Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree

I was a bit disappointed with this one as they went down a folk road nodding to Nick Drake and John Martin. It was a radical departure from the electro pop of the previous three albums.

Picked a near mint copy of this up in a charity shop today, decent sounding press.

I agree with the other reviewer that mentioned that this record needs to be played on a full range setup at around >70db. If you can do that then the space and dynamics are wide open and pretty beautiful. If you want the high gain compressed version you can always stream it or buy a cd. One of the best things about vinyl mastering is it often allows a mastering engineer to not brickwall the album. It’s pretty much the only medium where they are allowed to do a proper mastering for a hi-fi setup. This release is a great example.

Quite a mediocre pressing, with noticeable average level of surface noise, and full of crackle in certain sections.

There are a lot of mixed reviews here..I'm happy to report that my copy is nearly flawless in every aspect..the sonics are outstanding..huge soundstage, wide and deep, with life-size and life-like images..sweet airy highs, deep bass, and everything in between, certainly one of my best sounding records..the only issue is a very slight amount of surface noise in a couple of places...it is otherwise flat and pretty..the packaging is gorgeous..just felt I should share my experience

TLDR: it ain't lacking dynamics, it lacks "proper" loudness and compression. Sounds really good on really good speakers while played at least on medium levels, sounds indeed thin when played on apple earbuds or quiet - I'd also prefer "loud" cd version during quiet listening.

Okay, I pulled the trigger on this one because it was cheap and have to disagree with most of the comments - I really like this weird mastering. At first it does seem bland and flat, but it really shines when you crank up the volume - it has more microdynamics, is more delicate than cd version and it lets you pick details easier, it just sounds like it lacks any standard compression or loudness, like it was taken almost untouched directly from mix. When played loud, it sounds like in studio rather than listening to the record at home. At the same levels, cd version sounds too loud. CD tho is better suited for normal listening levels and on meh hardware.

IMO this is more fun to have than LP that sounds almost identical to cd version and has only cosmetic advantages or disadvantages. This one gives you completely different sounding album.

Also - even if the sound doesn't convince you, the record in yellow looks good, gatefold has nice, matte finish and in general it's a nice looking one on my shelf. It's one of the very few positive surprises of the record for me that was supposed to be meh.

Wow, the on the sound of this pressing is all over the place! I'm afraid to take the plunge.

Disappointed with this pressing; sounds flat and doesn't make the best of the beautiful arrangements. A real shame for such a great album!

Well I waited a long time to get a copy of this and when it came up for reissue I thought great at last an affordable copy of an album I absolutely love.
What a disappointment, boy is this a dull recording no dynamics flat to the point of bland.
I even prefer the CD. At least that has some life to it.

Got to be honest, One of my favorite Goldfrapp LP's, delicate and beautiful, Intricate and moving, to playful and rocking. BUT... The recording is a MESS. The first track "Clowns" is mixed so badly that it sounds as if your speakers are turned to the wall. Muddy, veiled, rolled off treble to the point of unlistenable..Which is a REAL shame. The wife and I saw them perform it live at a movie simulcast and the music brought you to GOOSEBUMPS. But you can't get there from here. Track two and the sound is better..treble is back, the veil almost lifted.. revealing that the mix is way too low, revealing EVERY single pop or click LOUDLY on the quieter sections of music. Very invasive, and ruins a listen. I understand that they crammed to much on this LP and the grooves become more compressed.. sound quality will suffer for it. but there is so much music in the run-outs that my automatic turntable lifts the arm before the last song ends! Why not just do a double LP instead of strangling the life out of some of the most beautiful music Goldfrapp has made? I love the songs and play the LP once in a while, but it was a HORRIBLE release by Mute Records. They did Alison and Will NO justice on this LP AT ALL.
TL,DR version - an AMAZING LP full of great stuff recorded so poorly it makes a TEN for content into a FOUR for listening pleasure. The live performance was electrifying! The LP is a head-scratcher. Really a shame.