The Golden Bough

Alison Goldfrapp talks music, mythology and Madonna on the eve of Goldfrapp’s new album Seventh Tree.

Few 21st Century bands have managed to sidestep classification as neatly as Goldfrapp. Since their astonishing Mercury Prize-nominated debut, 2001’s Felt Mountain, the British duo’s output has encompassed ambient, electroclash, glam rock and now, with their latest offering, Seventh Tree, a compellingly understated mixture of folk and psychedelia which is sure to confound those expecting the stomping disco of Strict Machine or Ooh La La.

This might make for a confusingly eclectic identity, were it not for the consistently delicious vocals of frontwoman Alison Goldfrapp, a former art school student who has previously worked with artists as diverse as Tricky, Peter Gabriel and Add N To X, and who seems set to rival Madonna in terms of self-reinvention. In fact, the Material Girl’s whispered industry nickname – Oldfrapp – is not without a grain of truth. During rehearsals for 2006’s Confessions Tour, Madonna was seen clutching a copy of Goldfrapp’s Supernature CD and was even pictured in W magazine wearing Alison’s then-trademark horse’s tail. The influencer becomes the influenced.

Alison’s working partner, musician Will Gregory, has an equally colourful CV, encompassing Portishead, The Cure and even a stint on the oboe for Tori Amos. Like Alison, he has a …

by James R Blandford
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