A&E :: Goldfrapp

Guest Blogger::Krista

I've liked Goldfrapp in the past for incredibly sultry dance music, especially Ooh La La and Ride a White Horse. It seems like no one can talk about the new Goldfrapp without contrasting it to the old Goldfrapp and making a big deal of "how different" Seventh Tree is, but I say it's not that big of a departure. Sure, it's not the same pulsing electro-pop that I crank before I go dancing and makes me wish I wasn't too scared to take Ecstasy, but the synth stuff is still there.

Let's talk about the video for a minute here. It's almost like the band is even acknowledging the new direction they've taken with a video motif that's less industrial or electronic than they've used in the past. Here we have Alison singing by herself in the middle of the woods in a flowy white tunic on a gorgeous fall day--the more natural and organic elements seem to be a visual recognition of the new toned-down and organic sound. Again, I would say there's more of a mixing of old and new here. It's not the kind of video we're used to seeing from them, but there's still that Goldfrapp quirkiness that we love so much. Alison doesn't come riding in a horse made from a mirrored disco ball like she does in Ooh La La, but she is being worshipped in the woods by a horde of leaf-people, for Chrissake.

What gets me about A & E is that it really gives Alison Goldfrapp a chance to show off her pretty impressive range. This is different from the band's earlier stuff, but I would say it's a welcome change. The classic Goldfrapp kind of kept her voice in one end of the scale for an entire song, probably because that kind of repetition lends itself well to decent dance pop. In A&E, she sings these warm low tones in the verses but still gets into the high-energy falsetto in the chorus and builds into a pretty powerful bridge and ending. The electronic junk even makes a good play at this point; but instead of pounding into your skull and forcing you to dance your ass off, it makes you lean forward and just listen a little harder.



A&E::Goldfrapp

It's a blue, bright blue Saturday, ay, ay
And the pain has started to slip away, ay, ay

I'm in a backless dress on a pastel ward, the shining.
Think I want you still
But it may be pills at work

Do you really wanna know how I was dancing on the floor?
I was trying to fool you when I'm crawling up the door
And theres a tune at things you say that you don't do
Why don't you ring?

I was feeling lonely, feeling low
Feeling like I needed you
Like I'm waking up surrounded by me
A&E

It's a blue, bright blue Saturday, ay, ay
And the pain has started to slip away, ay, ay

I'm in a backless dress on a pastel ward, the shining
Think I want you still
But it may be pills at work

How did I get to accident, emergency?
All I wanted was you to take me out high
I was feeling lonely, feeling low
Feeling like I needed you
Like I hoped you'd call and hoped you'd see me
A&E