Goldfrapp Felt Mountain CD

Duo From Uk;Music Inspired By Nino Rota,Morricone,John Barry

Goldfrapp: Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, whistling, keyboards); Will Gregory (arranger, keyboards).
Additional personnel includes: Stuart Gordon (violin, viola); Adrian Otley (bass); John Parish (drums).
Engineers include: Nick Batt, Luke Gordon, Kevin Paul.
Disc Two is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks as well as multimedia computer files.
Goldfrapp: Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, keyboards); Will Gregory (keyboards, strings).
Personnel: Stuart Gordon (violin, viola); B. Waghorn (tenor saxophone); Andy Bush (flugelhorn); John Cornick (trombone); Will Gregory (keyboards); Nick Batt (bass synthesizer, percussion, programming); Adrian Utley (bass guitar); Tony Orrell, John Parish (drums); Rowen Oliver (percussion).
Audio Mixers: Dave Bascombe; Nick Batt; Kevin Paul.
Recording information: Christchurch Studios; Home; The Bungalow.
When Goldfrapp's debut, FELT MOUNTAIN, appeared in 2000, no one was quite sure how to categorize the music, but that didn't stop fans and critics alike from gushing about it. A collaboration between singer-keyboardist-songwriter Allison Goldfrapp and composer/producer Will Gregory, Goldfrapp is rooted in the heavy-lidded, ambient soundscapes of trip-hop, yet exhibits an equal interest in various other styles ranging from jazz to cabaret to film music.
On FELT MOUNTAIN, Goldfrapp sometimes sounds trapped in an Ennio Morricone-styled tableau: all whistling and spooky wind-swept vistas. Elsewhere, the duo exudes the cool, tongue-in-cheek attitude of a Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood project. Yet Goldfrapp are more than just postmodern tricksters: their songs are substantive, and their productions and electronica-charged arrangements are never less than outstanding. This is the first (and will likely remain one of the best) offerings from this impressively inventive duo.
When Goldfrapp's debut, FELT MOUNTAIN, appeared in 2000, no one was quite sure how to categorize the music, but that didn't stop fans and critics alike from gushing about it. A collaboration between singer-keyboardist-songwriter Allison Goldfrapp and composer/producer Will Gregory, Goldfrapp is rooted in the heavy-lidded, ambient soundscapes of trip-hop, yet exhibits an equal interest in various other styles ranging from jazz to cabaret to film music.
On FELT MOUNTAIN, Goldfrapp sometimes sounds trapped in an Ennio Morricone-styled tableau: all whistling and spooky wind-swept vistas. Elsewhere, the duo exudes the cool, tongue-in-cheek attitude of a Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood project. Yet Goldfrapp are more than just postmodern tricksters: their songs are substantive, and their productions and electronica-charged arrangements are never less than outstanding. This is the first (and will likely remain one of the best) offerings from this impressively inventive duo.
Though her collaborations with Tricky, Orbital, and Add N To X focused on the sheer beauty and power of her singing, on her debut album Felt Mountain Allison Goldfrapp also explores more straightforward styles. Together with composer/multi-instrumentalist Will Gregory, Goldfrapp wraps her unearthly voice around songs that borrow from '60s pop, cabaret, folk, and electronica without sounding derivative or unfocused. From the sci-fi/spy film hybrids "Human" and "Lovely Head" to the title track's icy purity, the duo strikes a wide variety of poses, giving Felt Mountain a stylized, theatrical feel that never veers into campiness. Though longtime fans of Goldfrapp's voice may wish for more the exuberant, intoxicating side of her sound, lovelorn ballads like "Pilots," "Deer Stop," and "Horse's Tears" prove that she is equally able at carrying -- and writing -- more traditional tunes. A strange and beautiful mix of the romantic, eerie, and world-weary, Felt Mountain is one of 2000's most impressive debuts. ~ Heather Phares

Rolling Stone (5/10/01, pp.88,90) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Fun and rewarding....Goth-rock and movie music have never waltzed together as they do on this debut..."
Q (1/01, p.91) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000".
Q (10/00, p.117) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Goldfrapp's haunting, desperately romantic vocals are mesmerizing on their own....Equally serene and sinister. FELT MOUNTAIN is a beautiful album."
Uncut (10/00, p.82) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[A] netherworld of espionage soundtracks and trembling torch-song vocals..."
Alternative Press (12/00, p.100) - 3 out of 5 - "...Epic, cinematic, nightclub dirges reminiscent of a depressed, severely doped-up Air....scarily satisfying..."
Muzik (10/00, p.74) - 5 out of 5 - "...Runs the gamut of heady passion, tunefully melancholic meandering and high-falutin' operatic gymnastics....a wash of tuneful accessibility. A must."
CMJ (9/25/00, p.23) - "...Unpredictable and crafty....specializing in torch songs turned epic..."
Melody Maker (10/17/00, p.59) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Fairly inoffensive coffee-table, cinematic, trip-hop stuff. Fleetingly pleasant..."
Mojo (Publisher) (10/00, p.100) - "...[A] dream-like concoction of darkly erotic torch songs....brilliantly realized....Warmly recommended."
NME (Magazine) (9/16/00, p.37) - 6 out of 10 - "...Cold, desolate and old-fashioned....drawing on the orchestral ululations of Roy Budd and Ennio Morricone..."