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MUSICBOX
Madonna’s confessions
After getting a thumbs-down from both critics and audiences alike for her 2003 album, American Life, Madonna bounces back and how. She has returned to where she originally belongs — in the early ’80s discos and clubs. In her new album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, the same old magic seems to be revitalized and she sounds fresher than ever.
But there is one problem — back in the ’80s, these dance numbers were only Madonna’s forte. Now the mainstream dance music is churning similar fare, no longer making her songs the cutting edge they used to be.
Hung Up kick starts the album and sets the rhythm for the later tracks which keep getting better and once again reinforce the thought that Madonna still holds ample charm to seduce the listeners on the dance floor like no other.
In I Love New York, she pays tribute to the Big Apple, telling listeners “I don’t like cities but I like New York/Other cities make me feel like a dork”. Forbidden Love instantly strikes an emotional chord and although it takes several listenings before one gets into the mood, this passionate number is sure to leave the listener completely engrossed.
In the single Get Together, Madonna asks the question “Do you believe in love?” Right after, there is the song called Sorry, making you wonder what she is really trying to say. In Future Lovers, Madonna warmly invites you to the dance floor by singing: “Let’s forget your life, forget your problems, administration, bills and loans.”
How High has some direct conflicts with Madonna and her Kabbalah. Numbers like Jump and Push are least inviting and fall short of the expectations the earlier tracks have established.
In a nutshell, Confessions on a Dance Floor serves you a taste of the old Madonna. If that’s fine with you, go for it.—Azeem Haider
Fact sheet: Soundgarden
Soundgarden was a seminal Seattle rock band who helped to define the sound that came to be called grunge. They are usually considered one of the ‘big four’ of the Seattle grunge bands, along with Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam.
The band was formed in 1984 by Chris Cornell (drums & vocals) and Hiro Yamamoto (bass), and was later joined by Kim Thayil (guitar), who had moved to Seattle from Illinois with Yamamoto and Bruce Pavitt, who would later start Sub Pop Records. The band was named after an outdoor art/sound installation called ‘The Sound Garden’ located on NOAA property near Seattle’s Magnuson Park which makes eerie sounds when the wind blows. Cornell originally played drums while singing, but the band enlisted Scott Sundquist to free Cornell up to concentrate on vocals. The band recorded two songs which appeared on a compilation for C/Z Records called Deep Six which also featured songs by Green River, Skin Yard and The Melvins.
In 1986, Sundquist left the band, to be replaced by Matt Cameron, who had been the drummer in Skin Yard. The band signed to Sub Pop, releasing the Screaming Life EP in 1987, and the Fopp EP in 1988. A compilation was issued as Screaming Life/Fopp in 1990-1. Though the band was being courted by major labels, in 1988 Soundgarden signed to SST Records to release their debut album, Ultramega OK, for which they earned a Grammy nomination.
In 1989, the band released their first album for a major label, Louder Than Love, released through A&M Records. After the release of the album Yamamoto left to go back to college. He was briefly replaced by Jason Everman, formerly of Nirvana, who appeared on the Louder Than Love video, but Ben Shepherd ended up in the band as a permanent replacement.
The new line up recorded Badmotorfinger in 1991. Though successful, the album was overshadowed by Nirvana’s Nevermind. The band toured with Guns ‘n’ Roses to support the album, and later released the video Motorvision which was filmed on that tour.
The band made an appearance in the movie Singles playing Birth Ritual. The song appeared on the soundtrack album, as did a solo Cornell song, Seasons. The film also featured a clip from the demo version of Spoonman, a song from the band’s 1994 album, Superunknown, the band’s breakout, driven by the singles Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, and Fell on Black Days.
The band’s final album was the 1996 Down on the Upside. Soundgarden announced its breakup in April 1997. A greatest-hits compilation, A-Sides, was released a few months later. Cornell went on to make the solo album Euphoria Morning and later formed the group Audioslave along with ex-members of Rage Against The Machine, while Cameron toured with Pearl Jam for their 1998 Yield Tour and subsequently joined the band as a permanent member.
Thayil joined forces with ex-Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra, former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Gina Mainwal for one show, performing as the No WTO Combo during the WTO ministerial conference in Seattle on December 1, 1999 and would later contribute guitar tracks to Dave Grohl’s side-project’s album (Probot), which was released in 2004.—Anon
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