MuuMuse: Disco Electronic, Pop Music Philharmonic.: Madonna

Showing posts with label Madonna. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Madonna. Show all posts

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Britney & Madonna: Together Again

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Dance: Not an act of terrorism, baby eating, or rape according to Madonna.

Another collaboration between Madonna and Mirwais, "Triggering Your Senses" had been a widely popularized though unheard dance track left off the tracklists of the Confessions On A Dance Floor era. Well lo and behold, it has finally and inexplicably leaked onto the web.

It's a super slick track, with plenty of unique production trickery from slight beat morphs to Eastern soundbytes to keep the song interesting. The theme? Relax! You're just dancing! You're not cheating, you're not hating, you're not even killing yourself! You're only triggering your senses. Phew...Reassuring!

Most importantly, "Triggering" reminds me of a time of a more promising Madge album. I mean hell, even the deadpanned hip-hop bridge that happens about two-thirds in feels more legitimate than anything off of Hard Candy.

DL: Madonna - Triggering Your Senses (Confessions On A Dance Floor Demo)

Posted by Brad at 3:54 PM

Monday, August 18, 2008

Babbling On

I haven't been keeping up with my reviews! Blame it on a lack of creativity, or blame it on my brand spankin' new Emporio Armani boxer briefs I've been strutting around in for the past hour while pretending to be David Beckham. They're nice and form fitting, and best of all, you really can bend it like Beckham when you're wear them!

But enough about my groin. Well actually, I don't have much else to say, except that I haven't kicked my Madonna cravings as of late. And so, I offer my latest obsession, the song currently being forced through the repeat cycle on iTunes: "Sky Fits Heaven."

Check out Lady M's essential performance of this dreamy track from the 2001 Drowned World Tour, featuring Asian flair and some proper Geisha wear. Kylie, I don't care if Jean Paul Gaultier designed this, you looked like a French clown prostitute. In poor man's drag. Yeesh!

Alright, check back soon for reviews of Lady GaGa, Michelle Williams, and more!

Posted by Brad at 9:51 PM

Madge: A Retrospective Through Celebrity

Saturday, August 16, 2008

A birthday wish...

Monday, July 14, 2008

Daily B: Elevator Down, Please

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Daily B: Dream Within A Dream

Conflicting reports regarding the Britney/Madonna video segments continue to pour out today.

E Online UK's got this to say:

Britney, partially disguised by a gray hoodie, walks into the elevator. As she starts traveling upward, she seems particularly nervous and anxious. The popster starts pacing back and forth. Then she progresses to kicking and smacking the walls, all frantic-like. She screams into one of the cameras. Then she starts climbing the wall, pulls down her hood and, into another camera, says:

"It's Britney, bitch."

Update: New reports claim that Britney will be singing to Human Nature during the video. Also, Steven Klien, whom Britney has worked with in the past for photoshoots, is the director of the video.

The Sun reports the same, only they've got the scoop on a more elaborate performance:

The pair’s sexy shenanigans will be broadcast to the crowd on Madge’s upcoming world tour via 20ft screens. What a terrifying thought. I hope Britney doesn’t ask if her bum looks big on that.

They will perform a mash-up of Madge track Beat Goes On and Britney’s Piece Of Me, while they are unwrapped from costumes that can only be described as bondage mummy.

The pop duo will be wrapped in BANDAGES which will then be unravelled by leather thong-clad male dancers in scenes that would put even RUSSELL BRAND’s moral compass in a spin.

An on-set source revealed: “It’s absolutely classic Madonna. Probably the raunchiest stuff she has ever done. It leaves nothing to the imagination and will be very controversial.

“Britney and Madonna are unwrapped like mummies, to appear together almost naked apart from tiny leather bondage pants and knee-high boots.

“They then dance closely together, pressing their hands and bodies together.

“There will be big rows over whether it is sexy, shocking or both.”

The Sun is just about as reliable as the National Enquirer, but I do have to agree that their staggering usage of detail is a bit off-course from their often vague reporting. Still, I highly doubt the story is true. The last thing the duo should be trying to do is get sexy on each other...it's been done. Highly doubt that report. Regardless, the elevator scene seems to be confirmed from multiple sources, which is all I could ever hope for and more. Britney raging and singing "Human Nature"--Gimme more, darling!

Posted by Brad at 7:28 PM

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Daily B: Getting Deeper Now

Apparently, B Girl was all set to roll today, there was a delay in shooting her upcoming appearance in Madonna's tour video. She was all set to dance (!!!!!) in an elevator (!!!), but technical glitches got in the way of rolling. In the meantime, check out the latest doozy of a quote right here from Brit's camp: "The video will be very deep," a source in the Spears camp tells E! News "You've never seen Britney like this before. It will blow your mind."

Why do they do this to me...Why? They know I have heart palpitations and a weak and crumbling foundation.

Posted by Brad at 6:46 PM

Monday, July 7, 2008

M-Dolla & Brit Brit: Together At Last

I refused to buy into the hype. But according to reputable sources, my dreams are reportedly coming true. Oh, yes: Britney Spears is shooting a video for the backdrop of Madonna's upcoming Sticky & Sweet Tour. It's simply too good to be true. Rumor has it that Brit's doing an updated version of "Human Nature," but my feeble body can't begin to be tempted with the thought. This is the stuff of my own wet dreams, which makes me a very ~~sad~~ excited person. The full story is under the cut, thanks to Access Hollywood.

The last time Madonna and Britney Spears shared a stage together, the pop stars locked lips at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards in a kiss that shocked and delighted their fans. But now, Access Hollywood has learned the music powerhouses will once again share the stage in Madonna's upcoming "Sticky & Sweet" world tour-- though not exactly live. Despite rumors that Brit would join Madge onstage, the blonde duo will appear together, but only through a taped video performance, Access has confirmed. "Britney's doing a video piece this week for Madonna's new tour," Brit's manager, Larry Rudolph, told Access. The duo filmed a portion of the video Sunday that will be used during the concert, a rep for Madonna said. "Britney shot some footage with Madonna yesterday that will be used during Madonna's upcoming tour," the Material Mom's rep, Liz Rosenberg, confirmed to Access.

Posted by Brad at 3:58 PM

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Put Your Hands All Over--Wait, No.

Look what we have here! A new track from Madonna's back catalogue called "Dear Father," recorded within the Erotica era with Andre Betts and Mic Murphy. The sound is purely Erotica, a track that would have made sense musically amongst the smoldering stomp-tastic tracks of the 1992 album. However, the content is a clear cut divergence from the skankified themes of Erotica, which explains the track's exemption from the CD. "Dear Father, please guide and protect me / I'll return when my battle is done," she croons. Far from the whip cracking rule breaker evidenced on tracks like "Thief of Hearts" and "Erotica," "Dear Father" is lyrically closer to the stuff of Like A Prayer. Still though, a find is a find, and this recently unearthed gem from the Erotica sessions remains an exciting treat!

Posted by Brad at 4:02 PM

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Robyn: Getting Crunchy

In a true show of her exponential growth in the industry, Robyn has been picked up by Lady M-Dolla for the European Leg of the Sticky & Sweet Tour. I'm a little bitter about the fact that she's only joining during the European dates, but I can't complain. I'm just ready for something new. The woman's been banging around the same album for three years now, and I'm quite over it by now. Gimme more!

The tour dates featuring Robyn are as follows:

26-August Nice: Stade Charles Ehrmann
28-August Berlin: Olympic Stadium
30-August Zurich: Military Airfield Dubendorf
02-September Amsterdam: Arena
04-September Dusseldorf: LTU Arena
09-September Frankfurt: Commerzbank Arena
14-September Lisbon: Parque da Bela Vista
23-September Vienna: Danube Island
27-September Athens: Olympic Stadium

Posted by Brad at 1:35 PM

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Muu Bits

It's that time again to take a spin around the blogger block and see what's happening all across the world! Or at least what's happening within my extremely limited view of blogs...and GO!!

8/1's got another track from Joan As Police Woman, this time in duet form with Antony of Antony and the Johnsons. It's called "I Defy," and it's a real jazzy number. Quite nice.

ArjanWrites blogger Arjan did a fabulous job covering the first ever MTV Logo NewNowNext Awards. You've got to head over and check out everything that went down backstage, on stage, and after the awards show!

ElectroQueer's been going gaga over the dance diva, Doe Deere lately. He's got her latest video for "SF Disco," as well as a quirky little home renovation side project. Someone's got a thing for antlers.

PopMuse has posted its annual Disco Globes compilation, a collection and celebration of ace remixes that the author's been fancying over recent months, including hits from Ri-Ri, Blake Lewis, and Madonna. I've really been loving it, especially the Kelly Rowland remix of "Work." Do--do do it, shake it baby! Head over and grab it while you still can!

XO is spreading his love around. What? Get your head out of the gutter, pervert. No, in the Prince way, by listing off his top jams in honor of the man's 50th birthday. And don't let the grammar confuse you--he's just being Prince-esque.

Posted by Brad at 7:46 PM

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Muu Bits

I'm not sure if it's the lack of proper pop tunes lately, the current buzz about the Sigur Rós album, or the fact that I've wasted away the greater half of this day Wikipedia-ing '80's horror film classics for some precious morsels of behind-the-scenes tidbits that I hadn't already known, but I'm bored.

And so, in my state of cow-like zen, I've been listening to music that isn't quite usual for me. Not on my radar, if you will. After hoping onto one of my favorite, most quirkiest of blogs 8/1, I found a whole smorgasbord of indie, offbeat samplings. And for some strange reason, found myself intrigued.

So what can you find there? Well, there's Joan As Police Woman (pictured left), who I've heard of many times before, though never listened before today. Hauntingly melodic, acoustic stuff. Check out "Start Of My Heart," the smooth, down-tempo ballad...It's quite rich. Then we've got The Mutineers, who have a bit of an early 90's throb, a smooth shellacking of summer grooves, and all sorts of trendy lyricism. There's also a song-filled post on Adam & The Amethysts, who sound to me like a cross between The Cardigans, Martha Wainwright, and The Beach Boys. Neat!

I think my friend XO may be feeling a similar round of indie fever lately, as he's just featured Zooey Deschanel and M Ward's collaborative effort, She & Him in his latest post. Mosey on over and check it out, little doggies.

But it's not all about weird noises and being holier-than-thou here in the pop world. Sometimes, it's about Russia. So check out ElectroQueer's fast and furious interview with the Russian superstar, Sergey (pictured right). He talks about being into ladies that are naked and Russian pride. Mmm...What?

Chart Rigger has basically hit the glittery nail on the head with his review of Cyndi Lauper's Bring Ya To The Brink that I neglected to ever write. I'm shocked at how much I agree! Though I have to say, not only is "Lyfe" skippable, it should never have been recorded in the first place. A terrible, tacky attempt to sound modern. Do what you do best, Cyndi! It is the folly of most maturing musicians to attempt to stay relevant as they continue to put out records. We liked you for a reason, so stay true to yourselves! Somewhere, Madonna's ears are burning. End rant.

So that's about all lately. Coming up soon, I've got an exclusive little interview with the Swedish duo I blogged about earlier, Kuryakin! Stay tuned!

Posted by Brad at 11:38 AM

Thursday, May 22, 2008

To The Left, To The Right

Start moseying over to DrownedMadonna now to get exclusive screen caps of the upcoming video for Madonna's second single off of the wildly disappointing Hard Candy album. Crushed aspirations aside, the video appears to be edgy, sexy, and "different." I must say, it looks to be of higher caliber than any of the Confessions videos, though she's really got to quit with the voguing in front of the mirror. I've seen it all before and I...can't take it anymore. Judging from the pictures, I'm expecting a lot of wardrobe changes, perhaps some neat and unique camera work, and a whole bunch of split screen action. I'm personally dying for the "get stupid" bit. The release date for the video is still a bit shaky, but at this point it must be sometime in the very near future. Five months 'til tour, baby!

Posted by Brad at 9:04 AM

Monday, May 19, 2008

Night Life Boogie

I promised myself that I would muster the strength to review the dueling duo of comebacks, a la Donna Summer and Cyndi Lauper) in one go, but I just can't do it. Why? Because I'm stuck. Stuck! I cannot move past track two of Lauper's quite-better-than-okay return to the dancefloor in full length album form, Bring Ya To The Brink.

The track in question, "Into The Night Life" was produced by the Swede duo Åström and Bobäck and penned by Max Martin, which in many ways is all that needs to be said regarding the track's excellence--the man never fails, plain and simple. Pegged as the second single and following the rather disappointing first single "Same Ol' Story," "Into The Night Life" is a proper return to grace upon the dancefloor which rivals the best of her contemporary Madonna's 2005 attempt.

The song is a quick grow. Tripping chains (one forum member referenced this as Britneyesque "Freakshow" sound) and a skipping synth keep the song chugging along at a proficient pace, with a nice mix of tunnelized synths and siren-y blips in the background. All that, of course, until the icing on the cake: the chorus. "I'll take ya 'til you're all spun up," Cyndi blasts within a glorious Eurodance surge of electricity sent throbbing through the speakers. A hands-up, iconic moment of old-school synthesized glory, it's nothing short of arresting.

Additional moments of perfection include, but are not limited to:

+ The two second instrumental lead in to the chorus.
+ The sassy "hey, hey, heyyy" bits.
+ The double entrendre of the line "Turn you over baby 'til it's never enough." Not really much of an entendre, really...just explicit references to the type of sex the listeners of this kind of music tend to engage in. I'm looking at you, ear sexers.
+ The line "Shirtless wonders wreck my sight under the light."

I highly encourage you to grab hold of this track. You can listen to a streaming version of it here at Spinner. And if that didn't motivate you to move enough, perhaps starring in the music video will. Go to Splash Bar in New York on May 20th (tomorrow) at 6:30 P.M., and you'll be featured!

I won't lie...I'm tempted to show up. Maybe I'll wear a silly Roisin Murphy hat.

Posted by Brad at 12:49 PM

Monday, May 12, 2008

MuuBits

So sorry about the lack of updates lately. Really I'm not, but it looks better to say that I am. I've just returned back from school, and I've decided that my room needs renovating. My chi just doesn't flow like it used to here. My chakras are all unaligned, and I just can't see out my third eye as well as I used to. Therefore, I'm introducing some negative space into the mix. A new workspace for a new me! And all that.

So what's new in the world of Muuse? Not much, really. It's actually a time of reflection here...for once I've been dwelling on the same albums, producing the same amount of content. It's a strange feeling for me...content-ness. I'm not a fan. I remain highly amuused by the album releases of Santogold, Martha Wainwright, and Charlotte Sometimes. This has yet to change, and is causing a certain degree of anxiety from within. Sam Sparro's? Not so much.

After only three weeks, I'm completely over Madonna's Hard Candy, and have deemed it completely forgettable.

Needless to say, I'll be attending the sugar lady's Sticky & Sweet Tour in October.

The new Cyndi Lauper song "Same Ol' Story," in its non-live-screaming-fan version, isn't so bad, but it isn't actually "good." It's just fine. Sadly, the use of the word "fucking" is not in reference to any form of intercourse, thereby hindering any amount of brilliance the song may have redeemed itself with upon first play.

The b-side to Lorraine's current single "When I Return To The World," called "Beyond Sky," is a little bit self explanatory, as it's over-the-moon good. It's a heavenly orchestral composition that lazily floats by with a killer addictive chorus, so don't miss it. You can hear it now at their MySpace!

After two weeks, Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" still pawns. Hard.

So does Lindsay's "Bossy." Forget who's singing for the moment if it offends your sensibilities.

And that's that, for now at least. Yes, I know--there's nothing new here. Deal with it until something new slips through the cracks!

MuuBits--like Cubits, only slightly less relevant to your daily life.

Posted by Brad at 8:53 PM

Thursday, May 8, 2008

My Sugar Is Raw....

It's official, ladies and gentleman. Madonna's next stadium tour, the Sticky & Sweet Tour, will begin later this year. Start getting in line!

More from Billboard:

Madonna's upcoming tour will begin Aug. 23 in Cardiff, Wales, and will include between 50-60 shows total, Billboard.biz has learned. Details of the tour, produced globally by Live Nation, will be announced later today.

Billed as the Sticky and Sweet tour, Madonna's trek in support of her current chart-topping Warner Bros. release "Hard Candy" -- which debuted atop the Billboard 200 yesterday -- will play stadiums in the U.K. and Europe until the end of September, arenas and a "handful" of stadiums in 16 markets in North America in October and November, and then stadiums in Mexico and South America late November-December.

The upcoming tour is the first major manifestation of the multi-faceted 10-year deal between Madonna and Live Nation, valued in published reports at $120 million.

"The reality is she's delivered her last album to Warner Bros., and it's a smash, which is great for everybody," Fogel says. "We now have a tremendous opportunity with a tremendous artist to do all kinds of new and innovative things on many different levels, and this tour will be the start of that rollout."

The tour follows a familiar Madonna touring blueprint in that it visits a limited number of markets in a four-month time frame, with multi-night stands in major cities. Ticket on-sale details will be announced today, along with a presale through Live Nation's corporate sponsorship partner Citi. Fogel says ticket prices will be "basically the same as they've been the past two tours," which means primarily in the $55-$350 range.

Start saving now, it looks like this'll be another impossibly expensive tour! This time, she's with Live Nation, her new label, so let's go into this expecting nothing but perfection. That way, we'll set our standards so impossibly high up that there'll be nothing she could possibly do without disappointing us!

Just kidding. Get fired up!

Posted by Brad at 12:41 AM

Saturday, May 3, 2008

No, No, No

Nice idea while it lasted. BBC News is now reporting that Winehouse will no longer be up for consideration for the latest Bond Theme as previously reported. According to her producer, Mark Ronson, she's a tad unwilling to record at the moment:

The Brit award winner told Sky News that "unless by some miracle of science it gets recorded and someone sings a vocal," the song would not materialise.
Ronson added that their work on other new music had not been finished either.
Winehouse's spokesman said the decision was taken because she had "other ideas" about how the song should be developed.

Too good to be true, I suppose. In our mourning, let us watch three of the finest Bond themes of all time:

Posted by Brad at 1:06 PM

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

X Marks The Spot

Kylie's coming 'round again, and she's finally clued us all in as to what we should be expecting with the upcoming KylieX2008 tour on her main website:

Kylie Minogue returns to her true home - the live stage - when she opens her greatest ever tour KylieX2008 in Paris on May 6th.

The tour will take Kylie through most of Europe and will see her play for the first time in Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Luxembourg, Russia, Latvia and Spain. It will also be her first appearance in Northern Ireland since her first world tour in 1990. The tour ends in London on August 4, the last of a staggering seven nights at the capital's 02 Arena.

Ticket sales for the tour currently stand at over half a million and the show itself has cost a breathtaking 10 million pounds to stage, which makes it the biggest and most expensive show that Kylie has produced to date, easily eclipsing groundbreaking tours like 2002's Fever in ambition and scale.

Kylie's wardrobe for this tour has been exclusively designed by master couturier Jean Paul Gaultier and the show will feature at least 7 costumes just for Kylie, with more visual elements being added daily!

KylieX2008 also sees Kylie perform with a brand new live band including, for the first time, a brass section and a total of 14 dancers, including 4 acrobats.

For the songs, Kylie has drawn on a breadth of material spread over her career but also promises some unheard songs and at least one surprising cover. Songs including those from 'X', Kylie's current studio album, will be performed on a set dominated by huge video screens which will integrate with graphic staging and theatrical lighting to create a new concert experience for the audience. Always celebrated for her incredible breadth of vision on the live stage, this show sees Kylie move further ahead of her contemporaries.

At the end of the day though, ten million or ten cents in expenses, it will still be all Kylie, writhing around with six fit, shirtless men. And you know what? That's fine with me.

To celebrate, I'm posting the essential "Burning Up" / "Vogue" mash-up she performed on the Showgirl Homecoming Tour. Leather, Kylie, Madonna, Voguing. Next to full on gay porn, it couldn't possibly get much more homo than this bad boy right here:

Posted by Brad at 1:35 PM

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Who's That Girl?

I do a lot of strange things in the shower. I sing, I dance, I [insert lyrics to Britney Spears' "Touch of my Hand" here,] but I also think about things. Like, really deep things. Tonight's shower subject was the deepest of the deep: ROBYN IS RELEASING HER INTERNATIONALLY 2005 RELEASED SELF-TITLED ALBUM IN THE UNITED STATES OF WE HAVE TERRIBLE MUSIC TASTE TOMORROW.

The girl who brought you 90's anthems such as "Show Me Love" is back with an album that bleeds pop creativity. The adventure begins with "Curriculum Vitae" which is the most in-your-face introduction that has been released in recent times. Thunder and hell's bells set the tone for the intro's opening lines, "Listen, you cannot stop this, you cannot escape it, and you can't turn it off / So I'd appreciate your kind consideration in this matter, sir or ma'am, would you please turn it the fuck up." If you don't follow these sets of instructions and turn it up, you're out of your mind.

"Konichiwa Bitches," the albums opening track, tells you everything you need to know about the album through the lyrics. She's so hot that you call the fire station, she'll take you on...and she'll stuff you in the trunk. Sounds like my mind of girl..if I were straight. Robyn's album continues on with its electro beats on "Cobrastyle" and takes a creative (and safe) twist by reversing the word "nazi" in "Handle Me."

The album takes an extremely emotional turn with the song that got me hooked on this girl, which is possibly the album's highlight track. The Kleerup produced "With Every Heartbeat" is packed with a 4/4 bass and kick, synths that could make you cry if they were more musically elaborated, and lyrics about a broken heart that leave you thinking about that love that got away. It hurts with every heartbeat to listen to this song--but don't be nervous. Even though the album's next track "Who's That Girl," covers female insecurity, it attacks trying to be strong and independent even when wanting to be that girl. It also brings back the upbeat electro-R&B beats that this record is built on.

"Crash and Burn" has a unique vocal sample that plays from start to end and has Robyn singing like she's a female Prince during the verses, pop-queen during the bridge, and R&B princess during the chorus. This is about as eclectic as the album gets, which is not a problem at all.

If you're still listening past "Robot Boy" and "Eclipse," then you already fuckin' know that this album is nothing short of fire and "Should Have Known" enforces that fact. This strict R&B track, which sounds like something Monica could sing is yet another album stand out that covers the subject of a woman being a fool for not seeing a future break up.

"Anything you Like," an ambient-R&B track slows the album down to a 3LW-esque crawl and takes you to the ending comical track "Jack U Off," but Robyn, I don't need you to do that....I just got out of the shower.

Album Highlights:
-With Every Heartbeat
-Should Have Known
-Handle Me
-Crash and Burn

Other releases for April 29th, 2008:
"Hard Candy" by Madonna (What was she thinking? ew!!)
"Third" by Portishead (I'm sure you'll see a great album review for this on Tuesday/Wednesday.)

Posted by AutomaticTLC at 11:20 PM

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Muu Who?

Bradley
Muuser

Welcome to MuuMuse, my sassy, classy music commentary blog.

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