boas, sparkly disco-balls or sashaying deer heads, leave now. Goldfrapp are back and the pair are in a thoroughly folky state of mind. Gone are the dirty disco beats, whip-cracking erotica and tassels. And there’s not a Swiss mountain-top yodel in sight. Enough about what it isn’t… let’s talk about what it is, as firmly in its place is an ethereal ode to the haunted English landscape of Scott Walker, Nick Drake and Kate Bush. A dramatic departure away from 2005’s ‘Supernature’, the record is a sparse, patchwork collection of lamenting electro-pop tracks and willowy orchestral ballads. Basking in the afternoon light of opium-induced, string-fuelled reverie, ‘Seventh Tree’ is bound to ruffle a few electro-feathered fans, but there’s no denying it’s a venture that sets the pair into new experimental territory.

Kat Lister

6 out of 10