Dark electronic duo Goldfrapp have returned after nearly four years with their seventh album Silver Eye to be released on March 31st via Mute. The music video for the first single “Anymore” was recently released and feels like an elevation of their signature sound, overt sexiness evolved into smoldering sensuality.
Set in a desert with backgrounds vacillating between stark daylight with a gigantic moon and moody late afternoon hues, this music video uses color to tell its story. Alison Goldfrapp herself is the leader or headmistress of a small tribe of aliens who appear to fancy latex and charmingly look like they came from the glam 1970s in an awesomely twisted way. Many moments in this music video bring me back to images of The Lady of the Lake (Viviane) in The Mists of Avalon and Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road because of the aloofness and femininity these characters portray. The shaved heads and diminutive figures of the tribe members create a beautiful gender ambiguity and the use of ritualistic body paint adds mystery to this video’s overall message.
I’m one of those people who become uncomfortable when characters break into song and dance in a production and as such, I usually find choreography in music videos to be a bit goofy. However, Goldfrapp made these otherworldy characters dance in a way that we would imagine they do; simple motions and expressionless faces set against a moody desert backdrop that almost steals the scene in its beauty.
The line Alison repeats throughout the song “connect me/over to the other side” adds another layer of complexity to this haunting, pulsating, and ultimately fun and danceable song. Some of the vignettes in this music video have a strong visual reference to the works of my favorite music video director Floria Sigismondi, who created scenes and composed shots that read like a medieval painting (in other words: heavy symbolism). Definitely give this music video a couple watches.
