Goldfrapp's Genre

Appy61

Here's the question - you're talking to non-Frapper's who ask what are Goldfrapp like? Which track do you play them?

I was asked this a few days ago and struggled to give a definitive answer and that, I suggest, is why we love em? :D

Whickwithy

Trying to define Goldfrapp from a single song is like trying to define the universe from a single grain of sand.

subrussian

Usually I pick 1 song from each album to demonstrate the variety and complexity of their sound (though of course it's not enough, but still works fine for the first impression)

stevil

this can never be answered

Appy61

So there you have it friends Chimera Pop the official genre of Goldfrapp! Results based on proposal by rewak seconded by The Carpathian and TVC15 and my unilateralism. A nice democratic outcome methinks, Cameron would be proud!! :\">

Valerian

Black Cherry

Whickwithy

To even get a glimpse, I would have to choose, "Black Cherry", "Deep Honey", "Slippage", "Strict Machine", "Pilots", "Utopia", "Crystalline Green", "Number 1", "Head First", "A&E", "Monster Love". 'Stranger", and "Thea". But, I would still have to caution, carefullly, that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The best thing about this review, for me, is it allowed me to kind of scan their career and look at the breath-taking development, maturity and accomplishment that has been theirs. If I could, I'd vote them best musicians of my lifetime. Well, I guess I just did. :\">

Jeronimooo

Back to your original question, @Appy61, I would say Ride a white horse. Because that was the tack that made me fall in love with Goldfrapp, and it is the track which still gives me butterflies in my stomach. Of course, I later discovered many other beautiful GF tracks, but RAWH is still good for a first acquaintance methinks.

KatRobin

On a kind of similar note, I was asked to choose a song that sums me up for our school leavers' book. I chose "Happiness" cos it sums up our ( or at least my!) eternal quest to find happiness and it seemed most apt! And also cos a 20-something gay colleague of mine had never heard of Goldfrapp! I mean, whaaaat?!! I've since educated him, don't worry.

Appy61

Nice choice and I can see how this connects with you but does it say 'Goldfrapp'? I'm leaning towards Lovely Head mainly because that's where I got hooked. Imagine a sun soaked cliff face hotel in Santorini, Alison's delicate whistling on the air and the curious, neighbourhood cat population gathering to see what's going on! Ah the memories.

cw37frapp

Well to sort of answer that question. When i was in the dentist last time i started talking to her about music because she had put a new player in the room. I said- Oh i would be ok having a filling whilst listening to Goldfrapp. She said, Who are they and what have they sung ?. Oh and she noticed my tattoo. I said a few of the tracks. She knew Ooh la la and Ride a white horse. So maybe them 2. Because EVERYBODY knows them.

Appy61

Similar experience with our hairdresser however she didn't like Supernature but highly impressed by the ToU films. Who knows?

KatRobin

Yes I did signpost Goldfrapp- of course! It's funny, but I was chatting to a fella on the phone this am from my oil supply company and we were talking concert tickets. He asked me if I was going to see Kate Bush (grr no) and said that he's got his 3 little kids into her and they've been dancing round his house singing Babooshka lol. When I told him it is GF, he said " Goldfrapp...hm, name rings a bell.." And while we were on the phone talking oil tariffs he was typing Goldfrapp into his computer and starting mumbling to me "electric pop duo..." Blah blah! "I'll listen to that now" he said. kerching! Another likely convert! I hope Al and Will are reading this...all postcards and cheques gratefully received ha ha xx

The_Carpathian

It's a tough one. Personally I'd say you have to throw the hits collection at somebody to give a half decent idea and even then it fails to shed light on the corners of the rest of the material.

If you describe them as "pop" then that conjures up one side of them perfectly correctly and yet utterly fails to capture that certain something which they have. Besides, many folks see 'pop' as a dirty word but I've long maintained that truly great timeless pop is very hard to do - it's the crap sort that is easy.

Going the other way and picking a more niche genre (downtempo? alternative? indie?) - or at least one more unadopted by a mass audience than 'pop' is - then that nails the quirkiness and character they have but misses the catchy nature that they still maintain, whether it's through a chilled ambience, big strings or whatever.

Some bands exist perfectly on the back of genre descriptions but Goldfrapp exist more despite them.

Appy61

Great response 'The Carpathian' - I think you've captured the essence of the conundrum - it's, perhaps, back to where I started.

rewak

Chimera Pop

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