Best Ever Albums

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Cyrax — Fri, 9 Nov 2018 12:26:05 GMT

Author: Cyrax

Posted: 11/09/2018 17:26

Review by the Rolling Stone really sums it up well:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/music-2-185097/

Just when we’ve put Madonna in another box — one labeled “Introspective Celebrity Mom Who Doesn’t Want to Be an Icon Anymore but Can’t Help Herself” — the forty-two-year-old reverts to pleasure girl on the punk-funk dance floor, partying with the break dancers, the queers, the addicts and insomniacs. It’s been eighteen woozy years since Madonna dropped “Everybody”; with “Music,” the lead track off her thirteenth album, she looks back at that up-for-grabs, early-Eighties era, when the only freaks who could program electro beats for the street were Germans, B boys or near-transvestites. “Music makes the people come together,” she cries, as if her life and ours still depended on it.

Unlike Ray of Light‘s pristine inner-ear landscapes, Music is dirty, casually urgent, as if Madonna walked into the studio, got on the mike and let the machines bump. Check the improvisational, silly surge of “Impressive Instant,” which first roars like a rock rocket ship, then purrs while a digitally tweaked Ms. Ciccone squeaks, “I like to singy singy singy/Like a bird on a wingy wingy wingy.”

Music embodies that moment when destiny shoots us into the unknown. You thought Madonna was calculating, but here she’s never been more instinctive. “This guy was meant for me,” she prays in the ballad “I Deserve It,” dropping her guard, clearly portraying Guy Ritchie, her newborn’s father. She isn’t painting a fairy-tale romance: “Amazing” palpitates with passionate ambivalence, while “Nobody’s Perfect” admits and aurally embodies major fuck-ups. But she’s still devoted to love.

Music does all this with Madonna’s most radical sonics yet. William Orbit makes “Amazing” live up to its title by conjuring an even sassier spin on the gurgling grooviness of “Beautiful Stranger.” And the six cuts co-produced with French synth weirdo Mirwais madly reference the past while achieving intimate, futurist pop. Her closely miked voice, recorded with minimal sweetening, abandons her recent Evita-schooled operatics for a spontaneous yelp that circles back to her club-belter beginnings. “What It Feels Like for a Girl” clinches it with a feminist anthem that’s as musically gentle as it is lyrically barbed. “When you’re trying hard to be your best,” she croons as the voice of social authority, “could you be a little less?” The inability to do just that is what makes her matter yet again; there’s still more to Madonna.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

PaperVinnie — Fri, 2 Nov 2018 11:43:21 GMT

Author: PaperVinnie

Posted: 11/02/2018 15:43

Skinny wrote:

While you didn't make it clear that you were only referring to this album (which is still better than you give it credit for, but your ears just probably aren't attuned to its musical nuances given your age and your apparent predeliction for critically acclaimed, staid, arguably outdated guitar-based rock), you should absolutely check out her earlier work. This album is in no way indicative of her output as a whole, and at the time of its release was perhaps her weakest album, though I'd probably argue that Erotica - for all its highlights - is the Madonna album I'm least fond of pre-American Life.

As for lyrics about partying; all the best songs are about fucking or partying at their core. Madonna just makes this more explicit than most.

Forgot to reply to this

I may lean towards guitar rock, but I have plenty of respect for other genres. There are plenty of 80s pop outfits I like, (Tears for Fears, Duran Duran) but this album just sounds dull to me.

As for "All the best songs are about fucking or partying at their core"

Oh, c'mon... Strawberry Fields Forever? Desolation Row? Champagne Supernova? How to Disappear Completely?

I mean if you truly feel that way I won't try to change your mind, but I totally disagree.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Anonymous — Thu, 1 Nov 2018 08:00:14 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/01/2018 12:00

The opening to What It Feels Like For A Girl sounds like a nod to Oval, which I like; I'm intrigued by those remixes of it someone mentioned. Really only still listen to her debut regularly though

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Anonymous — Thu, 1 Nov 2018 05:18:37 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 11/01/2018 09:18

Skinny wrote:

If people think Madonna's '83-'89 output is trite, soulless, somehow not "real" music which has zero artistic merit (which nobody has yet managed to define beyond naming two wildly different though similarly acclaimed and popular LPs), I feel sorry for them.

Mirwais is certainly a good producer and sound creator, but, yes, 83-89 output in unbeatable. Immaculate.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

PaperVinnie — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 19:45:36 GMT

Author: PaperVinnie

Posted: 10/31/2018 23:45

Fischman wrote:

Anti-pop bias has nothing to do with it. When pop is good, it's good, just like any other form of music.

This

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Fischman — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 18:09:58 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 10/31/2018 22:09

Anti-pop bias has nothing to do with it. When pop is good, it's good, just like any other form of music.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

21stCenturySchiz — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 10:37:35 GMT

Author: 21stCenturySchiz

Posted: 10/31/2018 14:37

I kinda lost interest with Madonna after Erotica but maybe i'll give her later stuff a shot

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Skinny — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 06:14:17 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 10/31/2018 10:14

PaperVinnie wrote:

Not trying to start anything, but it's better to reply than subtweet, lol.

How does it have no artistic merit? All the songs are simply bland and repetitive, and they don't mean anything. Very little of this music seems to have any depth to it at all. Instrumentally, I feel like I was listening to maybe 3 different songs throughout the record. Her voice doesn't really impress me either... but maybe I should check out her earlier work. After all, I'm really only talking about THIS album.

I'm sorry we disagree, but it seems like you just said this in attempt to annoy someone who has annoyed you. I don't even feel this warrants a real response because I think you're trolling me, but SY and TVU are most certainly not mindless lol. I say that about this album because I mean, just look at some of these lyrics... To me, most of what I hear all seems to be about partying, but that's the thing about music. There's no point in getting bent out of shape about other's opinions because we all see what we see the way we want to see it.

I will say that calling it not "real" music was unfair of me, but I put quotes around it because I don't necessarily agree with it, it just seems to be the term used in this type of situation.

Who knows. My thinking on this could evolve, but as for now, I stick by most of my original comment.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 05:18:29 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 10/31/2018 09:18

LordMark wrote:

"Music" is one of my favourite Madonna songs.

Me too. Though I've not managed to get into this album or one of her others yet.

Madonna is surely one of the best artists of all time for singles. And she knew how to be a pop star better than anyone else for around two decades, which is incredible.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Cyrax — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 03:52:09 GMT

Author: Cyrax

Posted: 10/31/2018 07:52

For a long time I used to think this album was among her weakest, compared to the previous efforts and especially to American Life, it always felt disjointed due to the work of several collaborators. But in the light of her disappointing 2010s output including her pointless resurrection of William Orbit, I started to appreciate the album a lot more and currently it's in the top 5 Madonna albums to me.

Amazing had already shown William Orbit was a one-trick pony but that song is so infectuous, should have had a video and a spot on the tour. I think What It Feels Like For A Girl doesn't really go anywhere with that instrumentation, much prefer the remixes (it's her best maxi-single). Impressive Instant is one of her most excellent songs and the title track is also timeless. Even Runaway Lover grew on me, though thank God Mirwais was introduced to her, would have been terrible if we got an album full of Skin and Beautiful Stranger clones.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

LordMark — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 00:41:43 GMT

Author: LordMark

Posted: 10/31/2018 04:41

"Music" is one of my favourite Madonna songs.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 21:25:07 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 10/31/2018 01:25

oh god the rockists are out in full force . "don't tell me" pretty much invented glitch pop, or was at least the very first mainstream example of it.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

PaperVinnie — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:57:50 GMT

Author: PaperVinnie

Posted: 10/31/2018 00:57

Skinny wrote:

brun027 wrote:

Seems like you just want to listen to mindless music like Sonic Youth and The Velvet Underground while Madonna is too hard to digest

I'm sorry we disagree, but it seems like you just said this in attempt to annoy someone who has annoyed you. I don't even feel this warrants a real response because I think you're trolling me, but SY and TVU are most certainly not mindless lol. I say that about this album because I mean, just look at some of these lyrics... To me, most of what I hear all seems to be about partying, but that's the thing about music. There's no point in getting bent out of shape about other's opinions because we all see what we see the way we want to see it.

I will say that calling it not "real" music was unfair of me, but I put quotes around it because I don't necessarily agree with it, it just seems to be the term used in this type of situation.

Who knows. My thinking on this could evolve, but as for now, I stick by most of my original comment.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

brun027 — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:19:50 GMT

Author: brun027

Posted: 10/31/2018 00:19

PaperVinnie wrote:

The mass appeal to this music has always driven me insane. The only argument I've ever heard critics make for her specifically is she was influential, but that doesn't make her music not garbage... and so what if it was influential? Influential to what? More garbage? How does that give it any merit?

"Music" like this has no instrumental merit, and little to no lyrical merit at all... Maybe I'm being too harsh and it just bothers me shit like this is more popular than "The Velvet Under & Nico" or "Daydream Nation" ever will be, but what can you do? Not many people care enough about music to listen to "real" music.

Overall: Just totally mindless music made for people who just want something easy to digest, from what I can see.

Edit: "What It Feels Like for a Girl" is pretty good, it holds substance and is much more listenable than the rest of the record.

Seems like you just want to listen to mindless music like Sonic Youth and The Velvet Underground while Madonna is too hard to digest

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

cestuneblague — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:15:54 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 10/31/2018 00:15

Skinny wrote:

I find her '90s material far more hit and miss, and often overwrought, though yeah there are still a bunch of gems in there. Never got the hate for Madonna, tbh. Seems like a weird prejudice to have.

Given some of it may have to do more with her personal behavior (given anybody who compares oneself to Nelson Mandela is bound to be love-em-or-hate-em star) but yeah a lot of the hate here seems to go after the type of music she makes rather than her actual output. Yeah, with the exception of Like A Prayer and her self-titled a lot of her albums have been hit and miss but she did have a remarkable run of good-to-excellent singles, though everything past 2005 is largely worthless (and Confessions is a smidge overrated as well).

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

gloriousgoo — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:14:32 GMT

Author: gloriousgoo

Posted: 10/31/2018 00:14

That's fair. That's on me for associating that ideology exclusively with 90s-onward pop. I need to really take a look at why I take issue with music produced in that manner only after a certain arbitrary date and only in certain genres. Thanks for giving me a lot to think about!

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Skinny — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:10:37 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 10/31/2018 00:10

gloriousgoo wrote:

I mean I certainly think it's "real" music (God I hate that phrase), but it also seems to mark the beginning of the over commercialization of music which is why I struggle with celebrating her innovation and achievements. Not because it itself is trite or soulless, but because the music that followed in its footsteps was.

Motown and the Brill Building were factories designed to produce pop hits, and are rightly lauded almost universally for the way they went about doing so. The commercialisation of music did not begin with Madonna.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Luigii — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:04:05 GMT

Author: Luigii

Posted: 10/31/2018 00:04

Skinny wrote:

I find her '90s material far more hit and miss, and often overwrought, though yeah there are still a bunch of gems in there. Never got the hate for Madonna, tbh. Seems like a weird prejudice to have.

Maybe since Pop has always got this bad rep, her music was never liked by everyone. Though with the first statement agree to disagree.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

gloriousgoo — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:03:00 GMT

Author: gloriousgoo

Posted: 10/31/2018 00:03

I mean I certainly think it's "real" music (God I hate that phrase), but it also seems to mark the beginning of the over commercialization of music which is why I struggle with celebrating her innovation and achievements. Not because it itself is trite or soulless, but because the music that followed in its footsteps was.

Re: Album of the day (#2877): Music by Madonna

Skinny — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 19:54:10 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 10/30/2018 23:54

Luigii wrote:

I would also throw in her 90's material or her 05 album.

I find her '90s material far more hit and miss, and often overwrought, though yeah there are still a bunch of gems in there. Never got the hate for Madonna, tbh. Seems like a weird prejudice to have.