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Trollheart · 08-04-2011, 10:36 AM

Aphrodite –- Kylie Minogue --- 2010 (Parlophone)

Ah yeah, I'll admit it: I've always had a soft spot for Kylie, at least since she broke away from the Hit Factory. It takes great guts and indeed vision to tamper with a winning formula, but Kylie didn't want to be another manufactured commodity, basically a mouthpiece into which messrs. Stock, Aitken and Waterman fed their pop pap recycled garbage, and made money off her. So she struck off on her own, met Michael Hutchence, dabbled in recording with the Prince of Darkness, Nick Cave, and carved herself a whole new identity, or three.

I'll also admit that Kylie records are not numerous among my collection, I have “Light years” and “The Ultimate Kylie”, and that's all I need. But then I heard the lead single from this album, and I liked it so much I thought hell, why not? And I bought the album. So is it any good, or was I fooled by one excellent track into buying a disc full of rubbish? Well, let's see.
(Hey, believe me, it's worth just watching the video! )
As mentioned, “All the lovers” was the single that preceded the album, and it is DAMN good! It's pure pop/dance heaven, with great hooks and a bouncy beat. Kylie is on top form as ever, and though no-one is expecting to hear deep lyrical ideas or intricate instrumentation on this album, it's musically very rewarding, with not surprisingly keyboards and synth taking centre stage, among a battery of drum machines. As you might expect on a dance record, it's all pretty much programmed stuff, and there's a very electronic feel to the music. There are guitars, bass, banks of keyboards, but nothing really sounds individual, everything sort of sucked into the mass to produce the hybrid sound that seems to permeate most dance music --- one of the reasons why it does little for me.

And producers! This album must break some sort of record for the number of producers it credits. I count no less than seventeen, including Stuart Price (executive producer) and Calvin Harris. In fairness, the production of the album is pristine --- you would certainly hope so, with that many separate producers involved --- it's bouncy, clean and clear. But after the initial euphoria of “All the lovers” has worn off, things take a dive towards the mundane.

“Put your hands up” is essentially “Hand on your heart” updated for the 21st century, while “Closer”, despite an interesting line in synth and an almost Abba-like melody, doesn't step far enough from the formula to establish its own identity. “Everything is beautiful” however, raises the bar a little. A semi-ballad, penned by Fraser T. Smith and Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley, it's a nice break from the constant dance rhythm, though make no mistake about it, this is unashamedly a dance album. There are no attempts to rock out, or break into any other genres here. This is, basically, Kylie returning to what she does best, and excelling at doing so.

The title track comes in on bongo-like drumbeats and then gets going as another catchy dance track, with interesting vocals by Kylie, nice electric piano recalling the heyday of ABC at their best. I guess it's par for the course with a dance album --- of which genre I admit I have very little experience --- but the drum machines always sound very dry and soulless. It's a pity she didn't draft in the services of a human drummer for at least some of the tracks. I think this may be why so many sound the same, or at least similar.

“Illusion” is the first song which Kylie co-writes, but to be honest you wouldn't know, and you'd ask yourself why she bothered, when it sounds pretty much like the ones that have gone before. Nice ELO-style strings in the song though, and decent backing vocals. Also reminds me of China Crisis, for some reason...

It's probably my own fault for trying to review a dance album. No doubt a true Kylie fan, or someone better acquainted with pop/dance music would have a lot more to say about this album, but I find it hard to find anything really positive to say about it, apart from of course the opener. Everything sounds contrived, constructed and pre-programmed, and ultimately I find myself sort of listening and typing on auto-pilot as the album winds on towards its eventual conclusion. “Too much” is a faster, piano-driven song that has a little individuality about it, for about thirty seconds, then it falls back into the same old groove. I would normally stop the album now, bored out of my mind and quite disappointed, considering the high hopes I had had having listened to the opener, but this is a review and so I owe it to you, my readers, to finish it. So I'll listen on, but I don't expect too much. Sadly, there haven't been any ballads even, which might have helped rescue this album for me. Can't beat a good love song.

To be fair, for anyone into dance music this is going to be a blast, and there's no doubt it'll be a favourite on the dance floor and at parties, but it's not an album I would put on to actually listen to. One thing I really hate about drum machines is those bloody handclaps! Is there any drumloop that doesn't use them? And don't get me started on the overuse of vocoders! Anyway, “Cupid boy” is the longest track on the album, at just under four and a half minutes, and it's more of the same. The only good thing about it is that it denotes that the end of the album is coming up: only two more tracks to go! Can I last?

It's a real pity, as I do like Kylie, but I'd love to see her bring in some proper guitarist (Slash, anyone?) and try some rock. I think she could really handle it, and could be very good at it. However, she knows her market and she plays to them, and you certainly can't fault her for that. She has taken her share of chances in the past, so at this stage in her life --- and having survived a cancer scare into the bargain --- you can't blame her for playing it safe. Hey, it's all money in her bank account, and she'll certainly never be short of fans, or people to buy her albums. I just don't feel I'll be bothering in future. File under “took a chance, failed”.

Ah well, despite it all, I still love ya, Kylie!

TRACKLISTING

1. All the lovers
2. Get outta my way
3. Put your hands up (if you feel love)
4. Closer
5. Everything is beautiful
6. Aphrodite
7. Illusion
8. Better than today
9. Too much
10. Cupid boy
11. Looking for an angel
12. Can't beat the feeling

08-04-2011, 10:36 AM	#118 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Aphrodite –- Kylie Minogue --- 2010 (Parlophone) Ah yeah, I'll admit it: I've always had a soft spot for Kylie, at least since she broke away from the Hit Factory. It takes great guts and indeed vision to tamper with a winning formula, but Kylie didn't want to be another manufactured commodity, basically a mouthpiece into which messrs. Stock, Aitken and Waterman fed their pop pap recycled garbage, and made money off her. So she struck off on her own, met Michael Hutchence, dabbled in recording with the Prince of Darkness, Nick Cave, and carved herself a whole new identity, or three. I'll also admit that Kylie records are not numerous among my collection, I have “Light years” and “The Ultimate Kylie”, and that's all I need. But then I heard the lead single from this album, and I liked it so much I thought hell, why not? And I bought the album. So is it any good, or was I fooled by one excellent track into buying a disc full of rubbish? Well, let's see. (Hey, believe me, it's worth just watching the video! ) As mentioned, “All the lovers” was the single that preceded the album, and it is DAMN good! It's pure pop/dance heaven, with great hooks and a bouncy beat. Kylie is on top form as ever, and though no-one is expecting to hear deep lyrical ideas or intricate instrumentation on this album, it's musically very rewarding, with not surprisingly keyboards and synth taking centre stage, among a battery of drum machines. As you might expect on a dance record, it's all pretty much programmed stuff, and there's a very electronic feel to the music. There are guitars, bass, banks of keyboards, but nothing really sounds individual, everything sort of sucked into the mass to produce the hybrid sound that seems to permeate most dance music --- one of the reasons why it does little for me. And producers! This album must break some sort of record for the number of producers it credits. I count no less than seventeen, including Stuart Price (executive producer) and Calvin Harris. In fairness, the production of the album is pristine --- you would certainly hope so, with that many separate producers involved --- it's bouncy, clean and clear. But after the initial euphoria of “All the lovers” has worn off, things take a dive towards the mundane. “Put your hands up” is essentially “Hand on your heart” updated for the 21st century, while “Closer”, despite an interesting line in synth and an almost Abba-like melody, doesn't step far enough from the formula to establish its own identity. “Everything is beautiful” however, raises the bar a little. A semi-ballad, penned by Fraser T. Smith and Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley, it's a nice break from the constant dance rhythm, though make no mistake about it, this is unashamedly a dance album. There are no attempts to rock out, or break into any other genres here. This is, basically, Kylie returning to what she does best, and excelling at doing so. The title track comes in on bongo-like drumbeats and then gets going as another catchy dance track, with interesting vocals by Kylie, nice electric piano recalling the heyday of ABC at their best. I guess it's par for the course with a dance album --- of which genre I admit I have very little experience --- but the drum machines always sound very dry and soulless. It's a pity she didn't draft in the services of a human drummer for at least some of the tracks. I think this may be why so many sound the same, or at least similar. “Illusion” is the first song which Kylie co-writes, but to be honest you wouldn't know, and you'd ask yourself why she bothered, when it sounds pretty much like the ones that have gone before. Nice ELO-style strings in the song though, and decent backing vocals. Also reminds me of China Crisis, for some reason... It's probably my own fault for trying to review a dance album. No doubt a true Kylie fan, or someone better acquainted with pop/dance music would have a lot more to say about this album, but I find it hard to find anything really positive to say about it, apart from of course the opener. Everything sounds contrived, constructed and pre-programmed, and ultimately I find myself sort of listening and typing on auto-pilot as the album winds on towards its eventual conclusion. “Too much” is a faster, piano-driven song that has a little individuality about it, for about thirty seconds, then it falls back into the same old groove. I would normally stop the album now, bored out of my mind and quite disappointed, considering the high hopes I had had having listened to the opener, but this is a review and so I owe it to you, my readers, to finish it. So I'll listen on, but I don't expect too much. Sadly, there haven't been any ballads even, which might have helped rescue this album for me. Can't beat a good love song. To be fair, for anyone into dance music this is going to be a blast, and there's no doubt it'll be a favourite on the dance floor and at parties, but it's not an album I would put on to actually listen to. One thing I really hate about drum machines is those bloody handclaps! Is there any drumloop that doesn't use them? And don't get me started on the overuse of vocoders! Anyway, “Cupid boy” is the longest track on the album, at just under four and a half minutes, and it's more of the same. The only good thing about it is that it denotes that the end of the album is coming up: only two more tracks to go! Can I last? It's a real pity, as I do like Kylie, but I'd love to see her bring in some proper guitarist (Slash, anyone?) and try some rock. I think she could really handle it, and could be very good at it. However, she knows her market and she plays to them, and you certainly can't fault her for that. She has taken her share of chances in the past, so at this stage in her life --- and having survived a cancer scare into the bargain --- you can't blame her for playing it safe. Hey, it's all money in her bank account, and she'll certainly never be short of fans, or people to buy her albums. I just don't feel I'll be bothering in future. File under “took a chance, failed”. Ah well, despite it all, I still love ya, Kylie! TRACKLISTING 1. All the lovers 2. Get outta my way 3. Put your hands up (if you feel love) 4. Closer 5. Everything is beautiful 6. Aphrodite 7. Illusion 8. Better than today 9. Too much 10. Cupid boy 11. Looking for an angel 12. Can't beat the feeling __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 11-04-2011 at 01:22 PM.