Felt Mountain
| Felt Mountain | ||||
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| Studio album by Goldfrapp | ||||
| Released | 11 September 2000 | |||
| Recorded | September 1999 – February 2000 in Wiltshire, England | |||
| Genre | Electronic, trip hop[1] | |||
| Length | 39:32 | |||
| Label | Mute | |||
| Producer | Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory | |||
| Goldfrapp chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Felt Mountain | ||||
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Felt Mountain is the debut album by English electronic duo Goldfrapp. It was released in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2000 by Mute Records. The album features Alison Goldfrapp's synthesized vocals in cinematic scope,[2] and takes influence from a variety of music styles such as 1960s pop, cabaret, folk and electronica.[1][2]
Felt Mountain peaked at number fifty-seven in Goldfrapp's native United Kingdom,[3] and was certified gold in October 2001.[4] It was generally well-received by music critics, and it was described as "simultaneously smarmy and seductive, yet elegant and graceful".[5] In 2001, the album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, an annual music prize awarded for the best British or Irish album from the previous year.[6]
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[edit] Recording and production
Goldfrapp signed a recording contract with London-based record label Mute Records in August 1999.[2] The pair began recording their debut album over a six-month period, beginning in September 1999, in a rented bungalow in the Wiltshire countryside.[2] The recording process was difficult for Alison Goldfrapp, who was often alone and disturbed by the mice and insects in the bungalow.[2] Gregory described their recording sessions as intense because he was unaccustomed to composing with others.[7] Goldfrapp contributed the album's lyrics, and Gregory and Goldfrapp composed the music together.[7] The lyrics are abstract obsessional tales inspired by films, Goldfrapp's childhood, and the loneliness she felt while recording the album.[2] Musically, the album takes influence from a variety of styles including 1960s pop, cabaret, folk, and electronica.[1]
[edit] Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| entertainment.ie | (favourable)[8] |
| Flak Magazine | (favourable)[9] |
| musicOMH | (favorable)[10] |
| NME | (6/10)[11] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.0/10)[5] |
Felt Mountain received generally positive reviews from pop music critics. Allmusic reviewer Heather Phares referred to the album as a "strange and beautiful mix of the romantic, eerie, and world-weary" and named it "one of 2000's most impressive debuts."[1] Eric Wittmershaus of Flak Magazine called Felt Mountain "an enchanting, accessible debut" and cited "Human" and "Deer Stop" as its best songs.[9] In a review for Pitchfork Media, Matt LeMay described the album as "elegant and graceful", but found that the "songs aren't all that different from one another."[5] Sacha Esterson of musicOMH compared Felt Mountain to Portishead and wrote that it could be a "contender for the year's best album".[10] Andrew Lynch of entertainment.ie noted that "[a]lthough at times it feel [sic] a little contrived, for the most part this is stylishly decadent music that should appeal to all fans of film noir."[8] NME called the album "cold, desolate and old-fashioned" and argued that Felt Mountain was not a "bad concept" except that "Portishead got there first, and managed to update the spy-film vibe with a hefty dose of break-driven twilight melancholia."[11]
Q magazine included the album on its list of the top fifty albums of 2000.[12] The following year, Felt Mountain was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, an annual music prize awarded for the best British or Irish album from the previous year.[6] In 2006, the album was included in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[13]
In November 2009, The Times ranked Felt Mountain at number sixteen on its list of the 100 best pop albums of the noughties.[14] The album was placed at number ninety-four on Slant Magazine's list of the best albums of the 2000s.[15]
[edit] Chart performance
Felt Mountain debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 144, selling 914 copies in its first week.[16] In 2001, the album peaked at number fifty-seven, and has sold 177,096 copies as of August 2005.[16] Felt Mountain was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry on 12 October 2001.[4] In France, the album reached number forty-eight, and remained on the albums chart for eleven weeks.[17] It reached the top forty in Germany[18] and the top fifty in Australia[19] and Austria.[20] Felt Mountain received limited promotion in North America, and did not appear on any major album charts. The album has sold 52,000 copies in the United States as of August 2006.[21]
[edit] Songs
"Lovely Head", Felt Mountain's opening track, features high lonesome whistling and heavily processed vocals. The song was described as influenced by Shirley Bassey and released as the album's lead single.[22] The second track, "Paper Bag", is about being obsessed with someone and not being able to have them.[23] It is followed by the third single "Human", a track with a mambo-style beat.[23] The fourth song, "Pilots", which describes travelers floating in the atmosphere above the earth, was inspired by John Barry's James Bond theme songs.[23] In the United Kingdom, a remixed version of the song was released as a single, reaching number sixty-eight on the UK Singles Chart.[24]
The ballad "Deer Stop" features childlike vocals and sexually suggestive lyrics.[5] The title track was influenced by Goldfrapp's "idea of a wolf being whipped in this little Tudor house overlooking a snowy landscape".[23] "Oompa Radar", the seventh track, was inspired by Roman Polanski's 1966 film Cul-de-Sac.[23] The cabaret-influenced song uses a flugelhorn and a cuckoo clock to switch between tempos.[22][9] "Utopia" was released as the album's second single. The album closes with "Horse Tears", a minimalist piano ballad with filtered vocals.[9]
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, except where noted.[1]
- "Lovely Head" – 3:49
- "Paper Bag" – 4:05
- "Human" (Tim Norfolk, Bob Locke, Goldfrapp, Gregory) – 4:36
- "Pilots" – 4:29
- "Deer Stop" – 4:06
- "Felt Mountain" – 4:17
- "Oompa Radar" – 4:42
- "Utopia" – 4:18
- "Horse Tears" – 5:10
- Special edition bonus CD[1]
- "Pilots (On a Star)" – 3:57
- "U.K. Girls (Physical)" (Olivia Newton-John cover) – 4:52
- "Lovely Head" (Miss World Mix) – 3:51
- "Utopia" (New Ears Mix) – 3:10
- "Human" (Calexico Vocal) – 4:50
- "Human" (Massey's Cro-Magnon Mix) – 5:56
- "Utopia" (Tom Middleton's Cosmos Vocal Mix) – 8:19
- A Trip to Felt Mountain
[edit] Personnel
The following people contributed to Felt Mountain:[25]
- Alison Goldfrapp – lead vocals, backing vocals, whistling, keyboards
- Nick Batt – synthesizer, bass, percussion, programming, mixing, engineering
- Will Gregory – synthesizer, keyboards, string arrangements, brass arrangements
- Adrian Utley – bass
- Tony Orrell, John Parish – drums
- Rowen Oliver – percussion
- Andy Bush – flugelhorn
- John Cornick – trombone
- Stuart Gordon – violin, viola
- B. Waghorn – saxophone
- Rowen Oliver – string ensemble
- Dave Bascombe, Kevin Paul – mixing
- David Lord, Kevin Paul – engineering
- John Dent – mastering
[edit] Charts
[edit] Weekly charts
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[edit] Certifications
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[edit] Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format(s) | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 11 September 2000 | Mute Records | CD, LP, digital download | STUMM188[27] |
| 15 October 2001 | CD (limited edition) | |||
| United States | 19 September 2000 | CD, digital download | MUTE9135[28] | |
| Spain | October 2001 | Everlasting Records | CD, digital download | EVERCD150l[29] |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Phares, Heather. "Felt Mountain [Bonus Disc] – Goldfrapp". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/felt-mountain-bonus-disc-r562398. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Simpson, Dave (4 May 2001). "Interview with Alison Goldfrapp". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2001/may/04/artsfeatures. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ a b "Chart Stats – Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain". The Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=48242. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ a b c "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. 12 October 2001. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/Search.aspx. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d LeMay, Matt (19 September 2000). "Goldfrapp: Felt Mountain". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/3504-felt-mountain/. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
- ^ a b "Mercury Music Prize: The nominees". BBC News. BBC News Online. 25 July 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1454491.stm. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
- ^ a b Flinn, Sean (25 January 2002). "Scaling Felt Mountain". Choler Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20090205185946/http://cholermagazine.com/articles/goldfrapp.shtml. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ a b Lynch, Andrew (15 September 2000). "Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain". entertainment.ie. http://entertainment.ie/album-review/Goldfrapp-Felt-Mountain/786.htm. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d Wittmershaus, Eric (10 October 2000). "Review of Goldfrapp's Felt Mountain". Flak Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20090205184023/http://flakmag.com/music/felt.html. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
- ^ a b Esterson, Sacha. "Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain (Mute)". musicOMH. http://www.musicomh.com/albums/goldfrapp.htm. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
- ^ a b "Felt Mountain". NME. IPC Media. 12 September 2000. http://www.nme.com/reviews/goldfrapp/2797. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
- ^ Flynn, Mike (September 2000). "Felt Mountain – A Strange & Beautiful Place". Munkio. http://www.munkio.com/words/goldfrapp.html. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- ^ "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Rocklist.net. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/1001albums.htm. Retrieved 3 January 2008.
- ^ "The 100 best pop albums of the Noughties". The Times. Times Newspapers. 21 November 2009. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6922991.ece?token=null&offset=144&page=13. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "Best of the Aughts: Albums". Slant Magazine. 1 February 2010. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-of-the-aughts-albums/215. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Oasis score eighth number one hit single". Music Week. UBM plc. 30 August 2005. http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storyCode=15222. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
- ^ a b "Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Hung Medien. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Felt+Mountain&cat=a. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ a b "Chartverfolgung / Goldfrapp / Longplay" (in German). Media Control. PhonoNet GmbH. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Goldfrapp/?type=longplay. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ a b "Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain". Australian Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Felt+Mountain&cat=a. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ a b "Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Felt+Mountain&cat=a. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (3 August 2006). "Ask Billboard: 'Gold'finger". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/1002950226.story. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
- ^ a b Reno, Brad. "Goldfrapp". Trouser Press. http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=goldfrapp. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Micallef, Ken (17 December 2000). "Whips, Wolves, & Tricky". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. http://uk.music.yahoo.com/read/interview/12027442. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
- ^ "Chart Stats – Goldfrapp – Lovely Head/Pilots". The Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=29278. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ Felt Mountain (CD liner notes). Mute Records. September 2000.
- ^ "Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain". Media Control. Hung Medien. http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Felt+Mountain&cat=a. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ "Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain". Mute Records. http://www.mute.com/releases/viewRelease.jsp?showPrices=false&id=5432. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
- ^ "Felt Mountain – Goldfrapp". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/felt-mountain-r498058. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ Felt Mountain (Spanish edition CD album liner notes). Everlasting Records. October 2001.
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