Mute Records, 2008

The world slows down and obeys the pace you’ve stumbled into. Weak stomachs, all encompassing warmth and the way she blinks her eyes; oh, the way she blinks. You’re in love. Inhibitions bow and step aside as you two walk through the purity of the newness: the honeymoon period.

Over time this freshness subsides and affection gets lost in a labyrinth of comfort. The desire to impress morphs into a fear of complacency and before you know it, you’ve grown apart. You part ways and move on reluctantly only to run into each other years later and come to find things weren’t really as off as they seemed. She’s still got that blink you fell in love with.

Thus is my relationship with Golfrapp. Felt Mountain, with its modern cabaret noir was so original, so new and around every turn never failed to consume me with its spell. Then astray they went into the disco electro-pop direction completely abandoning what so easily drew me in. Seventh Tree is a welcomed return to form and eases the strain of having lost Goldfrapp, though not enough to be completely reel me back in.

The gentle strums of opener, ‘Clowns’, sees Alison hunched over a microphone so delicately serenading over acoustic guitar and subtle string arrangements that you can almost feel her breath on your neck. Throughout Seventh Tree, this extension of Felt Mountain adorns every track.

Where we see a progression is in the percussion and simple song structure. Songs like ‘Little Bird’ spend their entire duration building to a powerful but understated drum climax. Others use electronic beats such as those used on Black Cherry and Supernature’s more dance-inspired cuts but become slowed and turned down to give these tracks a strong pop feel. ‘Happiness’ incorporates the electro-weirdout sounds that gave Felt Mountain its uniqueness, but here in moderation and to quite perfect pop dilution.

All said, Seventh Tree is beautiful pop holding most of its distinction in Alsion Goldfrapp’s voice. Will Gregory’s production is at once reserved, but given a fair number of listens the way he underscores his muse’s vocals is extremely satisfying. There is nothing groundbreaking here but, this guy at least, is so happy to be touched by what he fell in love with in the first place after such a long, uneasy absence.