Released on 17 August 2005 "Supernature" was the 3erd., studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, the album received generally favourable reviews, with most critics complimenting its blend of pop and electronic music. The album spawned four singles "Ohh La La", "Number 1", "Ride A White Horse", & "Fly Me Away".
The albums contained music in the same pop and electronic dance styles featured on Goldfrapp's previous studio album, Black Cherry although it focuses on subtle hooks instead of large choruses. Lead singer Alison Goldfrapp described the album's writing process as "an electronic/glam cross between Berlin, New York and North-East Somerset".
Goldfrapp and Will Gregory recorded the bulk of Supernature in late 2004 in the countryside near Bath, England—the same place they recorded Black Cherry.
They had rented a small house and spent some months writing music; they
later explained that the unpopulated location kept them from
distractions and that the majority of the process was "very basic". Goldfrapp called their writing relationship a "democracy", playing off one another while in the recording studio. The lyrical content of the song "Number 1", which became the album's
second single, is about the importance and meaning of relationships,
even though they do not necessarily last.
The singles released from Black Cherry became successes across nightclubs in North America, and as a result, they decided to write a more dance-oriented album. Although this made the duo nervous, "Ooh La La" was the group's first song to feature the electric guitar. Before its composition, the duo avoided the use of the guitar because of the guitar's overly recognisable rhythm. Four-on-the-floor bass drums
are also present on several of the album's tracks, and the piano ballad
"Let It Take You" features evening-effects composed on a synthesiser. "You Never Know" begins with Alison Goldfrapp executing a synthesised voice, supported by both pads and synthesisers. Goldfrapp and Gregory have cited "Satin Chic" as their favourite song on Supernature.
"Ooh La La", Supernature's opening track, inspired by T. Rex, was chosen as its lead single "because it was up and in your face and
it carried on the theme of the glammy, discoey beat from the last
album". "Ooh La La" became Goldfrapp's most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to date when it peaked at number four, the second track, "Lovely 2 C U", was compared to The Human League and Girls Aloud
and received mixed reviews from critics, with one reviewer stating that
it was the "worst offender of sounding by-numbers, its lazy glam
affectations sounding all the worse amid a chorus striking only in its
complete dullness".
"Ride a White Horse", the third single, was inspired by the disco era. Like previous singles from the album, the song was another top-20 single in the UK, where it peaked at number 15. The ballads "You Never Know" and "Let It Take You" have minimal
background electronics, and were generally well received by critics, who
drew comparisons to Goldfrapp's debut album Felt Mountain. Goldfrapp's performance on "You Never Know" was described as "chameleonic" with odes to Debbie Harry and Siouxsie Sioux. "Fly Me Away",
another synth ballad, had an accompanying music video which featured
Goldfrapp as an animated doll; the video, however, was never released. Serving as the fourth and final single from Supernature,
the song was not heavily promoted and was less commercially successful
than the other singles, peaking at number 26 on the UK chart. "Slide In", an electroclash song about sex, and "Koko" were compared to Gary Numan's early compositions.
"Satin Chic" is a disco song with glam rock and cabaret influences, similar to early Elton John. It was remixed by The Flaming Lips, and issued as a limited-edition single on 4 September 2006. The 10th track, "Time Out from the World", features an orchestra and
whispered vocals by Goldfrapp. Critics liked the song, writing that it
was an "exception to the prevailing style of Supernature" due to its "haunting, yet glamorous, atmospherics". The album's closing track and second single "Number 1" is about the importance and meanings of relationships.
Supernature received favourable reviews from music critics. Some called it "a brash, beautiful celebration of love and dancing", others called it toxic and delicious recordthat will make you do bad things and love it, althought some others were not so impressed about the record called too thick and melodic like dance music, whether you like it or not, the album is considered Goldfrapp's most accessible album to date.
Supernature Track List:
1. Ohh La La
2. Lovely 2 C U
3. Ride A White Horse
4. You Never Know
5. Let It Take You
6. Fly Me Away
7. Slide In
8. Koko
9. Satin Chic
10. Time Out From The World
11. Number 1
