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* [[AIR Studios|AIR]] (London)
* [[AIR Studios|AIR]] (London)
* [[Home studio]] ([[Somerset]], England)
* [[Home studio]] (Somerset)
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* [[Electronica]]<ref name="about.com"/>
* [[Electronica]]<ref name="about.com"/>

Revision as of 12:17, 28 July 2022

Black Cherry
A woman wearing a black top hat and a white low-cut top
Studio album by
Goldfrapp
Released23 April 2003 (2003-04-23)
Recorded2002
Studio
Genre
Length42:57
LabelMute
Producer
Goldfrapp chronology
Felt Mountain
(2000) 		Black Cherry
(2003) 		Supernature
(2005)
Singles from Black Cherry
  1. "Train"
    Released: 14 April 2003
  2. "Strict Machine"
    Released: 21 July 2003
  3. "Twist"
    Released: 3 November 2003
  4. "Black Cherry"
    Released: 1 March 2004

Black Cherry is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, released on 23 April 2003 by Mute Records. It marked a departure from the ambient sound of their debut album, Felt Mountain (2000), incorporating glam rock and synth-pop music; inspirations were Spanish disco group Baccara and Swedish techno artist Håkan Lidbo. The album was met with positive reviews, with many critics complimenting its blend of retro and modern electropop music.

The album debuted at number 19 on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). As of May 2005, it had sold nearly 500,000 copies worldwide. Black Cherry yielded four singles, including "Strict Machine", which reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. It earned the band a nomination for Best British Dance Act at the 2004 Brit Awards. The album was supported by the Black Cherry Tour (2003–2004).

Recording and production

The duo wrote three songs while touring in support of their debut album Felt Mountain, but decided to take their work in a different direction with more rhythmic music.[5] Goldfrapp chose to record in a studio in a Bohemian area of Bath, England, because they needed a place to place their equipment and start working.[6][7] The band began working on the album in January 2002 with a list of songs they wanted to try to record, such as a disco song with only string instruments.[8] The studio's walls were covered in neon lights and Alison Goldfrapp used them to write down her song ideas.[9] They recorded early demos and worked on pre-production using a Yamaha 02R digital mixing console. Goldfrapp held jam sessions with Mark Linkous and Adrian Utley and, after they built momentum writing the album, decided not to move to another studio.[7][8]

The album cover is a collage made by Mat Maitland of photographs taken by Polly Borland featuring Alison with two wolves.[10] Artwork in the liner notes also has a wolf motif, including women with wolf heads. Goldfrapp explained that the wolves are a representation of might and mysticism and that she was "interested in the idea of metamorphosis and humans wanting to be like animals and animals wanting to be like humans."[11]

Goldfrapp performing in October 2003

Composition

After touring in support of Felt Mountain, Alison stated that she felt performing slow torch songs "really claustrophobic".[5] During their jam sessions, improvisation became a major part of the group's approach to recording Black Cherry.[8] The album focuses more heavily on dance music and glam rock-inspired synthesisers than its predecessor,[12] and is influenced by Spanish disco group Baccara and Swedish techno artist Håkan Lidbo.[9] Goldfrapp commented that the album differs from Felt Mountain because the band "wanted to put more kind of 'oomph' in it."[13] She stated that the lyrics are "a lot more direct and…less ambiguous."[14] The songs on Black Cherry are more forthright in describing sexuality than those on Felt Mountain.[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Blender[17]
Entertainment WeeklyC[18]
The Guardian[19]
Mojo[20]
Pitchfork5.8/10[21]
Q[22]
Rolling Stone[23]
SpinB[24]
Uncut[25]

Black Cherry received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on 22 reviews.[15] Uncut praised the change in the duo's musical direction, concluding, "I doubt there'll be many better albums released this year."[25] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian called the album "laudable, challenging and immensely enjoyable".[19] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine opined, "Whether it be soothing techno-ballads [...] or custom-made clubs tracks [...], Goldfrapp know how to draw you in and, more importantly, hook you."[26] Rolling Stone's Pat Blashill noted that "[t]ons of bands imitate the sounds of the early Eighties, but Goldfrapp use New Wave as a way to evoke a long history of shiny Euro-lounge music."[23] Spin commented that on Black Cherry, the duo "downplay the 'cinematic' strings in favor of buzzing live-wire synths. And singer Alison Goldfrapp still wails like Kate Bush haunting a fog-soaked moor."[24] Mojo praised the album as "lucid and ambiguous... beautifully schizophrenic and poised on the edge of ruin".[20]

Dorian Lynskey of Blender wrote, "Although a few tracks retain Felt Mountain's eerie beauty, Black Cherry's natural habitat is less supper club than strip club, and Goldfrapp sound right at home."[17] Andy Hermann of PopMatters viewed Black Cherry as "a weird, edgy album, the work of two doggedly maverick talents chasing their muses wherever they take them".[12] Wes May of About.com dubbed it a "rare electronica album of warmth and depth" and "the ultimate chillout pleasure".[1] Drowned in Sound's Gen Williams expressed that the album's "crystalline, neon-edged beauty, its pulsing army of beats and Alison's lush, lethargically versatile vocals, swinging between sultry and seraphic throughout, make it—for now at least—a largely satisfying record that indicates imminent and deserved success for Goldfrapp."[27] Q deemed the album "thoroughly likeable" despite its "inconsistency".[22] In a mixed review, Heather Phares of AllMusic commended Goldfrapp for their "artistic risk-taking", but felt that the album "sounds unbalanced, swinging between delicate, deceptively icy ballads and heavier, dance-inspired numbers without finding much of a happy medium between them."[16] Michael Idov of Pitchfork criticised the duo's switch to electro music, while describing Black Cherry as "a soundtrack to excruciatingly banal seduction".[21] Jonah Weiner of Entertainment Weekly panned the album's slower tracks as "boring dirges and space-age Muzak".[18]

PopMatters included the album on its list of the Top 50 Albums of 2003, ranking it at number 46.[28] It was listed at number 33 on Drowned in Sound's list of the Top 75 Albums of 2003.[29] Black Cherry earned Goldfrapp a nomination for Best British Dance Act at the 2004 Brit Awards, but they lost to Basement Jaxx.[30]

Commercial performance

Black Cherry debuted at number 19 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 14,859 copies in its first week.[31] The album had sold 256,703 copies in the United Kingdom as of August 2005.[31] Later that month, on 26 August 2005, Black Cherry was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments in excess of 300,000 copies in the UK.[32] The album reached the top 30 in Germany, Ireland, Norway and Portugal, and the top 50 in Belgium, France and Switzerland.[33][34]

Black Cherry became Goldfrapp's first album to chart in the United States, reaching number four on the Top Electronic Albums chart and number 27 on the Top Independent Albums chart.[35][36] By August 2006, it had sold 52,000 copies in the US.[37] The album had sold nearly 500,000 copies worldwide as of May 2005.[38]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Crystalline Green" 4:28
2."Train" 4:11
3."Black Cherry" 4:56
4."Tiptoe" 5:10
5."Deep Honey" 4:01
6."Hairy Trees" 4:37
7."Twist" 3:32
8."Strict Machine"
  • Goldfrapp
  • Gregory
  • Nick Batt
3:51
9."Forever" 4:14
10."Slippage" 3:57
Total length:42:57
Japanese edition bonus tracks[39]
No.TitleLength
11."Big Black Cloud, Little White Lie"3:07
12."Train" (Village Hall Mix)5:28
13."Train" (Ewan Pearson 6/8 Vocal)7:34
14."Train" (T. Raumschmiere Remix)5:52
Total length:59:58
Dutch special edition bonus CD[40]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Strict Machine" (Benny Benassi Sfaction Edit)
  • Goldfrapp
  • Gregory
  • Batt
3:27
2."Train" (Ewan Pearson Dub) 7:46
3."Deep Honey" (Live at London ULU, 6 March 2003) 4:41
4."Hairy Trees" (Live at London ULU, 6 March 2003) 6:47
5."Yes Sir"
3:58
6."El Train" (T. Raumschmiere Rmx) 5:52
7."Strict Machine" (Benny Benassi Sfaction Extended Mix)
  • Goldfrapp
  • Gregory
  • Batt
6:53
Total length:39:24

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Black Cherry.[41]

Goldfrapp

Additional musicians

  • Charlie Jones – bass (track 8)
  • Damon Reece – drums (track 8)
  • Rowan Oliver – drums, percussion (track 2); additional drum programming (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7)
  • Adrian Utley – guitar, bass (track 2)
  • Mark Linkous – Casio (track 2)
  • Andy Davis – guitar (track 10)
  • Nick Batt – additional programming, synths
  • Nick Ingman – string orchestration, string conducting

Technical

  • Alison Goldfrapp – recording, production (all tracks); mixing (tracks 2, 3, 5, 9, 10)
  • Will Gregory – recording, production (all tracks); mixing (tracks 2, 3, 5, 9, 10)
  • Nick Batt – recording
  • Bruno Ellingham – Pro Tools editing
  • Steve Orchard – string recording, string submixing
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing
  • David Bascombe – mixing (tracks 6, 8)
  • Mike Marsh – mastering

Artwork

  • Alison Goldfrapp – art direction, design
  • Big Active – art direction, design, illustrations, type
  • Polly Borland – photography

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Black Cherry
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Platinum 300,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 500,000[38]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for Black Cherry
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Japan 23 April 2003 CD EMI [39]
Germany 25 April 2003
[56]
Australia 28 April 2003 [57]
Spain Everlasting [58]
United Kingdom
  • CD
  • LP
  • digital download
 Mute [59]
France 29 April 2003
  • CD
  • digital download
 Labels [60]
United States 6 May 2003
  • CD
  • LP
  • digital download
 Mute [16]
Netherlands May 2004 Special edition 2-CD [PIAS] Benelux [40]

References

  1. ^ a b May, Wes. "Goldfrapp – Black Cherry". About.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
  2. ^ Kreps, Daniel (13 December 2007). "Goldfrapp Talk Lush February Album "Seventh Tree"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  3. ^ Murphy, John (6 February 2012). "Goldfrapp – The Singles". musicOMH. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  4. ^ Hermann, Andy (21 October 2003). "Goldfrapp: 8 Oct 2003 – Los Angeles". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b O'Connell, Sharon (16 April 2003). "Strange Fruit". Time Out London. Retrieved 2 April 2011 – via Goldfrapp.free.fr.
  6. ^ Reid, Pat (Spring 2004). "The girl with the golden voice". Escape. Retrieved 2 April 2011 – via Goldfrapp.free.fr.
  7. ^ a b Walsh, Madeline Virbasius (Spring 2003). "The eyes have it". The Sentimentalist. Vol. 3, no. 11. Retrieved 2 April 2011 – via Goldfrapp.free.fr.
  8. ^ a b c Humberstone, Nigel (July 2003). "Recording Black Cherry". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 2 April 2011 – via Goldfrapp.free.fr.
  9. ^ a b "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry (Mute)". Mute Records. Archived from the original on 19 July 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
  10. ^ Farrelly, Liz (10 March 2005). "Graphics: Big, active, and sexy". Design Week. Vol. 20, no. 10. p. 18. ISSN 0950-3676.
  11. ^ Pham, Sheila (5 September 2003). "Not just a pretty face". Vibewire. Retrieved 2 April 2011 – via Goldfrapp.free.fr.
  12. ^ a b c Hermann, Andy (2 May 2003). "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  13. ^ "Beats & Lust". New Beats. April 2003. Retrieved 15 June 2007 – via Goldfrapp.free.fr.
  14. ^ Drever, Andrew (18 July 2003). "Felt volcano". The Age. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Reviews for Black Cherry by Goldfrapp". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
  16. ^ a b c Phares, Heather. "Black Cherry – Goldfrapp". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  17. ^ a b Lynskey, Dorian (May 2003). "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry". Blender. No. 16. p. 119. Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  18. ^ a b Weiner, Jonah (9 May 2003). "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry". Entertainment Weekly. p. 76. ISSN 1049-0434.
  19. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (18 April 2003). "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry". Mojo. No. 114. May 2003. p. 91.
  21. ^ a b Idov, Michael (11 May 2003). "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  22. ^ a b "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry". Q. No. 202. May 2003. p. 101.
  23. ^ a b Blashill, Pat (15 May 2003). "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  24. ^ a b "Breakdown". Spin. Vol. 19, no. 5. May 2003. p. 116. ISSN 0886-3032 – via Google Books.
  25. ^ a b "Brave Neu Whirl". Uncut. No. 73. June 2003. p. 98. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  26. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (25 April 2003). "Goldfrapp: Black Cherry". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  27. ^ Williams, Gen (5 May 2003). "Album Review: Goldfrapp – Black Cherry". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  28. ^ "Best Music of 2003". PopMatters. 17 December 2003. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  29. ^ Adams, Sean (9 December 2003). "DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
  30. ^ "Brit Awards 2004". Music Week. 17 February 2004. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2004.
  31. ^ a b "Oasis score eighth number one hit single". Music Week. 30 August 2005. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
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  33. ^ a b "Ultratop.be – Goldfrapp – Black Cherry" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  34. ^ a b "Irish-charts.com – Discography Goldfrapp". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
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  36. ^ a b "Goldfrapp Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
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  40. ^ a b Black Cherry (Dutch special edition CD liner notes). Goldfrapp. [PIAS] Recordings. 2004. 391.0196.023.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  41. ^ Black Cherry (liner notes). Goldfrapp. Mute Records. 2003. CDSTUMM196.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  42. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums – Week Commencing 5th May 2003" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 689. 5 May 2003. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  43. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums – Week Commencing 18th August 2003" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 704. 18 August 2003. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
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  55. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2004" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. p. 4. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
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