"Wondrous and Strange" Indeed! =)

Yes, those are extremely appropriate adjectives for this album, as well as forlorn, beautiful, ethereal, etc. I admit, it took me a few listens to really get this CD, and to really get INTO this CD. I'm really glad I invested the time, though -- it was worth it. 'Felt Mountain' is a must have.

A little late

I'm a little late discovering the wonder of Goldfrapp, but you know what they say, better late than never! This album came out in the fall of 2000. The songs here borrow from '60s pop, cabaret, folk, and electronica. Some favorites include "Horse Tears", "Pilots", "Deer Stop", "Human", "Lovely Head" and the title track. The album has a wonderful theatrical sound. A great debut album worth checking out!

be a part of it

felt mountain is a downtempo paradise. forget about all the comparisons to portishead, bjork, and shirley bassey and just enjoy the wondrous landscape that alison and will have created.

stand out tracks for myself include: the adventurous and sexy, "human". "felt mountain" which inluded no actual lyrics but is still incredibly catchy. and horse tears which is an amazing closer and really showcases alison's beautiful voice.

as for the new released "revamped felt mountain". it is ok. just ok. u.k girls (physical) is fun. the tom middleton mix of utopia is not very original but never less enjoyable. calexico's version of human is interesting but all together boring. the rest are typical but for the goldfrapp fan this is a must have.

IMPRESSIVE!

Very seldom is the adage "there is nothing new under the sun" considered very positive. Also, very seldom, does an album by a new artist come along which is all at once coherent, mesmerizing, and beautiful. Goldfrapp's Felt Mountain is that and more.

Listening to this album brings to mind several other artists and genres; Annie Ross, Portishead, Momo, Jai, Burt Bachrach, Gregorian Chant, - even the Exotica soundtrack. I don't know much about Gregory and Goldfrapp, but their influences are blatantly discernable. This is normally a bad thing but, again, contrarily, and ironically, Goldfrapp possesses such refined taste and talent that they manage to create something new and satisfying. Ambiently, (a Bushism - contemporarily and contextually, this "should" be a real word; afterall, "Bushism" is now a word!), they really have their act together; conservatively interspersing odd background noises here and there much like David Sylvian and Thomas Dolby.

The instrumentation is somewhat eclectic and exotic: the melodica (T. Theilemans, A. Pablo) & koto (Japanese). However, use of more traditional jazz instrumentation, most notably, brass is prevalent. It also has very pleasant and "REAL" strings!!! As a mater of fact - it sounds as if all the strings and brass are "real", (a fact realized by the personnel cited in the liner notes). Rare, since most instrumentation on this scale is faked in today's digital world - so don't be alarmed by the seemingly pervasive presence of keyboards credits! Definitely, not just another keyboard album.

And the arrangements! Beautiful. Sublime. Soothing. Very tasteful. Very traditional in a jazz, torch song sense.

There is something peculiar though. Even though Alison's vocals are sultry, smooth, and organic, the overall tone of the album gives the impression of "cold". Not bitter cold per se; just sort of an "expansive and exhilarating mountain cold". Now normally, one could attribute this to the cover art, ( snowcapped mountains, cool damp woods, etc), however, I got this impression before I issued due attention to it. I simply popped in the CD and was smitten. Or it could be the fact that the first time I listened to it, it was snowing heavily and very "cold". I don't know. Anyway, the impression is indelible.

The recording quality is also good.

Overall however, the impression is that they spent great amounts of time and care in the making this recording. It definitely shows. Highly recommended!

Mountainous sound waves imported to your CD player

I highly recommend this album to anyone with a unique taste. Alison Goldfrapp is a highly qualified musician who delivers art in the mediums of nature and sound. Her debut album, Felt Mountain, is direct transport to alpine peaks and tree-topped hills. It is highly inspirational with elements that can reach a diversity of listeners. The album has a callous-realistic side while reaching a romantic, halcyon atmosphere. If find yourself liking female vocals from bands such as: Bjork, PJ Harvey, Mum, Cat Power, Portishead and The Eccentric Opera, you will find that that Alison Goldfrapp's vocals are a compilation of all the aforementioned. Her vocals can reach from seducing temptress to classy female to opera. She is the ultimate female vocalist. Whether you are painting, writing, feeding your dog or preparing to fall asleep-the album gives you a 45 minute leave for escape to transcendental bliss. It is highly recommended, and I give it a glorifying five stars.

You are IN for a Treat

One year has gone by since the release of this album, i mean the original version of it. It has been in my playlist now for almost a year, and for every month, this is under heavy rotation, together with Bjork's 'Vespertine' and Anja Garbarek's 'Smiling and Waving'. This special edition of 'Felt Mountain' contains bonus remixes of the album tracks, accompanied by 'Utopia' single, now consider yourself the luckiest person on Earth. Here is a description of the album:
The first note of the album is an out-of-place high note, followed by some whistle, leads you into a beautiful village surrounded by mountains. Alison's vocal is mesmerizing, lauguid and frail. 'Paper Bag' is the most acoustic track here, at first listen, one gets the idea that this is a baroquish unplugged album. A little bit of scrutinization will tell you that her voice is wearing this fur coat made of soft ambient electronica, together with the instrumentation here, the string, the harpischord...her voice is seductive like that of a siren, draws you nearer and nearer to her. 'Human' is essentially a Shirley Bassey number with a modern twist to it, i didn't like it and thought it was out of place, but it really grows on you. After that, we have the retroish 'Pilot', the Portishead-like displeasure on 'Deer Stop', the ethereal 'Felt Mountain' and the drunken country 'Oompa Radar'. The single 'Utopia' starts off with Alison's trained soprano voice in the background, then it fades out to make way for Alison's half-spoken, half-sung vocal. Together with the gorgeous sound of harpischord and more...more electronic coating here,the complexity of it can only be matched by Bjork's Vespertine. The low-key 'Horse Tears' is best served with a glass of red wine at 2 am. This fantastic closer provides a very natural and perfect way of ending this album. Almost flawless album, up there with Kate Bush's 'Hounds of Love' and Bjork's 'Vespertine', a cut above Portishead's 'Dummy' and Perry Blake's 'Still Life'. Alison you are so wonderful, I can't wait to see you and hug you and kiss you and...