Madame X album general discussion

[Geiger83]

1 hour ago, jonski43 said:

I'm mixed about the 'music's not what it what it was' argument. Every generation says that about the next generations music.

At my last works Christmas party, the guy literally played modern RnB, hip hop etc like DJ snake and or songs like Mr Brightside and the dancefloor was packed. Hardly any classics.

It's people's memories that make songs classics even if they're shit. 

However, looking at the UK charts, I do think you see a massive increase in forgettable acts from the 2000s onwards with forgettable songs so it will be interesting what lives on.

As for Madame X, I find you normally have to wait a year to find out what people really think of an album. I seem to remember MDNA being showered with massive praise on release but now we look back and see it for the messy mix it is.

I've not listened to it in a while but I'll go back to it at some point, probably when the tour starts.

I understand your point because that is what we really hear all the time: "the music of my generation was better", what gives me mixed feelings as well. And for the example you gave I would at first have to listen how the music sounds, but I suppose that although the songs were current they belong to "established", now "standard" styles (R&B, Hip Hop) and those are very danceable styles. But as I wrote: I can't say much without having listened to the songs.  Regarding my comment what I think is that nowadays there is less effort to write and produce songs that have an uniqueness. There have always been forgettable music but now the new goals (streaming) seems to have erased the interest in producing something original.  And I agree with you: only time will tell

[tasteinmen]

After a few weeks away from this album, I put it on today and I just love it. I'm also really enjoying the new I Rise remixes, I've got a long weekend break coming up next week and I can't wait to rinse this album and it's remixes with friends and album, making it that late summer album it deserves to be.

[Kurt420]

3 hours ago, Kim said:

 

Also, where did this ridiculous FAKE narrative of people not caring about Madame X just because of 'lack of commercial success' come from?

Have you never been indifferent towards or even disliked a popular song only to be out a club or party with friends and have a special moment happen with the song playing? Or meet a special someone while a popular song you could've cared less about is playing? I have and it's changed my perception of songs/albums before....many times. Or have a friend bring a song/album to your attention because it's important to them for whatever reason so you listen to it with a new perspective? Or plain and simple, you just hear a song enough on radio/out and about where it finally catches on for you? If the songs aren't being played anywhere how can any of these type of memories be created? No doubt these things can happen with unpopular/more unknown music but odds are greater when songs are more universal and you're hearing them when you're out to eat, shopping, clubbing, just hanging out with people etc. It's not a negative or even necessarily an intentional "I hate it cuz it's not on the charts"  thing at all. Don't think that's what anyone is saying. In the case of MX, it just means these types of scenarios are less likely to happen if you're only listening to it occasionally at home with headphones, in the car or at the gym as I assume many of us are at this point (except in Brazil perhaps with FG ). 

Also, this doesn't negate the fact that some people just may simply hate the music and always will (we have people here that dislike LAP ffs) but it's not an absurd notion to think the more positive memories you have attached to or the more you hear something that it may just catch on with you for any number of reasons. 

[Kim]

6 minutes ago, Kurt420 said:

Have you never been indifferent towards or even disliked a popular song only to be out a club or party with friends and have a special moment happen with the song playing? Or meet a special someone while a popular song you could've cared less about is playing? I have and it's changed my perception of songs/albums before....many times. Or have a friend bring a song/album to your attention because it's important to them for whatever reason so you listen to it with a new perspective? Or plain and simple, you just hear a song enough on radio/out and about where it finally catches on for you? If the songs aren't being played anywhere how can any of these type of memories be created? No doubt these things can happen with unpopular/more unknown music but odds are greater when songs are more universal and you're hearing them when you're out to eat, shopping, clubbing, just hanging out with people etc. It's not a negative or even necessarily an intentional "I hate it cuz it's not on the charts"  thing at all. Don't think that's what anyone is saying. In the case of MX, it just means these types of scenarios are less likely to happen if you're only listening to it occasionally at home with headphones, in the car or at the gym as I assume many of us are at this point (except in Brazil perhaps with FG ). 

Also, this doesn't negate the fact that some people just may simply hate the music and always will (we have people here that dislike LAP ffs) but it's not an absurd notion to think the more positive memories you have attached to or the more you hear something that it may just catch on with you for any number of reasons. 

Well the concept of something "catching on" is entirely different from the pages of posts I just read with people lamenting how it's obviously the lack of commercial success which has led to many people just being indifferent towards this album (as reflected here and elsewhere). Nor do I agree with the assertion that because someone dislikes the particular music an artist is making at any one point, that they automatically "always will" dislike it.

[Kurt420]

2 minutes ago, Kim said:

Well the concept of something "catching on" is entirely different from the pages of posts I just read with people lamenting how it's obviously the lack of commercial success which has led to many people just being indifferent towards this album (as reflected here and elsewhere). Nor do I agree with the assertion that because someone dislikes the particular music an artist is making at any one point, that they automatically "always will" dislike it.

Well, lack of commercial success and the ability for something to "catch on" can kind of go hand in hand in a lot of ways as far as I can tell. I understand we're in a Madonna forum here so it's likely many of us will give the album a fair shot regardless. I'm going to take GGW for example though.....I really disliked that song....or was at least very indifferent to it....until I saw MDNA tour and was blown away by the live performance.....then the friend I took to the show became absolutely enthralled with it (yeah, don't get it either really...lol) but that turned my indifference into an overall like for the song.....I tend not to skip it if it comes up on shuffle, just put it that way. You're absolutely right though in regard to "always" disliking something....poor word choice on my part. I've revisited many M songs I didn't care for YEARS later and ended up liking them. 

[VogueMusic]

On 8/13/2019 at 9:01 PM, Kurt420 said:

You said it perfectly! This is exactly how I feel everytime I listen to it as well. Even though I've heard the album literally hundreds of times at this point, the sonic journey it takes me on from beginning to end is still so incredibly exciting to me. May sound silly but it truly is like touring the world in a way, there are just so many twist and turns and for me that makes it as fresh as it was the first time I heard it a couple months ago now. That excitement makes the whole listening experience fly by. ROL remains one of my top 2-3 favorite albums by her, while Erotica would probably be more towards the bottom of the list (sorry!!) the one thing they have in common though is that towards the end of those albums I sometimes find myself getting a bit antsy and that's always been the case (especially with Erotica....I truly don't remember last time I listened to it front to back). MX runs right around the same time as both of those albums and that absolutely doesn't happen when I listen to it.

 I flashback to the very first "hints" regarding the sound of the album early this year, before anyone had heard anything and it was described as not being necessarily cohesive but the songs still come together and create a uniform body of work that makes it feel unlike a MDNA or RH. Having heard it now, that description fits so perfectly. RH absolutely has some of the strongest straight up pop melodies/hooks of her entire career. Something about her approach to the structure of those songs was very 80's Madonna to me and that I LOVE! Despite having more depth than a lot of her very early songs they still manage to have that instantaneous quality in a lot of ways. Just thinking of the first time I heard RH, WAOM, Ghosttown, BN and demo version of HT and I was just bowled over at how catchy and just "pure pop" everything was. MX really couldn't be more opposite in that regard. Definitely still some strong hooks/melodies there without a doubt but for those that appreciate a more straight up pop sound without a lot of bells and whistles, there just isn't a lot to offer on MX in that regard (Crave and perhaps Crazy). This is 100% an ALBUM, a sonic journey...not really a collection of songs you can pick and choose.

M herself said it best when she said that MX is not background music and that is also very true. It's an album you have to really LISTEN to in order to fully appreciate. It's truly a work of art. Having it on low volume in the background while doing a whole list of other things just doesn't cut it with this album. So very proud of her for pulling an album like this out at this stage of her career. I still say RH (the song) perfectly encapsulates the state of mind of modern day Madonna but as it turns out that was sort of the teaser for MX. She really went all in with it. MX IS Madonna circa 2019 through and through (like her/it or not). 

I feel the exact same way. There's something about this album that envelopes you in its own little world so much so that you forget how long the journey really is, and when it's over you think, where the hell has the time gone?  And it just leaves you wanting more, even when including the three bonus tracks (particularly Ciao Bella). To do that nearly 4 decades into your career, at 60, in popular music - let alone as a female - is really unprecedented. And I hope the fanbase overall doesn't lose sight of what kind of accomplishment this truly is.

And no, it truly isn't background music. I've tried playing it in the car, or while doing other things...and it just doesn't work. It doesn't hit you in the right way...almost as if you, the listener, feel like you are lacking something from it (not the music itself, but the listener). Perhaps that comes from knowing the work intimately before, but yeah, I can't listen to MX in a casual sense. It's an album that needs a great sound system or phenomenal headphones, a dark room, good wine, and all the time to fully experience the journey from start to complete finish without stopping. It doesn't really feel like a piece of work made for our current era. Yes, it's forward-thinking and even futuristic in many ways...but there's an old-school foundation that grounds it.

 

 

On 8/13/2019 at 11:14 PM, Kurt420 said:

Madonna being "cohesive" most definitely isn't a necessity for me in any way. In fact, having albums that have songs that may sound different from one another keeps things interesting....variety is good. I'm probably one of the few that actually likes MDNA. That album has some great songs, you can skip around, create your own playlist of the songs however you'd like and it really doesn't disrupt any "flow" or overall "mood". I feel like you can do that some with RH and even Music as well. For me there's something special though when an album creates a whole mood or atmosphere where you just get completely lost in the music for the whole duration of the album in the way Erotica, ROL, COADF, MX etc do, where the whole is better than the sum of the parts. To me re-sequencing tracks on any of those albums is pretty close to blasphemy lol. Those albums are like going on a journey when you put them on....at least for me they are and it's typically her more cohesive albums that evoke that feeling. Doesn't make the others inferior in any way though, simply different.

On 8/14/2019 at 1:34 AM, Jazzy Jan said:

To me there are 3 words that have lost their true meaning in describing art, music or people.  Cohesive, irrevelant and dated. I can't see that True Blue is cohesive at all and I adore True Blue. I don't really see how Madame X is cohesive either. Medellin, Dark Ballet, Crave, Crazy, Batuka, Extreme occidental and Idsif sound nothing like each other for example. Each song could be on several albums of Madonna's from the past.  Again, that is not an issue to me. 

I respect though that others think differently. Just don't really see where Madame X is cohesive and with people saying they adore it because it is cohesive, I just don't see it. 

You know how I feel about 'irrelevant' and especially 'dated'... but for me, I've always found the 'cohesive' argument a bit funny. On one hand, I understand it a bit, as I grew up listening to artists that really made 'albums' albums...sonic journeys that lyrically, conceptually and musically take you into a unique little universe from start to finish (with most being designed as such by the artists themselves). But then again, it also depends on how we personally define 'cohesive'...like @Kurt420 above, for me it's less about the music sounding all one way, and much more about each album creating a distinct "mood or atmosphere" that you forever associate with that work - like a distinct visual cinematic environment with backing score. Obviously some Madonna albums do this more so than others, like those @Kurt420 lists...but for me, almost all of Madonna's albums do this in their own little way (which is also why I have a very hard time comparing one album to the next because Madonna is such a unique artist that it's as if each album exists as a separate star system in different galaxies that you have to jump through lightspeed to get to (yes, I just made a Star Wars reference )). Like you said, all those songs on MX are nothing alike...but they do feel like they naturally belong on the same planet (unlike throwing them next to songs from, say, True Blue or Ray of Light, etc.). That being said, it's not a necessary thing for me when deciding if something is ultimately good or bad.

 

 

[Andra]

On 8/19/2019 at 6:30 PM, Kurt420 said:

Have you never been indifferent towards or even disliked a popular song only to be out a club or party with friends and have a special moment happen with the song playing?

I agree with this. We naturally get even more excited if there's BUZZ surrounding things that we like and we know that other people aren't indifferent and possibly feel very positive about those things too. It's like an approval...we get joy from it. And we were used to this with most of M's releases.

[imakicola]

I literally love to watch reactions that show a casual fan fawning over a great song. I e never seen a bad reaction from ghosttown!

[horn]

6 hours ago, imakicola said:

I literally love to watch reactions that show a casual fan fawning over a great song. I e never seen a bad reaction from ghosttown!

Personally I find Ghosttown a little "try hard" and doesn't sound fresh.

[horn]

I would advise ppl to listen to the album without watching the video 'cos sometimes the visual will distract/dictate your interest for the song.

I was bored with "I Rise" when the first time I heard/saw it on youtube where the video features M repeating the same movement over and over again.

But when I listen to the LP, I find it more appealing and sot of became my top 3 MX tracks.

 

[horn]

And I must admit I was anticipating for an upbeat dance track like GMAYL / GGW from MX.

Although it has none but musical wise I find MX has "more tunes" than RH  That's why I enjoy it more than RH.

[miki]

On 8/18/2019 at 3:40 PM, CzarnaWisnia said:

 People are free to post whatever they want and review albums based on their preferences.

Yes, people are free to post whatever. It's just that sometimes when they do, my soul aches. 

Concerning the general public ( not forum members ), it can only understand the things with which it is perfectly familiar. Something new makes it lose its orientation. And it also should be noted that most GP audiences don't really listen. The music which cost agonizing labor to make are casually received, hence my discontent with their immodest  opinions. And why can't a supposed reviewer be reviewed him/herself. And if anyone can post whatever then why  is it offensive to anyone that I deem a certain someone not apt to the task of reviewing an album of Madonna's. Aren't there supposed to be criteria ( some sort of a requirement met ) for the privilege of critiquing works of art, like music and books.

[miki]

On 8/19/2019 at 4:54 AM, Kim said:

 

Also, where did this ridiculous FAKE narrative of people not caring about Madame X just because of 'lack of commercial success' come from?

Well, it's either that or it may be that it's too experimental for certain people to connect with  instantly , or any other reason concerning the listener's emotional  state at the time  . But, it most certainly is not cause Madame X is not good.  And it has been asserted by a lot of her fans that it took them years to appreciate the appeal of Hard Candy, and American life . So, I propose that if someone doesn't like a Madonna album, it's best to take his/her time with it. Wait a year or more if necessary, before making up one's mind.  

[Rugbyguy]

I love the album but for some reason it’s had no longevity for me. I played it daily every day for the first month then I was off to other sounds. It’s got nothing to do with the caliber of the album because it’s stellar bit usually when an M album comes out, I’m obsessed with it for months and know every word after a matter of weeks. I played albums like Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light, Confessions and Rebel for months on end but it’s been different with Madame. It came at a very difficult time in my life. I do take my hat off to her tho for releasing the album she wanted to release and thumbing her nose at what’s commercial for once but I have to admit I never had a problem with commercial, trend chasing Madonna because I never saw it as trend chasing. I always found albums like Rebel Heart and Bedtime Stories to be incredibly authentic for example and those are the albums that have been criticised the most for trend chasing. Madame X is probably going to be regarded like Erotica in years to come, a masterpiece.

[sul8323]

6 hours ago, horn said:

Personally I find Ghosttown a little "try hard" and doesn't sound fresh.

Wow!  Ghosttown is a classic Madonna ballad.  There is nothing "try hard" about it.  

[Flip The Switch]

 

5 minutes ago, sul8323 said:

Wow!  Ghosttown is a classic Madonna ballad.  There is nothing "try hard" about it.  

Ghosttown is the typical ballad. Safe for everyone. While I think it’s great, it’s very un-Madonna. 

[Andgon144]

There are really no bad song on MX

i do think it’s another masterpiece from M.

the only thing mx lacks is a powerful balled a la power of goodbye. “Looking or mercy” just doesn’t do it for me, it’s pleasant but doesn’t stand out to me like ghost town or pog. 

[jonski43]

7 hours ago, Rugbyguy said:

I love the album but for some reason it’s had no longevity for me. I played it daily every day for the first month then I was off to other sounds. It’s got nothing to do with the caliber of the album because it’s stellar bit usually when an M album comes out, I’m obsessed with it for months and know every word after a matter of weeks. I played albums like Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light, Confessions and Rebel for months on end but it’s been different with Madame. It came at a very difficult time in my life. I do take my hat off to her tho for releasing the album she wanted to release and thumbing her nose at what’s commercial for once but I have to admit I never had a problem with commercial, trend chasing Madonna because I never saw it as trend chasing. I always found albums like Rebel Heart and Bedtime Stories to be incredibly authentic for example and those are the albums that have been criticised the most for trend chasing. Madame X is probably going to be regarded like Erotica in years to come, a masterpiece.

Same with me. I listened to it a lot but then went away and couldn't access my music and by the time I got back, I haven't felt the urge to listen to it. For me, I've not found those songs that make me want to keep listening. 

On RH there's best night and inside out, MDNA had gang bang, I'm a sinner, I don't give a... But I've not found a song that's really grabbed me in this.

Once again, it's a great album and I'll come back to it at some point, perhaps when the tour starts. 

[Eltacubo]

58 minutes ago, jonski43 said:

Same with me. I listened to it a lot but then went away and couldn't access my music and by the time I got back, I haven't felt the urge to listen to it. For me, I've not found those songs that make me want to keep listening. 

On RH there's best night and inside out, MDNA had gang bang, I'm a sinner, I don't give a... But I've not found a song that's really grabbed me in this.

Once again, it's a great album and I'll come back to it at some point, perhaps when the tour starts. 

I havent listened to it as muc as the other albums even though i think its one of her best and i love it.

 

i think it may have a little to do with the short promo which kept us engaged and going  back to songs and videos when videos or promo came on after. Im sure a lot of us will go back to it more when the tour starts

[bardo]

9 hours ago, Rugbyguy said:

I love the album but for some reason it’s had no longevity for me. I played it daily every day for the first month then I was off to other sounds. It’s got nothing to do with the caliber of the album because it’s stellar bit usually when an M album comes out, I’m obsessed with it for months and know every word after a matter of weeks. I played albums like Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light, Confessions and Rebel for months on end but it’s been different with Madame. It came at a very difficult time in my life. I do take my hat off to her tho for releasing the album she wanted to release and thumbing her nose at what’s commercial for once but I have to admit I never had a problem with commercial, trend chasing Madonna because I never saw it as trend chasing. I always found albums like Rebel Heart and Bedtime Stories to be incredibly authentic for example and those are the albums that have been criticised the most for trend chasing. Madame X is probably going to be regarded like Erotica in years to come, a masterpiece.

same here. part of it, for me, is that it's not the kind of album you can just throw on while you're doing something like background pop music. there are a few tracks that you can do that with ("crazy," "crave," "i don't search if ind") but overall it demands that you pay attention. it's just not your average pop album.

[Phineaspoe]

6 hours ago, Andgon144 said:

There are really no bad song on MX

i do think it’s another masterpiece from M.

the only thing mx lacks is a powerful balled a la power of goodbye. “Looking or mercy” just doesn’t do it for me, it’s pleasant but doesn’t stand out to me like ghost town or pog. 

That’s Crave for me.

[Guest CzarnaWisnia]

12 hours ago, Rugbyguy said:

I love the album but for some reason it’s had no longevity for me. I played it daily every day for the first month then I was off to other sounds. It’s got nothing to do with the caliber of the album because it’s stellar bit usually when an M album comes out, I’m obsessed with it for months and know every word after a matter of weeks. I played albums like Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light, Confessions and Rebel for months on end but it’s been different with Madame. It came at a very difficult time in my life. I do take my hat off to her tho for releasing the album she wanted to release and thumbing her nose at what’s commercial for once but I have to admit I never had a problem with commercial, trend chasing Madonna because I never saw it as trend chasing. I always found albums like Rebel Heart and Bedtime Stories to be incredibly authentic for example and those are the albums that have been criticised the most for trend chasing. Madame X is probably going to be regarded like Erotica in years to come, a masterpiece.

The same for me. It just didn't stick for whatever reason. None of the singles electrified me. I also don't have a problem with "trend chasing". I only see it as wanting to be current. You can be current and still produce something authentic and personal. Anyway, I like Mme X, but it just doesn't strike me, I guess. It's a very good album... Surreally, my favorite track still is Crazy (which most people here apparently think is filler pop trash for some reason...). I love Batuka, but the vocoder takes away the rawness it should have vocally, so that's... I love God Control. I Rise is great (except, as in Batuka, the vocal transformation strips away the emotional power of the song, when it should actually build to a climax). Crave is good. Faz is hot. Yeah.

[Andgon144]

2 hours ago, Phineaspoe said:

That’s Crave for me.

Dang crave for me is tops 

haha 

[bardo]

3 hours ago, CzarnaWisnia said:

The same for me. It just didn't stick for whatever reason. None of the singles electrified me. I also don't have a problem with "trend chasing". I only see it as wanting to be current. You can be current and still produce something authentic and personal. Anyway, I like Mme X, but it just doesn't strike me, I guess. It's a very good album... Surreally, my favorite track still is Crazy (which most people here apparently think is filler pop trash for some reason...). I love Batuka, but the vocoder takes away the rawness it should have vocally, so that's... I love God Control. I Rise is great (except, as in Batuka, the vocal transformation strips away the emotional power of the song, when it should actually build to a climax). Crave is good. Faz is hot. Yeah.

i've only seen positive things about crazy on here. it's in my top 5. 

[Iconic Fetus]

I still listen to the album, not daily basis but maybe 3-5 songs at the gym or just walking, It has nice moments, some songs are too short (IDSIF or Crave) and others are too long (GC), I love that it shows that she was/is passionate about the music/project but I felt like they overhyped too much from the start with the Medellin big reveal, Trailer, Eurovision, mtv day and then it was done  

GC didn’t was the disco banger that I was ‘expecting’, it has a nice melody but the lyrics and intro aren’t it.

And I think that the main problem is that this album is too political, dark, sarcastic, AL was political but also intimate and insightful of her, here she’s against the world like Batuka, Future, Killers, GC, I Rise,  I don’t think that the GP wants to be reminded of the world and wants to be chanting to get the old man in the jail.

It’s a juxtaposition because I applaud her for doing what she wants but something inside of me would like to hear something more traditional/commercial/pop lover of her like she did in TB, HC or Music.

[boy skeffington]

It’s an incredible album. Listened in full today and was transported. Fully uncompromising and artistic ... and the songs are so different. It’s truly a world album. 

[side_streets]

3 hours ago, boy skeffington said:

It’s an incredible album. Listened in full today and was transported. Fully uncompromising and artistic ... and the songs are so different. It’s truly a world album. 

I would also add that Madame X is a work of a true artist with clear vision.

[Rugbyguy]

12 hours ago, bardo said:

same here. part of it, for me, is that it's not the kind of album you can just throw on while you're doing something like background pop music. there are a few tracks that you can do that with ("crazy," "crave," "i don't search if ind") but overall it demands that you pay attention. it's just not your average pop album.

You know what, your absolutely right. It’s not an easy listen despite its quality.

[Eltacubo]

1 hour ago, Rugbyguy said:

You know what, your absolutely right. It’s not an easy listen despite its quality.

Yup- its more like listen to a radiohead or bjork album. Thats a good thing. It asks you to engage and focus. 

[Andra]

It kinda looks like soon enough we'll have threads where everyone will "open up" and say that MX is their least favorite album etc.

10 years from now tho we'll look back on it and understand it's a masterpiece.