`Tales Of Us` - Reviews By Us

Sartori

A thread to post your observations and reviews of the new album , to stop the board filling with a spiders web of person-centric threads - seeing as peoples do have their lucky mitts on official copies .

stevil

i hope she has a restraining order....fans that stalk to tear down an artist are the most dangerous in my book...carry on with act II of your world tour

Archway · Post edited by Archway at 2013-09-17 16:44:52

There is no way Tales Of Us can be seen as sell-out. If Goldfrapp wanted to sell-out, they would have made another pop album. They would have put out proper singles and aimed for the charts (see Supernature). Selling-out is giving the wider public something they want and often means embracing a contemporary sound, working with popular producers (or hit-makers) to reach the widest possible audience in order to make money. Selling-out has nothing to do with artistic integrity. It only has to do with business i.e. sales and money.

If you look at Goldfrapp's UK sales you'll see that Black Cherry (256 000) and Supernature (500 000) were their biggest selling albums. If they wanted those figures again, they would not have made an album like Tales Of Us. They would have made an album to please the public and record company.

Tales Of Us is Goldfrapp taking back control, doing what they want to do, and doing it well. It's an intimate, delicate, folktronica ambient album. It is not an album that will expand their audience and lead to massive sales, which is what happens when an artist/group sells out. They made Tales Of Us to boost their confidence as artists after the fiasco that was Head First. They did not make Tales Of Us to sell records.

I'm sad that La Catalina is so disappointed with Tales Of Us, but I think it has more to do wuth them (particularly their expectations), than with Goldfrapp and Goldfrapp selling out. Just because you don't like the album doesn't mean it is bad and/or Goldfrapp selling out. And it also doesn't mean their artistic integrity is questionable. I questioned it after Head First, and thought it was the end if Goldfrapp, because Head First was a blatant attempt at selling records. I am relieved and thankful that Goldfrapp have not only returned to their roots, but in many ways, expanded and improved on those roots.

You can accuse Goldfrapp of many things, particularly after Head First, but you can't accuse them of selling out with Tales Of Us. I think it is an album for their fan base, and then, not even their whole fan base, because their are fans who prefer Goldfrapp when they do pop, and not this introsoective, intinate sound that is a blend of Felt Mountain and Seventh Tree.

banana

Thea

"sundown on Isthmus"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westfjords

Joey

I'll post a longer one after I've had time to digest a bit, but I just had my first listen.

It's absolutely sumptuous and without question their most sophisticated album.

I need more time with "Simone" and "Laurel," but every other song is just perfection.

"Thea" was a big surprise. I guess I wasn't expecting it to be as "dance-y" as it is. I like how it manages to break up the album a little bit without being jarring or feeling out of place.

Those first six tracks are quite possibly the BEST consecutive stretch of songs on any Goldfrapp album.

My favorite tracks right now are "Jo," "Drew," "Alvar," "Thea," "Clay," and "Stranger."

SO PLEASED. :)

Sartori · Post edited by Sartori at 2013-09-09 11:19:03

A by product of being old is a lack of experiences to wrap around music when a comfy sofa is now my usual partner in crime (instead of running bollocky naked down a high street to the tune of `Living in a Box`) . Anyway , it gives great pleasure to say the album is wrapped around very very fond memories of Manchester 17th and the shared experience of the first listen (my brain has a half written analogy involving the bacon on a pig in a blanket but its too tired to complete it) .

As Joey notes and I concur , the first 6 tracks are the BEST consecutive tracks ever on a Goldfrapp album , the wheels wobble with Simone , my tastes find it a bit too much of a background torch song , Laurel has a quality issue to my ears at 2min 20secs to 2min 25secs , where it sounds like the ducking on the strings for the vocals is making the strings pulse in volume (really stands out to my ears with the WAVs) . The detail here isn`t to go on about it or say its a big deal , its not .

The guitar work and strings are a joy to hear in all the tracks , but Alisons voice is the standout `instrument` of the album (as always) , it brings a blazingly strong signature to all the tracks , especially when she sings against her own backing vocals . The tone and execution of the album is bold , consistent and outstanding , themes that others wouldn`t ever entertain are delicately and passionately brought to life , amidst an eagles sweep of strings . Annabel , Jo , Drew , Thea , Ulla and Alvar tweak my old heartstrings , I`ll let my subconscious deal with the rest and whip my ears into order .

Thea`s inclusion as a progressive heartfelt beat machine fits in well (to me) , higher pitched vocals marry a beat with the angst of a herd of Emo`s , "Hungry Moon" indeed . Starting with the beat of footprints and finishing to the fading sound of horsey hooves (or a fit donkey) , its bliss that doesn`t need bacon to be self complete and yet part of the greater thingydoodah .

All in all , a fantastic album and my parting conclusion is that its akin to a metaphorical Angelina Jolie rubbing her lady garden on my ears .

8.5/10

cw37frapp

I would describe the album as classy. A album you can listen to no matter what mood you are in. Alisons voice is as good as ever. This with the instrument sounds make your hairs stand up. The stand out song is Annabel. Which i love so much. I could play it over and over again. At this stage i cannot say exactly how i would compare it to the other albums. For now i will say it at least compares with them all. I know it will be played god knows how many times in my life. Maybe i will need the 2nd copy that i have now got from Sainsburys. Any review of Goldfrapp is always going to be a good one because i am such a huuuuuge fan. Alison could sing me the ABC or count singing and i would love it. marks for TOU. 5/5. 10/10. 100/100. PERFECT.

hunter

Hahaha. "The angst of a herd of Emo's", best line EVER!

hunter

Sparky

My song-by-song review (from the 'rank the songs' thread) and before the official lyrics were released...

1 DREW. Cold bed, glowing memories. Impossible not to get swept away on this one. The verse is so intimate, it's like waking up next to Alison and listening to her dreams. Soaring and cinematic in the chorus. The bittersweet thrill of reading old love letters. Echoes of Nancy Sinatra. A modern classic.

2 STRANGER. Gave me chills at The Albert Hall (certain members of the audience were welling up) and transports me now. Love the banjo/koto motif. Magical, classical songwriting in the style of Ennio Morricone and Scott Walker. Straight back to the 60s. The song which inspires one-word reviews of the album - 'beautiful'.

3 CLAY: Have to be careful how often I listen to this one. It's a kind of gently galloping anthem, playful cellos dancing over a real heart-breaker. Just builds with hope in the face of doom. It's the silence which follows the last note which makes me shiver. Gulp. Funny but I always get something in my eye when I hear this. A stately elegy for a lost soldier. Quietly stunning.

4 ULLA: The theme to White Horses! This is dust in the sunbeams. Like a sequel to Drew. Again, classic sixties-style songwriting. Ponderous, reflective and with an uplifting chorus.

5 JO: The opening of a child's book of fairytales, spellbinding Satie piano, innocent dread. An unsettling opener. Stunned silence for a few seconds after this one was performed live.

6 ANNABEL: Lilting lullaby, magnificently crafted song. Goldfrapp have matured in their songwriting and this is effortless sophistication. Strong enough to be a movie theme.

7 LAUREL: Unusual structure, this one. A verse of chanting incantations, and a prayer-like chorus. The sense of dread deepens. There is a signature vein of regret and sorrow which matures here in this homage to Felt Mountain.

8 SIMONE: It's turning into a horror movie. This is the prowling shadow of the album, Alison growling like a big cat. 'You're insatiable' is probably her sexiest vocal yet, and the final hiss of 'Simone' is so sinister as to be positively murderous. Songs like this and Clay show a new versatility to a voice we all thought we knew so well.

9 THEA: Roisin Murphy meets Blondie. On a horse. This is Boudicea galloping into battle. A pounding war cry, impatient for blood. This and Alvar seem to belong to a different album.

10 ALVAR: The afterburn of Seventh Tree, this seems like a Pagan ritual, wreathes of lyrics and mandolins. 'A song of wolves baying loud.' A sense of foreboding. The horses are restless.

Archway

I don't have much time now, but can say that I love the album. It is my second fave Goldfrapp album after Felt Mountain. There isn't a single track I dislike. At this stage the only "problem" I have is with Ulla and Alvar. The album feels as if it dips a bit there, but quickly regains momentum with Thea, and stays on track to the end. Ulla and Alvar might reveal themselves to me later, but for now, they just don't have the intensity of the other tracks.

I'd probably give the album 9/10 for now. All in all, this is the album I wanted after Felt Mountain.

Fave Goldgrapp albums:
1) Felt Mountain
2) Tales Of Us
3) Seventh Tree

Hells_Bells

Still haven't listened to it yet! My friends giving me a bit by bit review as he's travelling home in his car in a thunderstorm. He's now on a second listen.

Joey

"Alvar" might be my absolute favorite so far. That guitar! It reminds me of "Unforgettable Fire" era U2. Gorgeous.

"Simone" is the only song I'm finding to be a tough nut to crack. I need to listen to it on its own a few times to see if it will reveal itself to me. I like it, and it's lovely, it just seems to be a bit of an introvert in terms of its personality. Not as distinct as the others yet.

Cervus

Even though I have been listening to this now for what must be the ninth or tenth time I cannot select a defined favourite list. Without wanting to sound trite they all have such personality and I am already feeling very close to all of them, which even to me feels and sounds very odd. The dread/fear of some and the love/tragedy of others make it such an important body of work for me that seems to have had a profound effect and I am very glad that I have steered clear of listening to any of the other albums in the recent run up its release as the content be it the production,lyrics or vocals have just blown me away all over again.

mode_devotion

I too was lucky enough to be in Manchester which makes this a bit different to any other first listen. It's unusual to be so familiar with a collection of songs prior to their release. I buckled under the pressure of SoundCloud last week and felt compelled to listen to Jo and Alvar at low quality. However, tonight everything is 24-bit and so can finally hear every bit of intentional crackle and hiss.

The biggest surprise for me is that there are more synths on the album than I was expecting. I love the synth stab in Stranger but then I was expecting that. However, it was a really nice surprise to get extra production on Clay. You may've noticed that I've been really excited about Alvar since the concerts (especially Somerset House). It's a testament to the band that Alvar actually sound better live. Normally I'd be gutted by this but the Deluxe Box set includes Alvar live and so I'm very happy.

I'm a little confused as there was an introduction song as they walked on stage in Manchester and I expected that to be on the album somewhere?

For those of you who don't read my Twitter feed. I described the album as the finest ever gourmet chocolate slowly melting in your mouth.

My favourites are Jo, Stranger and Laurel. There are no bad songs in my opinion but I'm likely to playlist my favourites over the coming days weeks:

Jo, Stranger, Laurel, Alvar, Clay, Simone.

Hells_Bells

Here goes the Hells Bells review and personal thoughts on Tales Of Us:-

JO - HYPNOTIC 9/10 straight off

ANNABEL - 1960's European films dreamy sound 8/10

DREW - Rousing strings and catchy humming even with the "lazy" la, la, la bits. Absolute bliss! 10/10

ULLA - starts to sound better round about 1 min 46. For me will be a grower after further listening. 7/10

ALVAR - Good guitar/mandolin??? sound. Parts of the track sound muffled a la Clowns intro vocals. At the moment can take it or leave it. 5/10

THEA - Fuck me thats good. A track with more uptempo sound. Wouldnt have been out of place on HF. Incredible straight off. LOVE IT. 11/10

SIMONE - sounds pretty much the same as a couple of other tracks on here. Makes me think of My Summer Of Love (the film, not any of my personal experiences that is! 7/10

STRANGER - liked it very first time I heard it at Somerset House. The whistling is very FM era. 8/10

LAUREL - erm, slightly depressing sounding to me 4/10 :(

CLAY - Fantastic! Just love a tune that builds up and up. Makes my whole soul lift.

Basically, upon one listen so far I give the album 8/10 but this will probably rise to 11/10 after second listen.

Additional things I wouldnt be surprised to see/hear is:-

Will be featured on numerous Chill Out albums

Mercury prize nominee next year

Far too good to be nominated for the over bloated, puerile Brit Awards

Maybe even a Novello??

My face expresses what I think TOU

:)>- :D :x =D> 8-> ^:)^ etc, etc

Halloween_Jack

mode_devotion said:
I'm a little confused as there was an introduction song as they walked on stage in Manchester and I expected that to be on the album somewhere?

The intro song was from "The night of the Hunter", a 1950s film.

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