Goldfrapp - Drew

It's been difficult to be truly faithful to Goldfrapp as they have shifted musical direction, sometimes dramatically, from album to album. I loved the 2000 debut Felt Mountian for its cinematic qualities, and I have never given up on them later because of some truly great songs along the way, but as an album act I think the duo peaked at the very beginning of their recording career. Well, that might not be so after all. "Drew", the first single from their September 9th album Tales Of Us, is an astoundingly beautiful song with many of the same characteristics that gave their debut album such a sheen. It's a low-key, piano- and string-led pop ballad, with Alison Goldfrapp's whispery, almost eerie-sounding voice hovering above the instruments. Also, it's accompanied by an equally beautiful film shot in black and white that is part of a series of short films set to the songs on the album, directed by Lisa Gunning. Both the song and the film is knock-out stuff, and I have a suspicion that the album will follow suit. All the songs on Tales Of Us, save for one called "Stranger", are titled with singular names - "Jo", "Annabel", "Drew", "Ulla" and so forth - so let's hope all these girls deliver. I think they will.

Watch and listen