Sometimes experimentation isn’t always a good thing. And while Seventh Tree, the latest musical creation of Alison Goldfrapp and her electro partner in crime Will Gregory, marks a new, diversifying step in the sound of the acclaimed duo, the end product is perhaps as mystifying as their efforts to downplay any early press.

Gone are the euphoric electric beats and disco rock sounds that made 2005’s Supernature a dance pop masterpiece. Instead, Seventh Tree offers Goldfrapp’s best Bjork imitation. The catchy rhythms of “Ride a White Horse” and the booming synthesizer of “Ooh La La” have been replaced by endless folk melodies and acoustic guitars rifts. Goldfrapp described the album as a “sensual counterpoint to the glitterball glamour of Supernature.” However, in the end, Seventh Tree’s overall musicality fails to convey even the slightest of emotions.

Experimentation is by no means a bad thing. But Goldfrapp’s 360 degree reversal in sound exceeds even the loosest of the word’s definition. While the soft, mellow sound of Seventh Tree exemplifies Alison Goldfrapp’s best vocal work to date, it also leaves an empty void in the overall musicaility of the album. The rhythms lack complexity, the sound feels almost soulless. We’re talking about Goldfrapp here, not Feist, not Alanis Morissette.

Fortunately, the album does not deviate from Goldfrap’s normal exceptionally convoluting, yet eerily real lyrics. Seventh Tree’s first single “A&E” deals with the nature of suicide in a somehow glossy, elegant manner, while “Happiness,” could very well be an underlying attack at Scientology.

What more, by no means is the album without quality songs. While “Cologne Cerrone Houdini” exhibits all the aforementioned characteristics of the album’s over done experimentation, the orchestral backing sound met with the grace of Goldfrapp’s vocals make for a powerful tune. Yet in the end, “Happiness,” easily the album’s best track, exhibits that even with the smallest of electric influenced melodies, Goldfrapp are at their best.

The moral of the story? Don’t change something that isn’t broken. Goldfrapp earned their critical acclaim for catchy electro-heavy beats and glam rock. While any attempt at experimentation is certainly commendable, Goldfrapp do it in such a way that they change the entire nature of their music. In the end, this was neither needed, nor successful.

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Check Out:
“A&E”
“Little Bird”

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TAGGED AS: Goldfrapp