The new music has
more in common with past
electronic favourites, Black
Cherry and Supernature. Will
agrees but adds: “Also, we
had done the glammy thing, so
this time it had to be hard and
electronic, less soft-edged. Trying
to see what else the synths can
do.” Although Alison clarifies: “I
wouldn’t call it dance music.” The
“mantra-like rhythms” of Krautrock,
so adored by Alison, make their
presence heard on the record.
But, as ever, it’s her extraordinary
voice that fuels Goldfrapp’s
transformative power.
“The voice is the big thing that
links it all,” says Will, patently still
excited by her talent. “And for me
it’s about trying to coax a new
sound out of what Alison can do
as she has such a huge range of
voices. I’m always excited to see if
we can get somewhere we haven’t
been before with the voice. That
has always given me hope when
we are stuck, we can keepPerhaps industrialist the Haxan
Cloak, who tweeked Björk’s
2015 album Vulnicura, is the
most surprising partnership. “We
loved his dark aesthetic, that deep
sonic droney, doomy thing was
great.” Alison continues: “He is an
important part of the record, and
inspired us both.”SECRET OF THEIR SUCCESS
Another important figure was
somebody who has been with
Goldfrapp from the very beginning- Mute label boss Daniel Miller.
“Daniel is really your dream record
boss because he doesn’t really get
involved if he thinks it will throw
you off,” explains Will. “But he will
give an opinion when you need
wisdom. What he was good at this
time was saying, ‘I can see what
you are doing with this track but
there was a version you made six
months ago that I really liked when
you did this’. He had the ability
to see the project from a distance.
He’s been a player, too, on other
albums, fuzzed things up and
distorted things. We’ve definitely
picked up a lot of tips and
insights from him.”
Goldfrapp’s chart successes
have nearly always coincided
with their upbeat material.
Oh La La and Number 1 became
huge pop hits, but unfortunately
bands of a certain age rarely get
the opportunity to chart anymore.
exploring and mine the million
voices that Alison has in her.”
What is most unusual
about Silver Eye is its collaborative
roll call. Normally Alison and
Will work alone, but this time the
celebrated likes of John Congleton
and Leo Abrahams injected a fresh
approach. “We wanted to bring
some other heads into it to avoid
getting stale and reiterate our own
foibles,” confirms Will. “You pick
new things up, it’s interactive and it
make things quicker because even
if you’re not digging what they’re
doing, it throws up questions about
how to focus.
“Leo creates an amazing
soundscape with the guitar which
is very much his own thing and
often you don’t even know it’s a
guitar. So there are big dreamy
soundscapes from him. Then we
went over to America to work with
John Congleton, because we love
his stuff with John Grant and St
Vincent, to see if he could rough it
up a bit; and he did.”HAPPY SNAPPER
9lison Goldfrapp’s love of photography could result in a book. The singer
directed the video for recent single, 9nymore and it is her beautiful
pictures which feature all over Silver Eye’s packaging. “I’ve got back
into photography, I dabbled with it at art school then left it behind,” she
reveals. “I got back into it and it’s a lovely thing. It’s nice to have other
ways to express yourself and it all feeds into each other. It’s just another
way to translate some of the ideas.”
In *()+, 9lison curated her first exhibition series presented by The
Dowry, Salford. >eaturing works by Ban Hienkowski and Dotte Jeiniger,
it conveyed her fascination with the darker side of fairytales. @er own
pictures explore similar themes alongside portraiture. But it was Instagram
that got the former Eiddlesex Mniversity art student back into snapping
again. “It’s taken the self-portrait to a whole other level now. Eaybe I’ll do
a book one day, but I need to project more time. 9t the moment I’m just
dabbling and to be honest the band and making music is full time.”British soul singer
Laura Mvula photographed
by Alison GoldfrappAlison and Will circa
2010 and fifth studio
album Head FirstSilver Eye is a more
collaborative effort
for Goldfrapp© Getty Images52CP30.goldfrapp.print.indd 52 08/06/2017 12:42