Victorian News- Weblog » Music

Madonna- “Hard Candy”

victoriannews — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:30:50 +0000

MADONNA- HARD CANDY

April 2008: Madonna´s new album appeared in Europe. The tittle and the cover of the album remind the “Erotica” album. Many fans ask themselves if Dita character came back.

Madonna the dominatrix, the leader, the force, the mistress of an endless sexual reign without age.

Anyway, I must confess the first time I heard the new album I didn´t give not a penny for it. In later attempts my ear opened to the hip hop rythm that she introduced in this work. The music is surprising. Totally different from other albums. One thing that always surprises me about her is the ability she has to change the sound of every album. I suppose that this also has to be with the collaborators she chooses.

Let´s say “Hard Candy” is a good album in general although I prefer “Confessions on a dance floor” because I find it much more coherent and sound balanced.

A weak point is that Madonna´s voice is low. Sometimes yo have to make an effort to hear her.

The good things are the new digital arrangements used. They seemed to have been taken from mobile phones technology. It´s according to these modern times. Well used and placed.

The lyrics are not especially good but I find that she talks about feelings she wasn´t able to speak about in the past. She is a married woman now. She has a husband and children. She´s a world away from the sensual single lion she was: always trying to seduce every beast on earth. Now she seems worried about her man. The song “She is not me” seems revealing. Is she talking about some of her husband´s affairs…?. I love this song because she sings it absolutely convinced, she shouts “She doesn´t have my name”. (We know it Madge. No one has or will have your name).

In my opinion, Madge is going through the highest period in her life. Everyone around the world pays tribute to her many years on stage. In the past, it would have sounded flamboyant to hear all those voices singing “Hey Madonna”, adoring her as in the beginning of “Dance2Night“, song which I definetely love.

“Spanish Lesson” blew my mind. I adore every time she shows her love for Spanish culture and language. The value of this song is not the Spanish flavour- sound or even the lyrics, which are sung in a pretty bad Spanish by the way. The value is that sparkle, that touch, the magic that flows in the concept of it. I think everyone out there is turned on when listening that bridge that says:“If you do your homework, baby I will give you more”.These 3 tracks are my favourites, and that´s why I talked about them first, but continuing with the rest of the album, “Candy shop”, opens the album. I think the lyrics should have been better as well as the images and the concept of the album in general. I have this feeling about she has represented every fantasy on earth. She has played so many characters, has wore so many costumes that maybe there´s a lack of new ideas coming up around her.

“4 Minutes”, is the second track and even it was so announced in the media, I don´t find this the best track of the album. It has a good beat, yes and maybe the line “we have 4 minutes to save the world” is so well said and well used as the “tick tock” pronounced by Madge.The base of “Give it 2 Me” reminds me to a circus. The lyrics “Arrest me” and later “undress me” are very sexual and strong.

“Heartbreak” as well as“Miles away” give me the impression to talk about this new married woman analising, shouting a critic or just doing an exorcism of all the problems or her new life.

“Incredible”

appears as the nostalgic track. It tries to catch past times and experiences.

“Beat goes on” is a beautiful song. It´s one of those encouragings beats. You have to dance, celebrate, say what´s on your mind. Don´t waste your time! Pure Madge´s ´80s style! but with a more nostalgic- quite rythm.

“Devil wouldn´t recognize you” and “Voices” are probably the only two serious tracks. The lyrics are not so evident and the music is thicker. Lines like: “Voices ringing in your head, tell me what do they say…?” “Who is the master and who is the slave” makes you think many things. Some bridges sound as taken from the soundtrack of a Tim Burton´s movie. They are strangely gothic and totally cut the atmosphere of the album.Madge is not the same person even in the pictures… she is not the girl that wanted to eat the world anymore. She looks tired in her glance… like keeping the business going, like tired of the same old song, but no matter what, every fan keeps loving her and waiting every new work.

To conclude and trying to compare, I would say that Confessions was an original sensual album. Hard Candy tried to be a second version of Erotica, but is not an erotic album. I think is just a good sexy recycled work that explores some chapters of Madonna´s new life.

Totally Cured in London

victoriannews — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:42:55 +0000

“TOTALLY CURED in LONDON”

-The Cure in London, England-

Place: Wembley Arena Stadium

Date: Thursday 20^th March 2008

Start time: 8 pm

End: at about a quarter past eleven

Total time: more than 3 hours!

… The day was grey, cold, windy and rainy. I arrived to Wemblay Park Station at about six. It was one of those days you would have prefered to stay at home watching tv and eating chocolates! But I had the ticket and I had to go! The Cure started on time and lasted more than three hours as in Barcelona show. The concert was BRILLIANT. The interaction with the audience was different. I think they feel at home, so they feel less pressure maybe. Robert didn´t speak much to the audience and songs as “The Blood”, that they always perform in Spain, it wasn´t played. I liked to hear “Strange Day”, which sounded pretty different and weird at the beginning. The setlist was similar in general. No big surprises…The sound was much better than in Bcn and they also displayed a big screen with pictures and drawings for each song. The audience wasn´t particularly gothic neither. I waited another kind of “scene”. I arrived to the conclusion that we are living in a society where ideals are dead. Anyway, I had a great time! There were tall english guys and girls in front of me. I was at the middle of the rink more or less, so it was difficult to see the band. I raised my hand to take pictures. Everybody did the same! Times have changed… concerts are now some kind of digitilized events… I rushed to catch the train and do all the underground combinations to arrive to my hotel. Wembley seems to be at “the end of the world”… but it was fantastic to have been there, it is a great stadium! C´mon, yes, the guys are very hard working and they try to keep the same style and magic with the audience… I think the audience and society in general has broken the spell, and that is the pity any old school sensitive fan feels in the concerts.

Anyway, I am pleased, it was another dream that came true. I was at the perfect place at the right time and had a great chance to see this band at home. Let´s try to fool ourselves saying the surrounding circumstances weren´t important enough… The Cure spell will live in our memories forever, when you dressed all in black and killed to have a red lipstick in your hands…

Approximate setlist:
1. Plainsong
2. Prayers For Rain
3. A Strange Day
4. Alt.End
5. A Night Like This
6. The End Of The World
7. Lovesong
8. To Wish Impossible Things
9. Pictures Of You
10. Lullaby
11. From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
12. Hot Hot Hot!!!
13. Please Project
14. The Walk
15. Push
16. Friday I’m In Love
17. Inbetween Days
18. Just Like Heaven
19. Primary
20. A Boy I Never Knew
21. Shake Dog Shake
22. Never Enough
23. Wrong Number
24. One Hundred Years
25. Disintegration

Wembley Arena London, England

Encore 1:
1. At Night
2. M
3. Play For Today
4. A Forest

Encore 2:
1.The Lovecats
2. Let’s Go To Bed
3. Freak Show
4. Close To Me
5. Why Can’t I Be You?

Encore 3:
1. Three Imaginary Boys
2. Fire In Cairo
3. Boys Don’t Cry
4. Jumping Someone Else’s Train
5. Grinding Halt
6. 10:15 Saturday Night
7. Killing An Arab

Concert lasted 3 hours and 18 minutes.

Totally Cured

victoriannews — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:10:30 +0000

“TOTALLY CURED”: The Cure in Barcelona

Place: Palau Sant Jordi stadium- Barcelona city, Spain

Date: Monday 10^th March 2008

Start time: 9:36 p.m.

End: at about a quarter to one

Total time: more than 3 hours!

Number of songs: 40 approximately!

… I arrived to “El Palau” at about 7 p.m. I didn´t know what to expect: it was Monday, it was another normal working day forced to be interrupted. Change your schedule, invent an excuse to tell your boss, travel from where you are to the end of the world, take the most difficult way to arrive thanks that main way to the stadium was cut by an inopportune funfair and go back home walking, sleep in Catalonia Square until next morning or wait long hours for nit buses because transport is cut during the week. Do this after have been standing around like 5 hours among a sticky crowd. That is what I did. “The sacrifice of penance in the holy hour” sings my head now, although the song that has these lyrics wasn´t played. The point is that I am here to say that IT WAS REALLY WORTH IT.

I could reach the first places on the rink. I was in the third row more or less, so I could see the band very close. The sensations were so real… as if you could talk to them. They were in front of you and you had that feeling of: “maybe he looked at me, maybe he identified me among the crowd”.At about 8:20, played an English band called “65 days of static”. I didn´t like it. It was another clean- perfect- long hair children´s gang pretending to say “I am a rebel, I play rock”. Is there someone interested in people with made up lives & style? (not certainly me, that´s for sure!).

Luckily, The Cure came on stage only five minutes later than programmed. Punctual and hard-working as usual, they played for a bit more than 3 hours. It was unbelievable! Robert Smith showed an incredible energy. He didn´t talk very much, but among the little he said were things like “that´s why I love Spain…”. He wanted to express what he felt for the crowd. He felt the energy, feedback, happiness and complicity around.Anyway, the crowd was too perfect for my taste. I find European audiences hell boring. On one hand, every time I go to a concert I appreciate not ending hurt, bleeding, robbed and things like that, but at the same time I remember those fabulous times of my first concerts in Argentina where you felt PEOPLE ALIVE, because they shouted like mad, moved like mad, and expressed feelings brutally…! There are so many ways of showing love!

The audience in Barcelona was a bit dissapointing because you didn´t see the typical goths marching to the funeral. I know it´s funny, but it is an important part of the ritual you expect to see when you go to these kind of shows set by people which gained legions playing in dirty pubs the first years… Cult, The Cure was born as a cult.

With reference to what was listened, I would say the setlist was varied. It had songs from many important albums and also included 3 or 4 exclusive ones from the next unrealeased work. It is remarkable to say that guitar player Porl Thompson is an excellent musician. It is a big pleasure to see him on stage. Now that Roger is not on keyboards, Porl has the double task of trying to play those parts with his guitar at the same time than playing solos and arrangements. He has to work really hard and he does it amazingly well.The sound of the instruments was excellent. Robert sang very well but his voice was a bit low. The stage was simple. The screen behind them showed some images. I missed a big poster with the words “The Cure” and I have to say the name of the tour sounds ridiculous “The 4 tour” ? Is it due they are four people in the band now? (hey… they better pay someone to look for more ingenious ideas!) -:)

Finally, I can´t believe I went out of home at about 6 in the afternoon and came back at 3 in the morning!

So… if for Benicàssim show in 2005 I titled my review saying that I had… “been cured”, now I have to say I was TOTALLY CURED.

Hope to write about London show soon!

Approximate setlist:

1. Plainsong
2. Prayers For Rain
3. Alt.End
4. The Blood
5. The End Of The World
6. Lovesong
7. To Wish Impossible Things
8. Catch
9. From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
10. Kyoto Song
11. Please Project
12. The Walk
13. Push
14. Friday I’m In Love
15. In between Days
16. Just Like Heaven.
17. Primary
18. A Boy I Never Knew
19. Pictures Of You
20. Lullaby
21. Never Enough
22. Wrong Number
23. One Hundred Years
24. Disintegration

Encore 1:
1. At Night
2. M
3. Play For Today
4. A Forest

Encore 2:
1. The Lovecats
2. Let’s Go To Bed
3. Freak Show
4. Close To Me
5. Why Can’t I Be You?

Encore 3:
1. Boys Don’t Cry
2. Jumping Someone Else’s Train
3. Grinding Halt
4. 10.15 Saturday Night
5. Killing An Arab

Waiting for a Cure…

victoriannews — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:38:07 +0000

2008- Finally!, British band The Cure will play in many places around the world this year.

Hope to write down reviews, so be ready to read about Barcelona & London shows on 10th and 20th March.

I will also wait for your comments here about your experiences in any of the concerts everywhere.

What else can I add…? We are desperately waiting for a cure…

Keep in touch my beloved herd of black sheep,

-Victorian News Red Sheperdess-

Time Will Crawl (*)

victoriannews — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:10:41 +0000

Once more I got stuck to a video- clip. I was watching the “best of Bowie” compilation and the idea for “Time will crawl” video caused me many sensations.

First of all, what a powerful artist David Bowie is. He goes far beyong black or white. He´s an enjoyable showman up and down, left to right, in and out.

… The video starts and finishes with an excellent choreography: Bowie dances miming figures. A gang is around pretending to hit him. He seems to shout the lyrics of the song while trying to escape from the struggle. There is a delicious tension in the interaction of the dancers, the music, the story itself, and the game of the cameras.

It is also important to say that a big creative brain as Tim Pope is, directed this fantastic 80´s video, which makes it extremely memorable!

Time will crawl

Lyrics

Words and music by David Bowie.

I’ve never sailed on a sea
I would not challenge a giant

I could not take on the church
time will crawl -
till the 21st century lose.

I know a government man
he was as blind as the moon

He saw the sun in the night
he took a top-gun pilot.
He made him fly through a hole till he grew real old

And he never came down
he iust flew till he burst.

Time will crawl – till our mouths run dry

Time will crawl – till our feet arow small

Time will crawl – till our tails rall ofF

Time will crawl – till the 21st century lose.

I saw a black black stream full of white eyed fish

And a drowning man with no eyes at all.
I felt a warm warm breeze that melted metal and steel

I got a bad migraine that lasted three long years.
And the pills that I took made my fingers disappear.

Time will crawl
time will crawl

Time will crawl – till the 21st century lose.

You were a talented child
you came to live in our town

We never bothered to scream when your mask went an

We only smelt the gas as we lay down to sleep.

Time will crawl – and our heads bowed down

Time will crawl – and our eyes fall out

Time will crawl – and the streets run red

Time will crawl – till the 21st century lose.

Time will crawl – till our mouths run dry
. . .
Time will crawl – and our heads bowed down
. . .

Time will crawl – for the crazy child

Time will crawl – we’ll give every life

Time will crawl – for the crackpot notion

Time will crawl – till the 21st century lose.

“Erotica- You thrill me” (*)

victoriannews — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:26:51 +0000

… A sensual beat goes from the base of your spin caressing all your back, is it a finger?, is it a tongue…?, is it the line she whispers to your ear: “What can I do, I´m so in love with you”.

Every time I listen to this song I feel like flying in a burning world, jumping from hot passion to melancholic romance: the perfect drink for someone intensively thirsty: I want to dance and fall in love. Five minutes of pleasure can be eternal all over me. This is the rhytmn that inspires me this beautiful version of this song. It feels me, surrounds me, surrenders me. It leaves my instinct all naked and dreaming…

(*) song “Erotica” by Madonna - new version for Confessions Tour