SoulAlive said:

I'm curious about Extreme Occident now. Maybe the lyrics are about those insane "the left want to destroy the occident" speeches flowing around lately?

.

BTW, I finally heard "Soltera" and thought it was much much better than Medellín - although Madonna faking a latin accent was annoying.

[Edited 5/31/19 9:45am]

Soltera is hilarious, idk why but her carefree delivery really works for me even though something tells me it shouldn't. I can't get enough of Crave.

getxxxx said:

Madame X is released on 14 June 2019.

OMG Another week?

https://twitter.com/Madonna/status/1136651146469228547 It seems "Dark Ballet" will be released with a video featuring Mykki Blanco. Preview: https://www.facebook.com/...8740467640

Single cover art:

[Edited 6/6/19 8:27am]

The first half of Dark Ballet is a power balllad and the second half is a bizarre interlude of The Nutcracker suite and distorted vocals. I'm not sure how I feel about it, though the video should be interesting.

Hudson said:

"Dark Ballet" video

That video is....incredible. I am so glad she only appears in it for a second and gives all the attention to the black/gay/hiv character.

This shit is weird af and I'm SO here for it. I can't wait for when the sales tank and she gets pissed and turns on the industry.

TrivialPursuit said:

"Dark Ballet" video

https://www.youtube.com/w...Uagw4zser8

Can't embed videos anymore

edit: whoops, you did link it

[Edited 6/7/19 13:05pm]

SoulAlive said:

Hudson said:

The first half of Dark Ballet is a power balllad and the second half is a bizarre interlude of The Nutcracker suite and distorted vocals. I'm not sure how I feel about it, though the video should be interesting.

It’s weird,haunting,bizarre....and absolutely incredible 😀

And I'm by no means a Madonna fan. The video and song complement each other completely.

MADGE IS BACK

Madonna’s new album Madame X has some of her most daring music yet — here’s our track-by-track guide

Madonna’s new album Mad...�� The Sun

For the creator of some of the biggest pop choruses in history to throw caution to the wind and create some of her most daring music ever, at the age of 60, is a welcome reminder of why Madonna has remained at the cutting edge of music for four decades.

It’s further proof that none of her young rivals are coming anywhere close to making pop music this exciting and boundary-pushing.

Here’s my track by track rundown of what you can expect from Madame X, a global trip of an album, out next Friday.

MEDELLIN: From track one, it’s clear Madonna’s new home on the Iberian peninsula has provided the inspiration for the Spanish sound that runs through the album. The chemistry with Colombian rapper Maluma is sizzling. Slow down papi, indeed.

DARK BALLET: One of Madonna’s most experimental and thrilling tracks, this is the album’s mission statement as she sings: “I can dress like a boy, I can dress like a girl. Cos your world’s obsessed with fame, cos your world’s in so much pain, cos your world’s in flames.”

The intro is reminiscent of the title-track of American Life, which makes sense as Madame X is her first major collaboration on a studio album with French producer Mirwais since their divisive 2003 record.

But beyond the intro of the Joan Of Arc-inspired song, things really get creative, as a sparse piano is introduced and the track slowly reveals itself to be an exhilarating multi-genre experience. Imagine Madonna making a 2019 version of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Between edgy beats and random sounds, we’re treated to the kind of heavy breathing, blowing and airy gasps not heard since Erotica, although rather than sounding orgasmic, here we’re entering a desolate, altogether more disturbing territory.

Key lyric: “People tell me to shut your mouth – keep your beautiful lies because I’m not concerned.”

GOD CONTROL: A strong one-two punch of edgy Madonna tracks. Long rumoured, Madonna takes on the issue of gun control in the US with this heady six-minute plus track where powerful lyrics and gun shots run under a swirly electric beat that becomes euphoric. There’s a Vogue-style rap for good measure too.

Key lyric: “People think that I’m insane, insane people think I’m mad.”

FUTURE: Performed at Eurovision with the rapper Quavo, the reggae-infused track is a message of hope following the bleak God Control. It’s a Sunday afternoon in the park vibe, very of the moment.

BATUKA: This features Portuguese instruments and Madonna recorded it with locals.

The powerful chanting chorus became a family affair with her daughters contributing some vocals. And I’m told son David Banda is even credited as one of the writers.

The song feels like the beginning of a revolution. Queen Madonna is rallying her troops, ready for battle. It’s empowering and – helpfully – feels like you can actually dance to it.

KILLERS WHO ARE PARTYING: Here Madonna invokes many minority groups – full list: gay, African, poor, children, Islamic, Israeli, Native American – and a woman, in one of the more controversial moments on the album.

Key lyric: “I’ll be a woman if she’s raped and her heart is breaking.”

CRAVE: Already released, this sweet grower of a song sees Madonna layer her vocals to great effect as she sings of the risk of her cravings, presumably romantic or sexual, “getting dangerous”. The closest we get to a Madonna love song on the album.

CRAZY: My highlight track, this is a soaring, stripped-back pop masterpiece. The chorus is musically joyous but the lyrics are full of the pain of being let down by a lover or family member. It’s the “last time I wake up for you”, she insists. Her Eighties prowess is still in full effect when she wishes to access it.

Key lyric: “If you think I’ve been foolish then I’ll only let you fool me once, so baby shame on you.”

COME ALIVE: Another moment of spectacular pop, smack bang in the middle of the album. The ethereal song has no traditional chorus, but great use of Auto-Tune and a fabulous choir.

EXTREME OCCIDENT: Middle Eastern beats power another experimental moment where Madonna examines her place in the world and decides “life is a circle”. She remains defiant, with the ongoing theme being her unwillingness to bend to the way society tries to mould her: “I don’t want to blend in, why do you want me to?”

This has been an ongoing thread throughout Madonna’s career. When will her detractors get the message?

Key lyric: “I guess I’m lost, I paid a handsome cost.”

FAZ GOSTOSO: Most out and out fun moment on the album – a Latin celebration of how to move your body and party. The street party vibe near the end of the track is total euphoria.

BITCH I’M LOCO: Maluma returns for the naughtiest track on the album, where Madonna sexes it up once more.

The highlight is the two of them speaking with each other flirtatiously towards the end. When he asks her, “Where do you want me to put this?” she replies: “Oh you can put it inside.”

Ooh la la!

I DON’T SEARCH I FIND: Harking back to her Ray Of Light and Confessions era, Madonna pushes her vocals over a stomping club beat.

She appears to pay tribute to her own career with various self-referential moments, including the famous clicks from Vogue and an Erotica-esque spoken-word section.

LOOKING FOR MERCY: My second favourite moment on the album, this is Madonna at her most vulnerable as she appears to open up about her personal life in more detail, singing, “I’m looking for love”.

Key lyric: “Somebody teach me to love, somebody help me to rise above.”

I RISE: The perfect sunset to a very vibrant album. Powerful, haunting and lyrically one of the most consistently strong on Madame X.

After spending the album telling everyone not to criticise her, or tell her what to do, it’s smart to end the record by saying: “I rise up above it all.” So whatever you say has little consequence anyway.

Madonna will still continue to be Madonna.

And judging by Madame X . . . thank God for that.

Madonna has a lot to say on the Latin pop-influenced Madame X: EW review

Madonna Madame X: EW review | EW.com

When rock music endures long enough, it becomes classic; hip-hop mellows into old-school. But how are pop stars, human vessels of everything shiny and ephemeral, supposed to stay?

“Not everyone is coming to the future, not everyone is coming from the past/Not everyone can come into the future, not everyone that’s here is gonna last,” Madonna coos robotically on the roiling dancehall jam “Future.” The second half of that couplet, at least, is literally true: Contemporaries like Prince and Whitney and Michael are gone; the ones who survived have largely left the game. At 60, Madonna mostly stands alone, if she could ever really be said to have peers at all. And she still has a lot to say on Madame X’s 15 tracks — about modern narcissism (on the piano-glitchy ballad “Dark Ballet”), geopolitics (the spare, rattling “Batuka”), and giving voice to the voiceless (the flamenco-kissed “Killers Who Are Partying”). The state-of-the-union screed “God Control” swings from shimmery roller disco to full agit-opera, with simulated gunshots. Subtle is not the word; while it’s hard to question her sincerity, you wonder what Madonna fan needs to be told to “wake up” to the world’s injustices in 2019. Material girls and boys might find simpler pleasure in songs like the swaying lead single, “Medellín,” with its echoes of “La Isla Bonita,” and the breezy intimacy of diametric bedroom lullabies “Crave” and “Crazy.”

Latin rhythms figure heavily on the whole album — a side effect, maybe, of her primary residency in Portugal over the past few years. But its global sounds and millennial guest stars, including rappers Quavo and Swae Lee, can feel more like obligatory flag-planting than organic evolution. As an artist, Madonna owes nothing to some ageist, retrograde idea of what she’s allowed to be; if only Madame felt like a more compelling rebuttal to all that. B-

has anyone heard "God Control"? Apparently it's out there

I don't mean to be hyperbolic, but the last 60 seconds of God Control might well be one of the best things she's ever done. I'm speechless.----from a fan who's heard it

AN AUDIENCE WITH MADONNA IN LONDON

Hosted by Graham Norton

Presented by

Madonna will be holding an exclusive one-off event hosted by Graham Norton for her fans in London on 13th June at Alexandra Palace Theatre to celebrate the release of her brand new album Madame X.

Madonna and Graham will go in-depth about the creation of the album & Madonna will be taking questions from the audience about the music.

Enter to attend this once in a lifetime event by simply pre-ordering* any version of Madame X here by 5pm on Tuesday 11th June.

Successful fans will be notified by email (check your spam!) by 8pm Tuesday 11th June with the ticket link and a unique passcode to access a pair of tickets. The ticket ballot will open at 10am Wednesday 12th June. When the ballot opens, you will have a limited time to redeem your pair of tickets before the next wave of successful fans are contacted so be sure to log on at 10am and be quick! Event is over 18s only

StrangeButTrue said:

This album is really good. I don't like the vocoder in so many of the songs, but she really put her heart into this album. "God Control" is a killer dance song that's cheesy and thoughtful at the same time. The music in "Killers Who Are Partying" is so addicting. This album is one of her best.

phillymonster said:

Madonna is doing the most on Instagram to promote this album Honestly tits crazy, I breast she wants to boob she has the breast album in recent mammary.

the credits for the three bonus tracks my 2-CD Deluxe Edition was shipped on Monday morning

just a reminder: go to Target if you want the complete 15-song CD.