Seventh Tree

Goldfrapp and Gregory began writing and recording the album at the end of 2006 in Bath. An acoustic radio session they had played led them to put acoustic guitars into the music, aiming for warm, delicate sounds. Alison said the title came from a dream about a very large tree, and described the record as a sensual counterpoint to the glitterball glamour of Supernature. The album drew on paganism and surreal English children's books.

Alison and Gregory recorded and produced every track. Flood co-produced tracks 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 and added production to the others, Tony Hoffer mixed most of the album, and Nick Ingman orchestrated the strings. Choir parts came from Metro Voices. Stephen Marcussen mastered it. The artwork shows Alison dressed as a clown, which she called an iconic image with many connotations. She also toned down her overtly sexual image, because she felt it was taking over the music.

Songs

Lead single A&E reached number 10 in the UK. Happiness reached 25, Caravan Girl 54 and Clowns 115. A special edition on 3 November 2008 added new artwork, photographs and a DVD with videos, behind-the-scenes footage and live performances filmed at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea in June 2008.

Reception

The album debuted at number two in Britain with 46,945 copies sold and was certified gold within four days. It sold 200,062 copies in the UK by March 2010. In the United States it entered the Billboard 200 at number 48. Metacritic averaged 78 from 32 reviews. The Observer's Barney Hoskyns found it as hummably lovely as it was referencing of English whimsy, and Uncut's John Lewis called it brave, bonkers, often beautiful. Q ranked it number 19 among the best albums of 2008.

Pitchfork's Nate Patrin was less taken, finding the ambience so subtle and slow-moving that it did not seem to go anywhere, though he praised the desolation of Cologne Cerrone Houdini and Some People.