Ray of Light

Ray of Light could be very accurately described as the favorite Madonna of all who hate Madonna, though it should be shocking that people who hate The Queen exist, their existence is an unfortunate reality.

Ray of Light is the least Madonna of all her albums, released just after the birth of her first child and after her conversion of kabbalah, the album brought electronica into the mainstream, and was her first album made entirely without using a single instrument.

The album was also recorded shortly after the completion of Evita, so her voice was at its peak given all the vocal work she did for that film.

The album is also refreshingly uncommercial, it features a song sung entirely in Sanskrit, something very few mainstream pop artists would be able to pull off.

The album begins on a strong if slightly ponderous note, Drowned World/Substitute for Love finds Madonna contemplating fame and everything she has sacrificed. Before launching into Skin and the album's’ title track. The album really finds its rhythm around the middle, with Nothing Really Matters and Frozen being album highlights.

Ray of Light is more of a concept album than a conventional LP, rather than being simply a collection of songs, Ray of Light is truly a record in the truest sense, it feels cohesive and complete, there is a sense of flow and it is a wholly defined piece of art.

The album has a unique sound, and shows Madonna at her most experimental, experimenting with electronica and synthesizers for the first time, the album is soothing and sort of sounds like one is listening to it underwater, everything is softer and slightly more muffled.

Ray of Light is a deeply progressive record and the influences of it are still being heard today, it kickstarted the record industry to embrace electronic music, and it freed mainstream artists from needing to conform to a certain sound, Madonna herself would do well to take her own advice today.

Ray of Light is a hugely thrilling album, and is one that even those most loathing of Madonna will enjoy, it is progressive, original and unique, and it is proof that pop start needn't make generic, conventional records. Ray of Light stands out as not only the best Madonna album, but as one of the greatest pop records of all time.

Musings On... Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola is one of my favorite directors, her films have a timeless elegance and a calm solemness which is beautiful and soothing. Coppola is the daughter of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, and this is apparent in her films, Coppola spent much of her childhood growing up in hotels, and thus many of her films deal with youth and loneliness. Both Somewhere and Lost in Translation are set in hotels, and deal with the isolation and shut off reality of hotels. Coppola also grew up in a privileged environment, and her films deal with this also.

One of the main themes discussed in her films is that of isolation, The Virgin Suicides is about five sisters who are isolated from society by their mother after one of them commits suicide. The film explores the cost of their isolation, and their loneliness. Her second picture deals with the same themes, and is the story of two tourists who meet in a hotel in Tokyo, and who form an unusual bond. The milieu of the hotel is an expression of their loneliness, as it is a world cut off from reality, and both the characters are lonely and lost in their marriages. Somewhere also deals with loneliness, much in the same way as Lost in Translation.

Other themes discussed in her works are ennui, which is discussed in Marie Antoinette, Lost in Translation and Somewhere, all these films deal with characters who feel despondent and uninterested with life. Her films also deal with characters who are often wealthy and privileged, but who gain little pleasure in their lives, and who feel like their loves are worthless, Marie Antoinette deals with this especially, as Antoine is rich and lives in a palace, yet she longs for a simple life, and loathes the pretense and lavish lifestyle of Versaillles. The Bling Ring stands out among Coppola's works, and it deals with a group of young people who are obsessed with fame and fortune, who long for riches and celebrity, and who steal from those they idolize.

Coppola is a true auteur, her films are highly personal, she wrote all of them, and they are highly inspired by her own life, childhood and experiences, her films mainly deal with loneliness, isolation and solitude, her films are visually stunning and poignant and are of particular significance to me.

The MDNA Tour - DVD Review

About a year ago, i reviewed Adele at the Royal Albert Hall, a concert DVD, i think that was probably the latest concert film i had seen, until now. The other night, i settled down for a sketch and a watch of Madonna's latest tour DVD, The MDNA Tour, the tour took place in 2012 and was the highest grossing tour of the year, in addition to becoming the second highest grosing tour ever by a female artist, behind Madonna's Sticky and Sweet Tour from 2008, and higher than The Confessions Tour from 2006. The tour was filmed in Miami in 2012 and was broadcast on Epix.

Despite being majorly filmed at the shows in Miami, the show also uses footage from other shows of the north american leg of the tour, the show was filmed in HD using multiple cameras mounted on the stage, giving the audience the feeling of actually being on stage with Madonna. The editing between the multiple shows is seamless, and there is no break between songs, the show is highly edited using multiple cuts per song, adding to the phrenetic energy of the performance, the DVD is essentially a two hour music video, highly produced and well directed.

Thematically the show is split into four segments, the first, entitled Transgression, deals with themes of violence, religion and sex. The second segment, entitled Prophecy features music that brings people together. The penultimate segment is entitled Masculine/Feminine, features the iconic cone bra and is an exploration of eroticism, masculinity and femininity, nudity and power. The final segment is called Redemption and has an appropriately religious feel, with Madonna taking the role of Pope (of course)

The DVD is highly impressive, particularly for Madonna's performance, at 55 Madge shows no signs of slowing up, her dancing is energetic and entirely on point and her vocals are surprisingly even and strong. What is mostly impressive with this DVD is how brilliantly successful is is as a DVD, many concert tours struggle to find a reason to be filmed, and the MDNA tour needs no reason, the show is energetic, visually stunning and thematically engaging, the tour itself and this DVD is a testament to Madonna's work as a visionary artist and her unique voice in the music industry today. Rating: A+

 Madonna: Fuck Yeah!