Seventh Tree

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Seventh Tree
Studio album by Goldfrapp
Released 22 February 2008 (2008-02-22)
Recorded October 2006 – October 2007; Bath, Somerset, England
Genre Folktronica, trip hop, ambient, downtempo, dream pop
Length 41:40
Label Mute
Producer Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory, Flood
Goldfrapp chronology
Live Session
(2006)		 Seventh Tree
(2008)		 iTunes Originals
(2008)
Singles from Seventh Tree
  1. "A&E"
    Released: 11 February 2008 (2008-02-11)
  2. "Happiness"
    Released: 14 April 2008 (2008-04-14)
  3. "Caravan Girl"
    Released: 10 June 2008 (2008-06-10)
  4. "Clowns"
    Released: 20 October 2008 (2008-10-20)
Alternative cover
Special edition cover

Seventh Tree is the fourth studio album by English electronic duo Goldfrapp, released in the United Kingdom on 25 February 2008 by Mute Records and the day after in the United States.[1]

Goldfrapp described the album as a "sensual counterpoint to the glitterball glamour of Supernature", their previous studio album from 2005.[1] They claimed that the inspiration came from paganism and surreal English children's books.[2] The album received rave reviews and became the band's most critically acclaimed album since their 2000 debut Felt Mountain, with critics praising their new sound and the band's bravery for abandoning the dance atmosphere of the previous two albums.

The album's first single, "A&E", was released on 11 February 2008, charting inside the top ten in the UK.[3] The album also charted high in the UK, peaking at number two, despite having leaked onto file-sharing websites in November 2007, three months before its official release.[4]

Contents

[edit] Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars[5]
The Guardian 4/5 stars[6]
The Independent 4/5 stars[7]
NME (6/10)[8]
The Observer 5/5 stars[9]
Pitchfork Media (4.6/10)[10]
PopMatters (8/10)[11]
Rolling Stone 3/5 stars[12]
Slant Magazine 4/5 stars[13]
The Times 4/5 stars[14]

Seventh Tree received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 32 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[15] John Murphy of musicOMH called it Goldfrapp's "most subtle, affecting and rewarding album to date" and compared it to albums by Kate Bush and the Cocteau Twins.[16] In a review for Allmusic, Heather Phares wrote that the album's "electro hippie-chic is the duo's most polished and luxe work yet" and named "Caravan Girl" as its best song.[5] However, Pitchfork Media reviewer Nate Patrin was less impressed, and wrote that the album is "so subtle and slow-moving it doesn't seem to go anywhere" and that its songs "coast on some frothy sense of pleasantness that evaporates the moment [they] end".[10] Adam Webb of Yahoo! Music wrote that Seventh Tree "marks convincing evidence that Alison Goldfrapp now exists on the same artistic plane as PJ Harvey or Kate Bush".[17] Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard said that the "slow pace can be a snooze", but that the album "still makes for good post-party chill-out music".[12] John Lewis of Uncut called it "brave, bonkers, often beautiful, sometimes haunting and occasionally ridiculous".[18]

Q magazine ranked the album at number nineteen on its list of The 50 Best Albums of 2008.[19] PopMatters placed it at number fifty-four on its list of The Best Albums of 2008.[20] Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star included the album on his list of "rock music that stuck in 2008".[21]

[edit] Chart performance

Seventh Tree debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number two, and sold 46,945 copies in its first week of release.[22] It remained on the chart for thirteen weeks and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry within four days or release, on 29 February 2008.[23][24] It finished 2008 as the eighty-sixth best-selling album of the year in the UK,[25] with sales of 177,000. As of 20 March 2010, the album had sold 200,062 copies in the UK. The album reached the top twenty in Australia,[26] Belgium,[27] Ireland,[28] Norway,[29] Portugal[30] and Switzerland.[31] Seventh Tree became Goldfrapp's second release to chart on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States, where it debuted at number forty-eight with first-week sales of 15,000 copies.[32] Additionally, the album reached number four on the Tastemakers chart, number seventeen on the Top Internet Albums chart, number twelve on the Top Alternative Albums and number fourteen on the Top Rock Albums chart.[33][34] In Canada, the album reached number twenty-eight.[35]

[edit] Special edition

A special edition of Seventh Tree was released on 27 October 2008. The release featured new album artwork, photographs and a DVD. The album artwork depicted Goldfrapp dressed as a clown and hugging a tree, as well as Gregory dressed as an owl. The DVD contained music videos, behind-the-scenes footage and several live performances filmed at The De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea in June 2008.[36]

[edit] Track listing

All songs written and composed by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory.

  1. "Clowns" – 4:08
  2. "Little Bird" – 4:25
  3. "Happiness" – 4:17
  4. "Road to Somewhere" – 3:52
  5. "Eat Yourself" – 4:06
  6. "Some People" – 4:40
  7. "A&E" – 3:18
  8. "Cologne Cerrone Houdini" – 4:26
  9. "Caravan Girl" – 4:05
  10. "Monster Love" – 4:23
iTunes bonus tracks
  1. "You Never Know" (Live in London)
  2. "Clowns" (Instrumental) (pre-order)
Limited edition bonus DVD
  1. A Short Film
  2. "A&E" music video
Special edition bonus DVD
  • Live at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea
  1. "Clowns" (Instrumental) / Behind the Scenes
  2. "Happiness"
  3. "You Never Know"
  4. "Caravan Girl"
  5. "Monster Love"
  6. "Little Bird"
  • Videos
  1. "A&E"
  2. "Happiness"
  3. "Caravan Girl"
  • TV performances
  1. "Clowns"
  2. "Road to Somewhere"

[edit] Personnel

The following people contributed to Seventh Tree:[37]

  • Alison Goldfrapp – lead vocals, backing vocals, mixing
  • Will Gregory – mixing
  • Nick Batt, Max Dingle – programming
  • Flood – guitar, keyboards, mixing
  • Damon Reece – drums, percussion
  • Denny Weston Jr. – drums
  • Chris Goulstone – drums, guitar
  • Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass guitar
  • Alex Lee – guitar, bass guitar
  • Andrew Murphy, Kit Morgan, Steve Evans, Simon Rogers, Richard Evans – guitar
  • Charlie Jones – bass guitar
  • Tony Hoffer – bass guitar, engineer, mixing
  • Adrian Utley – bass guitar, guitar
  • Aidan Love – keyboards, programming
  • Nick Ingman – string arrangements, orchestra conductor
  • The Metro Voices – choir
  • Jenny O'Grady – choir master
  • Cathy Giles, Chris Worsey, David Daniels, Melissa Phelps, Paul Kegg, Robin Firman – cello
  • Andy Parker, Chris Pitsilides, Katie Wilkinson, Peter Lale – viola
  • Alexander Balanescu, Ann Morfee, Boguslaw Kostecki, Cathy Thompson, Chris Clad, Chris Tombling, Debbie Widdup, Dermot Crehan, Everton Nelson, Jackie Shave, Joanathan Rees, Mark Berrow, Patrick Kiernan, Sonia Slany, Stephen Morris, Tom Pigott-Smith – violin
  • Mary Scully, Paddy Lannigan – double bass
  • Ruth Wall – harp
  • Bill Mims – engineer, mixing
  • Tim Oliver – engineer
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering

[edit] Charts

[edit] Peak positions

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[26] 11
Austrian Albums Chart[38] 37
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[27] 10
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[39] 36
Canadian Albums Chart[35] 28
Dutch Albums Chart[40] 24
European Top 100 Albums[41] 5
French Albums Chart[42] 37
German Albums Chart[43] 21
Irish Albums Chart[28] 9
Italian Albums Chart[44] 57
New Zealand Albums Chart[45] 39
Norwegian Albums Chart[29] 18
Portuguese Albums Chart[30] 18
Spanish Albums Chart[46] 72
Swiss Albums Chart[31] 11
UK Albums Chart[23] 2
US Billboard 200[33] 48
US Top Rock Albums[33] 14
US Top Alternative Albums[33] 12

[edit] Certifications

Country Certification
United Kingdom Gold[24]

[edit] Year-end charts

Chart (2008) Position
UK Albums Chart[25] 86

[edit] Release history

Region Date Label Format(s) Catalog
Europe 25 February 2008 Mute Records CD CDSTUMM280[47]
Limited edition CD LCDSTUMM280[47]
LP STUMM280[47]
Global Digital download iSTUMM280[47]
iTunes exclusive digital download LiSTUMM280[47]
North America 26 February 2008 CD MUT 9381[47]
Limited edition CD MUT 9382[47]
Japan 27 February 2008 CD TOCP66759[48]
Europe 3 November 2008 Special edition CD+DVD TCDSTUMM280[47]
North America 25 November 2008 9404-2[47]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Seventh Tree – 25 Feb 08 Album Release". Last.fm. CBS Interactive. 26 October 2007. http://www.last.fm/group/Alison+Goldfrapp/journal/2007/10/26/558929. Retrieved 31 October 2007. 
  2. ^ Jason (15 February 2008). "Inspired by Paganism and Surreal Children's Books". A Sweeping Curve of Sound. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20090204173712/http://curveofsound.wildhunt.org/2008/02/15/inspired-by-paganism-and-surreal-childrens-books/. Retrieved 25 April 2008. 
  3. ^ "Goldfrapp Seventh Tree (Mute)". Music Week. United Business Media. 5 November 2007. http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=10&storycode=1032212. Retrieved 10 November 2007. 
  4. ^ "Mute response to illegal downloads of Goldfrapp". goldfrapp.com. 23 November 2007. http://www.goldfrapp.com/msgboard/showthread.php?t=12710. Retrieved 8 December 2007. 
  5. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Seventh Tree – Goldfrapp – Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/seventh-tree-r1312510/review. Retrieved 15 February 2009. 
  6. ^ Petridis, Alexis (22 February 2008). "Goldfrapp, Seventh Tree". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/feb/22/popandrock.shopping. Retrieved 1 March 2008. 
  7. ^ Gill, Andy (22 February 2008). "Album: Goldfrapp, Seventh Tree (Mute)". The Independent. Independent News & Media. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-goldfrapp-seventh-tree-mute-785202.html. Retrieved 31 January 2009. 
  8. ^ Lister, Kat (21 February 2008). "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree". NME. IPC Media. http://www.nme.com/reviews/goldfrapp/9485. Retrieved 26 February 2008. 
  9. ^ Hoskyns, Barney (17 February 2008). "Seventh Tree, Goldfrapp". The Observer. guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/feb/17/popandrock.shopping12. Retrieved 21 February 2008. 
  10. ^ a b Patrin, Nate (25 February 2008). "Goldfrapp: Seventh Tree". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11128-seventh-tree/. Retrieved 15 February 2009. 
  11. ^ Begrand, Adrien (27 February 2008). "Goldfrapp: Seventh Tree". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/goldfrapp-seventh-tree. Retrieved 13 September 2009. 
  12. ^ a b Hoard, Christian (6 March 2008). "Seventh Tree : Goldfrapp". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20090201121627/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/18396429/review/18691489/seventh_tree. Retrieved 15 February 2009. 
  13. ^ Hughes, Dave (26 February 2008). "Goldfrapp: Seventh Tree". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/goldfrapp-seventh-tree/1287. Retrieved 31 January 2009. 
  14. ^ Paphides, Peter (22 February 2008). "Goldfrapp: Seventh Tree". The Times. Times Newspapers. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article3411000.ece. Retrieved 23 February 2008. 
  15. ^ "Seventh Tree – Goldfrapp". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/music/seventh-tree. Retrieved 3 April 2011. 
  16. ^ Murphy, John. "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree (Mute)". musicOMH. http://www.musicomh.com/albums/goldfrapp-4_0208.htm. Retrieved 15 February 2009. 
  17. ^ Webb, Adam (27 February 2008). "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/080226/33/21y4o.html. Retrieved 15 February 2009. 
  18. ^ Lewis, John. "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree". Uncut. IPC Media. http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/goldfrapp/reviews/11098. Retrieved 15 February 2009. 
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  20. ^ "The Best Albums of 2008". PopMatters. 19 December 2008. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/66813-the-best-albums-of-2008-60-51/. Retrieved 15 February 2009. 
  21. ^ Rayner, Ben (28 December 2008). "The rock music that stuck in 2008". Toronto Star. Torstar. http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Music/article/558737. Retrieved 15 February 2009. 
  22. ^ Jones, Alan (3 March 2008). "Mother's Day boosts album sales". Music Week. United Business Media. http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1033376. Retrieved 28 December 2008. 
  23. ^ a b "Chart Stats – Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree". The Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=41585. Retrieved 29 November 2008. 
  24. ^ a b "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. 29 February 2008. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/Search.aspx. Retrieved 19 November 2009. 
  25. ^ a b "UK Year-End Charts 2008". The Official Charts Company. ChartsPlus. http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2008.pdf. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
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  28. ^ a b "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 28 February 2008". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240002&arch=t&lyr=2008&year=2008&week=9. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
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  30. ^ a b "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree". Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Hung Medien. http://portuguesecharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Seventh+Tree&cat=a. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
  31. ^ a b "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree". Media Control. Hung Medien. http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Seventh+Tree&cat=a. Retrieved 28 November 2008. 
  32. ^ Hasty, Kathy (5 March 2008). "Janet Dethrones Jack To Top Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/1003719609.story. Retrieved 28 December 2008. 
  33. ^ a b c d "Seventh Tree – Goldfrapp". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/goldfrapp/seventh-tree/1103223. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
  34. ^ "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree – Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/seventh-tree-r1312510/charts-awards/billboard-album. Retrieved 28 December 2008. 
  35. ^ a b Williams, John (5 March 2008). "Johnson gets knocked from No. 1". Jam!. CANOE. http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2008/03/05/4917831-ca.html. Retrieved 28 December 2008. 
  36. ^ Thompson, Paul (17 September 2008). "Goldfrapp Issue Seventh Tree Special Edition". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/news/33514-goldfrapp-issue-iseventh-treei-special-edition/. Retrieved 19 November 2009. 
  37. ^ Seventh Tree (CD liner notes). Mute Records. February 2008.
  38. ^ "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Seventh+Tree&cat=a. Retrieved 28 November 2008. 
  39. ^ "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Seventh+Tree&cat=a. Retrieved 25 March 2011. 
  40. ^ "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Hung Medien. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Seventh+Tree&cat=a. Retrieved 28 November 2008. 
  41. ^ "European Albums – Week of March 15, 2008". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/european-albums?chartDate=2008-03-15. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
  42. ^ "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Hung Medien. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Seventh+Tree&cat=a. Retrieved 28 November 2008. 
  43. ^ "Chartverfolgung / Goldfrapp / Longplay" (in German). Media Control. PhonoNet GmbH. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Goldfrapp/?type=longplay. Retrieved 28 November 2008. 
  44. ^ "Artisti – Classifica settimanale dal 22/02/2008 al 28/02/2008" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. http://www.fimi.it/classifiche_result_artisti.php?anno=2008&mese=02&id=10. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
  45. ^ "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Hung Medien. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Seventh+Tree&cat=a. Retrieved 28 November 2008. 
  46. ^ "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree". Productores de Música de España. Hung Medien. http://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Goldfrapp&titel=Seventh+Tree&cat=a. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
  47. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree". Mute Records. Archived from the original on 15 November 2008. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20081115195329/http://www.mute.com/releases/viewRelease.jsp?id=8770323. Retrieved 14 February 2009. 
  48. ^ Seventh Tree (Japanese edition CD liner notes). Mute Records. February 2008.

[edit] External links


Goldfrapp
Studio albums
Remix albums
Compilation albums
Live albums
Extended plays:
Video albums
Others
  • Accelerator: The Soundtrack (2001)
  • My Summer of Love Soundtrack (2005)
  • Radio 1's Live Lounge–Volume 3 (2008)
  • Winter Wonderland (2008)
  • The Vampire Diaries Original Television Soundtrack (2010)
Tours
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