The Singles (Goldfrapp album) explained

The Singles
Type:compilation
Artist:Goldfrapp
Cover:Goldfrapp - The Singles.png
Recorded:1999–2011
Studio:Wiltshire, Bath and London
Genre:
Length:54:42
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Head First
Prev Year:2010
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Next Year:2013

The Singles is a compilation album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, released on 3 February 2012 by Mute Records and Parlophone. The album features singles from the duo's first five studio albums, as well as two previously unreleased tracks, "Yellow Halo" and "Melancholy Sky".

Background and release

Following the duo's departure from EMI in August 2010,[1] it was confirmed in April 2011 that Goldfrapp had begun work on their sixth studio album.[2] In December 2011, it was announced that a 14-track retrospective compilation titled The Singles would be released on 6 February 2012 by Mute Records and Parlophone, including the biggest singles from their five studio albums, as well as two brand-new songs, "Melancholy Sky" and "Yellow Halo".[3] [4] "Melancholy Sky" was released on 3 January 2012 as the compilation's lead single,[5] while a video for "Yellow Halo" was directed by Lisa Gunning and entirely shot on Gunning's iPhone in South America.[3] [6]

Critical reception

The Singles received critical acclaim 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 85, based on 14 reviews.[7] AllMusic editor Heather Phares commented that the album "shows that [the duo's] craftsmanship and good taste may have been their most defining quality", while noting that "[t]heir style-hopping sounds less like searching for what will stick and more like the product of two restlessly creative artists who had the talent to do just about anything they wanted and tried a little of everything."[8] Pitchforks Matthew Perpetua wrote that Goldfrapp "have spent the past decade moving back and forth between icy electro-glam and atmospheric balladry, delivering these extremes in tonally consistent albums that dare to alienate listeners who favor one style over the other."[9] Matt James of PopMatters commented, "Over the course of five albums, Goldfrapp have proved themselves one of the most imaginative, artistic and entertaining bands of this new century", concluding that the compilation "offers an intriguing introduction to one of Britain's premier pop art bands."[10] Drowned in Sound's David Edwards opined that "the most striking thing from their singles compilation is that within this, they actually managed to craft some rather excellent pieces of pop orientated electronica", adding that on The Singles, Goldfrapp are "exactly how they wanted the world to see them: sleek, intelligent, flirtatious and deliciously off their tits."[11]

Martyn Young of DIY described the compilation as "a triumph of compellingly brilliant classy pop".[12] Jaime Gill of BBC Music raved, "Fourteen songs that veer between the perfect and the merely outstanding, The Singles is proof that Goldfrapp have been the most versatile and most consistently, glitteringly brilliant pop band of our new millennium."[13] In a review for the Daily Express, Simon Gage found that the duo "has built up quite a body of work as displayed on this gorgeous little collection", writing that "[w]hile their albums are well-worth discovering and hugely well-received, the singles showcase some excellent work".[14] Lewis Corner of Digital Spy stated, "For over a decade the duo have been writing consistently fantastic pop songs—and here is the proof."[15] Elaine Buckley of Entertainment.ie commended the duo for their "wonderful electric stylings" and wrote that "the songs of The Singles are still as impressive as ever."[16] Slant Magazines Matthew Cole viewed the compilation as "a terrific showcase for Goldfrapp's versatility, though on the crucial point of whether or not their midtempo and ambient numbers are as essential as their dance hits, it's not entirely convincing."[17] John Murphy of musicOMH expressed, "Whereas each of Goldfrapp's albums occasionally had the odd filler track that stopped them from being gilt-edged classics, here we get all the meat and none of the fat [...] there's so much pop sensibility crammed in here that each track sounds almost impossibly fresh."[18]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Singles.[19]

Charts

Chart (2012)Peak
position
Belgian Heatseekers Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 8
Belgian Heatseekers Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 11
Irish Albums (IRMA)[22] 77

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Australia3 February 2012EMI[23] [24]
Germany[25] [26]
Ireland[27] [28]
United Kingdom6 February 2012[29] [30]
JapanEMI[31] [32]
United States7 February 2012[33] [34]
Sweden8 February 2012EMI[35] [36]
Italy28 February 2012[37] [38]

Notes and References

  1. Goldfrapp leave label EMI after 10 years . . 17 November 2010 . 13 January 2012 . 23 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120523190533/http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/goldfrapp/view/14820/ . live .
  2. Web site: Corner . Lewis . Goldfrapp 'start work on new album' . . 11 April 2011 . 22 December 2016 . 23 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161223071251/http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a313916/goldfrapp-start-work-on-new-album/ . live .
  3. Web site: Murray . Robin . Goldfrapp Singles Collection Due . . 9 December 2011 . 12 December 2011 . 6 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120206231418/http://www.clashmusic.com/news/goldfrapp-singles-collection-due . live .
  4. Web site: Copsey . Robert . Goldfrapp announce 'The Singles' collection . Digital Spy . 8 December 2011 . 22 December 2016 . 23 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161223072755/http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a355057/goldfrapp-announce-the-singles-collection/ . live .
  5. Web site: Melancholy Sky – Single by Goldfrapp . iTunes Store (GB) . 13 February 2012 . 13 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120913130434/http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/melancholy-sky-single/id489165535 . live .
  6. Web site: Daw . Robbie . Goldfrapp's "Yellow Halo" Video, Shot on an iPhone, Premieres . . 8 December 2011 . 22 December 2016.
  7. Web site: Reviews for The Singles by Goldfrapp . . 13 February 2012 . 10 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120210095929/http://www.metacritic.com/music/the-singles-2011 . live .
  8. Web site: Phares . Heather . The Singles – Goldfrapp . . 13 February 2012 . 29 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161129054925/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-singles-mw0002285795 . live .
  9. Web site: Perpetua . Matthew . Goldfrapp: The Singles . . 9 February 2012 . 13 February 2012 . 13 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120213040847/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16261-the-singles/ . live .
  10. Web site: James . Matt . Goldfrapp: The Singles . . 17 February 2012 . 22 December 2016 . 9 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170209070657/http://www.popmatters.com/review/154516-goldfrapp-the-singles/ . live .
  11. Web site: Edwards . David . Goldfrapp – The Singles . . 31 January 2012 . 13 February 2012 . 3 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120203100341/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16784/reviews/4144410 . dead .
  12. Web site: Young . Martyn . Goldfrapp – The Singles . . 6 February 2012 . 22 December 2016 . 23 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161223131829/http://diymag.com/archive/goldfrapp-the-singles/ . live .
  13. Web site: Gill . Jaime . Review of Goldfrapp – The Singles . . 1 February 2012 . 13 February 2012 . 16 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120216073611/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/8g8r . live .
  14. Web site: Gage . Simon . CD Review: Goldfrapp: The Singles . . 2 February 2012 . 22 December 2016 . 23 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161223063923/http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/299711/CD-Review-Goldfrapp-The-Singles . live .
  15. Web site: Corner . Lewis . Goldfrapp: 'The Singles' – Album review . Digital Spy . 7 February 2012 . 22 December 2016 . 23 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161223074259/http://www.digitalspy.com/music/album-reviews/review/a364202/goldfrapp-the-singles-album-review/ . live .
  16. Web site: Buckley . Elaine . Goldfrapp – The Singles . . 27 January 2012 . 13 February 2012 . 1 June 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120601195424/http://entertainment.ie/album-review/Goldfrapp-The-Singles/8112.htm . live .
  17. Web site: Cole . Matthew . Goldfrapp: The Singles . . 5 February 2012 . 22 December 2016 . 9 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309061416/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/goldfrapp-the-singles . live .
  18. Web site: Murphy . John . Goldfrapp – The Singles . . 6 February 2012 . 22 December 2016 . 23 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161223063901/http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/goldfrapp-the-singles . live .
  19. The Singles . CD liner notes . . . 2012 . 5099930116726.
  20. Web site: Goldfrapp – The Singles . nl . Ultratop. Hung Medien . 17 February 2012 . 19 May 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160519214707/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/album/2daf2/Goldfrapp-The-Singles . live .
  21. Web site: Goldfrapp – The Singles . fr . Ultratop. Hung Medien . 13 February 2012 . 9 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160409215105/http://www.ultratop.be/fr/album/2daf2/Goldfrapp-The-Singles . live .
  22. Web site: Top 100 Individual Artist Albums . . 9 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120415073756/http://www.irma.ie/aucharts.asp#albums . 15 April 2012 . 12 February 2012 . dead .
  23. Web site: Singles, The – Goldfrapp . . 22 December 2016 . 22 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161222212522/https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/pop/singles-the/286590/ . live .
  24. Web site: The Singles by Goldfrapp . iTunes Store (AU) . 30 March 2013.
  25. Web site: Goldfrapp // The Singles . de . . https://web.archive.org/web/20120319174148/http://www.emimusic.de/release/3251067,5099930116726/goldfrapp-the-singles . 19 March 2012 . 14 February 2012.
  26. Web site: The Singles by Goldfrapp . iTunes Store (DE) . 30 March 2013.
  27. Web site: The Singles – Goldfrapp . . 22 December 2016 . 22 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161222212913/http://www.hmv.ie/The-Singles-Goldfrapp/movies-games-entertainment/pd/88347 . live .
  28. Web site: The Singles by Goldfrapp . iTunes Store (IE) . 30 March 2013.
  29. Web site: Goldfrapp to release The Singles collection . 19 December 2011 . . 13 January 2012 . 21 January 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120121151908/http://mute.com/mute/to-release-the-singles-collection . live .
  30. Web site: The Singles by Goldfrapp . iTunes Store (GB) . 12 February 2012 . 21 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220321130419/https://music.apple.com/gb/album/the-singles/496227414 . live .
  31. Web site: http://www.emimusic.jp/artist/goldfrapp/?id=60103 . ja:ゴールドフラップ . The Singles . ja . . https://web.archive.org/web/20120723024138/http://www.emimusic.jp/artist/goldfrapp/?id=60103 . 23 July 2012 . 31 March 2012.
  32. Web site: The Singles by Goldfrapp . iTunes Store (JP) . 30 March 2013 . 21 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220321130418/https://music.apple.com/jp/album/the-singles/496227414?l=en . live .
  33. Web site: The Singles: Goldfrapp . Amazon . 12 February 2012 . 21 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220321130419/https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JXW1CC . live .
  34. Web site: The Singles by Goldfrapp . iTunes Store (US) . 30 March 2013 . 11 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120211143639/http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-singles/id496227414 . live .
  35. Web site: The Singles – Goldfrapp . sv . CDON.se . 14 February 2012 . 3 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234518/http://cdon.se/musik/goldfrapp/the_singles-17508018 . live .
  36. Web site: The Singles by Goldfrapp . iTunes Store (SE) . 30 March 2013 . 21 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220321130419/https://music.apple.com/se/album/the-singles/496227414?l=en . live .
  37. Web site: The Singles – Goldfrapp, CD . it . Internet Bookshop Italia . 22 December 2016 . 23 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161223065032/https://www.ibs.it/singles-cd-goldfrapp/e/5099930116726 . live .
  38. Web site: The Singles by Goldfrapp . iTunes Store (IT) . 30 March 2013 . 21 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220321130421/https://music.apple.com/it/album/the-singles/500397826?l=en . live .

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