The Confessions II first listen thread

GNL said:
'Danceteria' and 'L.E.S Girl' are my standouts.

My feeling upon first listen is that it's a real achievement. I like that she didn't play it safe and give us a straight-up Confessions tribute. So even though I prefer the cohesion of that album, I like that this one is very reflective and takes a lot of twists and turns. I didn't expect that from the singles.

Some of those twists didn't work for me. I don't really care for EDMadonna or the football song and I struggle to connect with the tinny vocal production on some of the more plaintive stuff towards the end.

Regardless, it's a great album, brilliantly produced, her best in twenty years and lyrically it's nice to hear her with her heart on her sleeve.
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I love the original Confessions but it is in no way in the same league as this record. IMO of course.
 
VoR said:
I'm sorry, I'm really not manifesting anything here, but I cannot stop chuckling at the notion of Madonna unleashing this hot shit and immediately DROPPING DEAD a'la Bowie with Blackstar.

What an exit! :disco:
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This post might be the most important body of work since this album
 
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Aside from creaming over the last third surprise downtempo run of the album, the gays who listened to the leaks =really kept it together to not spoil anything for the rest of us. I'm not sure I would have been quite so RESTRAINED!
 
VoR said:
Holy shit, that IS a very heavy and obvious Army of Lovers sample on My Sins are My Savior.

AGOG! :disco:

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Here I've been all summer literally asking why nobody in the year 2026 is doing Army of Lovers anymore, and THERE SHE WAS WAITING TO DROP THIS ALL ALONG!
 
funky said:
Aside from creaming over the last third surprise downtempo run of the album, the gays who listened to the leaks =really kept it together to not spoil anything for the rest of us. I'm not sure I would have been quite so RESTRAINED!
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I didn't listen to anything after the first two singles (other than a single playthrough of Love Sensation) and god I feel like it's hit so much harder for it.
 
Surely Glastonbury can't be the only live shows for this. That's obviously going to be mostly hits? They aren't going to let her have the whole of Sunday to do a gig for THIS *AND* the hits surely?
 
My first thought reading this thread intermittently whilst mainly concentrating on listening to the abum itself is what a RIDICULOUS amount of HYPERBOLE and NONSENSE you all bang on about...

...my second is that you're probably (mostly) right (I'm choosing to gloss over "Best ever album" after one play here :D ).

It really is an astonishing return to form and shows what she can do when she's got the right collaborator who knows and understands how to rein her in but simultaneously make the most of what she does well. Pat Leonard, Steve Bray, William Orbit, Mirwais, Stuart Price.

I've got too much I want to say, but my initial thoughts, all in a muddle and no order:

  • Three of the "Bonus" tracks are right up there as the best things on it. I realise perhaps they don't all fit with the rest of the album so much.
  • Using a My Army Of Lovers sample feels so ridiculously leftfield until you think about it and realise it's perhaps astonishing no one has ever done it before.
  • Betrayal is so Erotica it hurts.
  • Stuart Price said in an interview how the joy of streaming is you can tinker and keep tinkering and that was happening even whilst physicals were being pressed- the comment about the Bring Your Love mix being different earlier, wonder if it's going to all be exactly the same versions on the physicals?
  • Read My Lips- is this a different version to the FIFA version, which I listened to once and thought was average, or does it just make more sense in the context of the album, cause it's marvellous.
  • The more downtempo introspective stuff at the end really is what she's needed to do for quite some time and, yes, brought a tear to my eye a couple of times.
  • Like my learned friend VoR said, I have always found "Confessions II" a reductive prospect and I don't really know why it needed it. Yes, Danceteria would have been a much better title.
  • Danceteria is the current single, right? So I'm happy with it not being the pre-album lead, though, yes, it is better. Is it the standout? I don't know, there's too much on here, but it's fucking fantastic
  • Her vocals sound a lot better, but I think it's a stretch to be convinced that that's all entirely natural. I don't care at all, but I'm not sure this is 100% proof that she's vocally had a significant return to form.
  • It's the best thing she's done in years, will it be up there with her absolute best, only time will tell.
I am so, so happy. She's back.
 
And the only other track to my knowledge to sample Army of Lovers is EFENDI - MATA HARI. WHAT COMPANY!
 
I'm basic but Read My Lips, Bizarre and Dancetaria are probably my favourite songs on there thiugh I love practically everything (apart from ironically, Everything).
 
She had to call it Confessions II. Not only did she set up expectations to smash them out of the park with that title, but she had to make it clear to everyone this wasn't just Madonna releasing another album again - they had to listen to this. And what a way to cash in your chips.
 
I need an extended version of Fragile where it just spirals off into those strings, like Paradise (Not For Me) did. It's absolutely exquisite.
 
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Here we go!
 
Danceteria is everything I wanted it to be and more. Shaking and crying (from the cocaine). LOVE the little call-back to "everybody (move your body)"
 
Read My Lips is giving me Hard Candy. Candy Shop, 4 Minutes and Spanish Lesson met up 20 years later and they are all now hung soccer daddies.
 
Love that this album is such a journey. I can see the perspective of the reviews that suggested it was a little overlying, but this is maximalist Madonna.

The three I had time to go back to afterwards were Danceteria (obsessed), Bizarre (SO INDECENTly good) and One Step Away (for that sweet vocal).
 
I've got to Bizarre and I'm here to say how happy I am for those nice Madonna fans who kept the faith. 21 years of absolute drivel and then this. What a big gay treat.

Mostly all highlights so far, but I think Read My Lips might be favourite. Jam & Spoon feat Plavka mashup NOW.

Also the way she sings Bizarre immediately made me think of Bob Mortimer saying LARD on Last One Laughing (complimentary).
 
07 - I Feel So Free

08 for the instrumental, 06 for the vocal, so let's split the difference. I feel this is something I will need to do for most of the tracks going forward.

07 - Good For The Soul

The continuous mix is already getting bonus points from me! Also, audible AUTOTUNE! She should have used it more! 09 inst 05 vox

05 - One Step Away

Oh Madonna, not high notes. Also, a little BORING otherwise :WellThereWeAre: 07 inst 03 vox
 
I woke up at 5.30am and I lay in bed listening to this with headphones and WHAT AN ALBUM. I need more time to digest it all but every song was at least a 7 for me.

We've waited so long for a return to form and I can't believe she's delivered this at 67. I feel emotional.
 
Is this her more expensive, most cinematic sounding record....because it certainly sounds it? I'm not au fait with everything she's done so I'm prepared to be corrected.
 
09 - Bring Your Love

Wait, I am enjoying this a lot more than I did the single release! Is this the tweaked production at play? 09 inst 09 Vox

10 - Danceteria

This feel like the first time she's working with her current vocal abilities, rather than against them. Also, the track FUCKS :disco: Need to hear this in a local Danceteria IMMEDIATELY 10 inst 09 Vox

09 - Read My Lips

Despite an initial panic at a GUITAR, this is also amazing, and I don't know if it is just me getting used to them, but the vox sound good here too! 09 inst / 09 vox / 12455 CASTANETS
 
I also adore how much spoken word there is on this - you could argue that no one does it better than Madonna. So much of this album sounds like a wall of sound which adds a great deal of warmth to proceedings.
 
This has already hit the masses in terms of cultural impact.

As I was opening the school gates this morning a seven year old girl had her headphones in and I asked on the off-chance: “are you listening to Danc-“ and before I could finish my sentence she said “-eteria from Madonna’s newie Confessions II? Yes, yes I am.”
 
Later I took my 96 year old grandmother to Woolworths and as I wheeled her through the double doors she shouted “which way to buy Madonna’s Confessions II then?” to rapturous applause from the staff and other customers
 
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