I was casually stalking glancing through my Twitter feed this afternoon, when I saw a discussion between fellow bloggers (whom I adore) muumuse and xolondon about how both Little Boots and La Roux long player efforts don’t have a patch on Rachel Stevens‘ 2005 magnum opus, “Come & Get It”.

Can someone please call Rachel Stevens and tell her that electropop is selling again? Because whenever someone mentions the genre, I immediately think of Rachel first. Everything (bar the appalling title or the hideously organised tracklisting; believe me when I say my iTunes playlist for the record is leaps and bounds more appealing. Just saying…) was perfect about this record. People often complained that Rachel was a boring pop star, but at the end of the day she fronted some of the most instant electropop songs in the history of the genre and, quite possibly, may have either been a little too late for peoples wallets to enjoy it, or so way ahead of her time she should have sat on it until 2009.

Pitting “Come & Get It” up against Little Boots’ “Hands” or La Roux’s, er, “La Roux”, the outcome is a no-brainer. Rachel’s record still sounds freshly squeezed, and more than 70% of the albums tracks would make excellent radio hits in 2009. It’s interesting that “Come & Get It” came from what I honestly think was pop music’s last truly golden year. Girls Aloud released “Chemistry”, Madonna released “Confessions”, Goldfrapp’s “Supernature”, Kate Bush’s “Aerial”, Imogen Heap, Paddy Wolf and Mark Owen also released genre defining records, and of course; Rachel. Madonna won’t be releasing any studio albums till at least 2010/2011, and as for Girls Aloud; well, this one year hiatus leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. Luckily Imogen Heap has a release coming soon, but other than that; It is clear that Rachel Stevens needs to release something before the year is through. FOR POP MUSIC’S SAKE.

Two tracks in particular from the album which have always been solid favourites of mine (and, seemingly, quite timeless and more current than most of what’s out there at the moment) are “Some Girls” and “So Good.” The first, a Richard X production, I would probably say is in the top 5 pop songs of all time. The video clip is GHASTLY though and should be reshot for history’s sake. But the song; the absolute musical definition of amazing.

I always found it odd that the extended versions of both tracks (which are the far superior versions) were never made officially available commercially, so here are the MP3’s which you can obtain in a downloadable fashion.

Rachel Stevens - Some Girls (Richard X Extended Version)

Rachel Stevens - So Good (Extended Version)

I would also like to direct your attention to an amazing post over on the wondrous Popjustice from the height of Rachel-almost-mania, which talked about her amazing gloves from the “So Good” video clip.

LOOK, IF SOMEONE WOULD JUST GET RACHEL ON THE BLOODY BLOWER (hem hem) AND TELL HER THAT SHE IS, ESSENTIALLY, RESPONSIBLE FOR A TRULY ICONIC POP MUSIC VICTORY AND TRIUMPH IN 2009 SO I WOULDN’T HAVE TO BLOG ABOUT IT AGAIN, THAT’D BE REALLY GREAT. FORGET THE FUCKING ACTING CAREER WOMAN, NO ONE IS INTERESTED. JUST MAKES SOME BLOODY POP MUSIC AND KEEP US HAPPY.

In short (and in true 2005 blog fashion), let’s take a look at a summary of this post:

> “Come & Get It” is better than almost every album released so far in 2009.
> Or most years since 2005.
> Rachel had amazing gloves.
> Downloading music is risky, but really great.
> muumuse and xolondon are very good bloggers.
> Gloves.

Last week I had the pleasure of having a chat to the delightfully outspoken Jon McClure from Reverend & The Makers. I’ve been a fan of the outfit since their 2007 debut album The State Of Things horned its way into my CD player and, for quite a while, remained one of the biggest players of that year for me. Now with the follow up record A French Kiss In The Chaos on its way at the end of July (which, FYI, is a totally brilliant album and wipes the floor clean with the debut), the Reverend himself sat down for a chat with me about Jade Goody, Nazi’s infiltrating British politics, the ‘Skins Generation’, oh, and the new album of course.

Hello Jon!

Hello Adem, your name is spelt the Arabic way. Are you Arabic Adem?

No not Arabic but I have an Islamic background…

As-Salam Alaykum Brother!

(Laughter) Alaykum-u-salam John! How are you?

Good man, very good.

How’s Australia treating you so far?

Good man, the response I’ve had from the journalists and the radio and TV people here has been fucking amazing, it’s been an absolute pleasure being here. One of the main reasons I came here is to expand this thing called Instigate Debate which is set up in Britain. It’s kinda kicking off massive and is one of the reasons now that the British press seem to think I’m their darling when they wanted to kill me before (laughs). I’ve got Tim Levingston from The Herd, and he’s gonna set one up in Australia and one coming up in New Zealand so, good times ahead man.

Tell me a little bit more about the Instigate Debate website – what’s the purpose behind all that?

Yeah man, this is one of the reasons these people wanna put me forward as some kind of fucking spokesperson or some shit (laughs). The reason I set up Instigate Debate is, well, unlike your culture here in Australia, our cultural landscape is completely dominated by celebrity vacuous bullshit. I don’t want to be some boring rock star not doing anything about it, so I set up Instigate Debate so we could get some celebrities, musicians and MP’s and ask them some real questions, y’know, rather than nonsense. We then turned it over to the kids and said right, okay, if you wanna interview your local MP or a musician, whatever, send us the video from your mobile phone camera, we’ll put it on the website and then we’ll come play a gig in your house as a response.

Oh wow.

Yeah, we’ve been playing in peoples houses. So it’s really kicking off and on that first day people had said “It’s like the new punk rock.” I said I’ll be fucked if it’s the new punk rock because it’s not! Because we’re using the very medium of mobile phone technology, Internet, laptops. But it’s a bunch of people who’ve had enough of the bullshit over the last 10 years. You know, these bands that come over to Australia and stand there like they don’t want to fucking be there, just here to cash their cheque, people are expecting a little more these days, and they rightly deserve it. We’re gonna change the world man, I mean Twitter for instance, the election of Obama, the thing that’s happening in Iran, I wrote a song about the death threats against the British National Party, we put the track online, and two hours later you’ve got a song in full circulation showing the distress people are feeling towards the Nazi’s getting in (to the British government). We can soundtrack the times of what we’re living in, and in less than two hours man.

I was actually just about to ask you about “Manifesto/People Shapers”, I guess a lot of my readers may not actually know what the fiasco with the British National Party gaining two prominent seats…

Yeah basically they’re Nazi’s, and they used to go round blowing people up and now they go around wearing… Politician suits. I mean, these people denied a holocaust for fucks sake, these are pretty messed up people. And because our politics are in such a state, people are voting for them. But you know what? It ‘aint all about the politics man, before it used to be only me saying these things but now there’s a little musical posse coming out of the woodwork man, and they’re starting to talk about the world that we’re living in, but in a cool way, making good music about it rather than the same bullshit over the last 10 years where people just stand there looking cool with a nice fucking haircut (laughs).

You’re not one to shy away from controversy or politics; do you think more people with a public profile like yourself should be making a more proactive approach in their political leanings?

Well we’re the ones that are gonna do it Adem, definitely. You’re a guy who is a writer, and I’m a guy who sings songs. People listen to us, you know, and whether we’re right or wrong people will listen to us. And so therefore, it’s up to us Adem; I mean, you could set yourself up for a nice retirement writing for a magazine and you made a lot of money, and I could say yeah I sold a lot of records. But ultimately you wanna look and say that you did something fucking cool for the world man, and that it meant something and in my time and on my terms, not arcing back to punk or bollocky movements. This is as much yours Adem as it is mine. The reason why journalists are banging on about it in England is because, for the first time in a long time, they can actually be fucking journalists and write about something that exists, you know, rather than having to create headlines just to sell a newspaper, you know what I’m saying?

(Laughter) Oh absolutely.

It gets them excited.

Would you say that there aren’t many strong messages being brought forward in pop music these days?

Yeah man, well not until recently they’re saying “Jon McClure is the spokesman for this new scene.” I can only speak up about the things I know about, but I’m certainly encouraged by the fact that there are a lot more political artists coming out from the underground – they’re coming out from under there and people are starting to notice ‘em. Then you’ve got these people like Bono saying one thing and then returning home to his lair on a fucking yacht man. Why not stay in a spaceship man, you’d create a lot more headlines that way Bono. You know what I’m saying to you brother, you’ve gotta understand that for three years I’ve been called all sorts of names for talking about what I believe in and things that actually fucking matter, like Gaza for example. I said this thing about a TV celebrity here recently called Jade Goody, you know her?

Oh yes, Big Brother, Shilpagate, Death; I know all about Goody.

Here’s what I said. See what you make of this Adem. I said that it was very sad she got cancer. I know people with cancer myself, it’s awful. And if it makes girls go for smear tests and get themselves checked out that’s also good, right? But let us not forget she was a talentless racist, and the media coverage that she gets overrides the fact that Israel’s just dumped phosphorus on Gaza, or that the fucking ice caps are melting. Or Iraq, or the credit crunch, for fucks sake – even the fucking footy results. Let’s get our fucking perspectives in order, you know?

The news of her death even made headlines here and most Australian’s would not know Jade Goody from a bar of soap.

Exactly man. Hypocrites, hypocrites, the fucking lot of ‘em. It’s a new time we’re heading into Adem, and you’ve got to decide as a journalist whether you’re going to be apart of it or not. But the young kids all over this country and in the UK are sick of it, they’re fucking sick of it man. They’re sick of being force-fed bullshit and being told what to like. When a big band comes around you have to give them the coverage, even if it does sound like Bon Jovi like that new Kings of fucking Leon record does, you have to get the coverage. It’s bullshit man. People want something new, something fresh, they’re sick of people just milking it.

Jon, I follow you on Twitter and recently saw something you posted saying “welcome to the skins generation son! Leave your personality and opinions at the door!” Can we talk about that??

Let’s talk about it man, why not?

Brilliant.

Okay. Well, Skins is a program that supposedly defines our generation. I don’t think it defines my generation though; I’m 27, it doesn’t define what I’m living in, and I speak to kids that are 16 and it don’t define what they’re living in either. What I’m saying is everyone looks the same, everyone dresses the same and they like the same music, it’s one big homogenised mass of force-fed bullshit. Someone like me sticks his head out and says something like that though and it can be frowned upon. But I’m loving the way Australian’s have reacted to me because I’ve learnt that here in Australia, no one likes bullshit.

We’re not that big on it, no.

Yeah man, you Aussies are fuckin’ alright hey. I’ve found my people you know what I’m saying?

(Laughter) We’re glad to have you here Jon! I must say, congratulations on the new follow up record “A French Kiss In The Chaos” – it’s magnificent stuff.

Thank you very much indeed brother.

You worked with Jagz Kooner on recording for the album, how was it working with him??

Yeah he’s a good guy man, he’s worked on them experimental, psychedelic, political things before, if you remember Swastika Eyes, Primal Scream…

Yes yes…

He was able to help me pick what the best thing about those 60’s psy records were, but also making it relevant to the modern age by using electronica and lyrical concept and stuff. I can’t praise him highly enough. And truth be told, I think we all did a lot more drugs on this album.

(Uncontrollable laughter) I’m sure the fans are very pleased you decided to keep the band together… what made you want to return to the music biz?

Well, you know, I got sick of the fact that rich white men control everything, and that’s dictated in our culture. I put the Mongrel album out with the Independent newspaper. Half a million people got that album in the UK, which means we’re the best distributed album this side of Take That! What made me feel good about returning to music is people kept telling me I had to make another record. So I pulled myself together, I made it, and it sounds good.

And what of Mongrel – will you guys be releasing a second album at all?

Dunno yet, but gonna go do some stuff with the Marley family hopefully soon, politics gets a bit much if you’re going on about it all the time. I’m also gonna go down and see Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, and he’s gonna drop a speech for a track, I mean, I’m also working on the third Reverend & The Makers album, so I’m sure I’ll make sense of it all at some point but we’ll see how we go. The record industry is dying and everyone is fleeing for the hills [re-enacts noise of people fleeing for hills] “Oh we’re going bust!” Well a lot of them deserve to go bust because they’ve been fleeting people for far too long. Music is sort of like the Wild West now man, nobody knows what’s to happen.

I’m told you’re going bowling tonight. Tell me Jon; are you actually any good at bowling?

I’ve been bowling twice already during my run here in Australia, and, based upon those two previous bowling trips, I’ve gotta tell you now that I am absolutely shit at bowling (laughs). So yeah, I don’t think I’ll bowling for a very fucking long time. But I’ve met some really nice Aussies and had a good time, so that’s really what matters.

You planning on coming back to Oz to do some shows?

We’re gonna come back and do some shows coz a lot of the journo’s seem to be really into what we’ve been saying. I think we’re getting a nice sorta buzz out of it. The great thing about the journalists in this country is if they’re onto something they’re brilliant and they’ll back it to the hills. In England though they’re so cautious. But yes, we’re gonna come play some shows and then I’ll probably set up my nice little house in Melbourne!

Good, come live with us!

Fuck yes man, definitely looking forward to returning, I don’t want to leave!

We’ve loved having you in Australia, and I can’t thank you enough for the chat mate it’s been an absolute honour…

Salam! Take care brother.

You too Jon!

Bye mate.

A French Kiss In The Chaos is released through Wall Of Sound on July the 27th.

LITTLE BOOTS
Hands (WARNER)
A+

When you have an artist whose crossover potential rounds up the cool kids as well as the pop nerds, it’s hard not to prick your ears up and take notice. After all, if history supplies us correctly, that kind of “branding” has served us well in the past; Robyn, Lykke Li and, you know, every other female artist from Sweden. But Little Boots, known as Victoria Hesketh to Mr and Mrs Hesketh of England, with the right piping, could end up a member of Pop’s “new breed” a few people have bung on about, joining the likes of Roisin Murphy and Antigone in that sort of divine league of their own. Forward-thinking women who are powering through the ‘barriers’ with their unique musical talent, combined with incredible pop sensibilities. It’s still too early to tell whether Victoria can achieve this during her career span (however long that may be), but if this debut is anything to go by, we could be onto a winner.

New In Town, the first official single, dazzles as an opener; that synth introduction is so spikey and fresh to the ears, it’s a real wonder this didn’t ignite with single buyers more than it did. Then there’s the cosmic raved-up lovechild of Giorgio Moroder and Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head; the iconic Stuck On Repeat. Meddle, with its chaotic and destructive dubstep leanings sits comfortably amongst the ferociously disjointed Ghosts, which cheekily toys with the members of a marching band to deliver its namesakes spook-factor.

Earthquake, with its disjointed construction, shines through with the exceptionally placed line “coz I can’t stand it, when you come and we just fight for hours,” and the disco-funk of Rich Boys embodies such a large persona from the second it starts, it’s near impossible to deny how darn classy it is. You can just picture Baccara performing it in their heyday, albeit with English As A Fifth Language pronunciation.

There are some minor let-downs. Click starts off incredibly, but loses momentum once the vocals kick in. Its biggest crime though is that it has a forgettably boring chorus, particularly when the verse right before it actually makes you think it could be going somewhere.

Remedy, with its joyful “dancing is my remedy” chorus is saved from being filler with incredible production elements through it, Mathematics takes what is officially the most boring and confusing subject to me (numbers, I cannot has them) and turns it into a quirky love ditty. Mathematics as an analogy of love; it is literally the cutest thing I’ve heard in pop for a long time.

The truly triumphant moment on “Hands”, however, is Boots’ duet with Human League’s Phil Oakey, the monumental Symmetry, a track which pays direct homage to the italo-disco sounds of the late 80’s and early 90’s; exactly the kind of thing you’d expect from millennium releases by Visage or Fancy. It’s exactly the kind of sound I’d like to hear ressurected into the next 5 years or so of electronic music culture. That Italo-flavour gave us a lot of interesting pop/club cuts, and Symmetry’s presentation is a prime example as to why.

It’s not all about the HI-NRG though. There are a couple of soppy tracks (Hearts Collide, Tune Into My Heart) which, surprisingly, are near perfect. These are the kind of pop ballads music lovers should be paying attention to.

Hands‘ only real fault is its awful title. Other than that, the cover-art is gorgeous, the tracks; near perfection. Hands is exactly the kind of record you’d assume Kylie Minogue has been trying to record since 2002.

Just because her boots are little, doesn’t mean they weren’t made for walking.

About two weeks ago I was lucky enough to have a chat with Nathan from the Gossip. The band, whose amazing new album Music For Men is out now through Sony, worked with the legendary Rick Rubin on the new record; something we discussed during our little gossip. Skins, homophobia and the highly debated MP3 war also feature; here’s the Q&A transcript…

Hello Nathan, how are you?
Hello Adem, yeah really good, how’s it going?

Well thanks! Now, You’re just about to release your fourth studio album this month, Music For Men… how long have you guys been working on that?
Um, we’ve worked on that record for about two months. Well, two and a half months actually, yeah.

You worked with seminal music producer Rick Rubin on the record… how was that?
Oh, really amazing. It was the perfect match I think, I mean, I don’t think we could have worked with anyone cooler you know. He’s such a legend, it was a real treat y’know.

Were there any moments of difficulty in the studio with him at all?
Not at all! We never had any moments of difficulty which was crazy you know, I mean, it went so smoothly to be honest with you, and we were actually really sad when it was all over.

“MUSIC FOR MEN” is an interesting album title - how did that come about?
(Laughs) Well it was Beth’s idea. It’s kind of a feminist inside joke (laughs again.)

What sounds have you worked with for the new record?
Well, we’ve done four records in the past with just a guitar, so on this one we mixed it up and we have bass, guitar, synthesizer, piano, lots of stuff. We wanted it to have the feel of a Gossip record but sound unique to anything we’d done before.

With 23 days (at time of interview) left until the album release, are you at all surprised the record hasn’t found its way online in full?
Oh God yeah, I’m totally surprised it hasn’t leaked yet! But it’s a great sign, I’m just really surprised it hasn’t yet. I just assumed that everything leaked nowadays (laughs). I mean, leaking is just apart of the record release…

It’s become just as much apart of the promotion for a record than anything else really…
(Laughs) My God, exactly!

Do you think leaks hinder the album sales?
Look, it all depends on how good the record is, if a record leaks and it’s good, people will still buy it. They’re maybe gonna want the package. (Laughs) Maybe.

Or, at the very least, go and see you live.
Yes, exactly! Live music is still thriving and people still want to see bands perform live no matter whether they bought the CD or downloaded it illegally.

And then of course there’s in the internet blog revolution; blogs posting MP3 files and the like… they definitely help, don’t they?
Oh yeah, I think we’re at a point now in the world that, to try and fight it or argue that would make you a dinosaur (laughs). I think blogs and online downloading is just a part of the music industry now, it’s almost the way forward, and I have no problem with our remixes floating around on blogs. I read those blogs all the time and get songs from them all the time too so. I think it’s just a part of industry now.

You’ve got the first single “Heavy Cross” out there now, but have you already sat down and worked out what the follow up singles will be?
Yeah, I think “Love Long Distance” might be the next single, maybe that song or “Pop Goes The World”, we aren’t entirely sure yet but they’re the two big guns.

This is the first studio release for your new label MUSIC WITH A TWIST, which focus on GLBT music acts… how did that deal come about?
Well that is no longer around! That label no longer exists anymore so we’re just on Columbia.

Oh really?
Yeah, unfortunately it didn’t end up working out.

The first single is the ace Heavy Cross; was that always going to be Music For Men’s first single?
Yes.

The Fred Falke remix is monstrously epic and probably Falke’s best remix to date…
Oh yeah he did such a great job. Master Prince House. I was really happy when I asked him to do that because, I’d felt like he’d been off the train for a while and I hadn’t really heard anything that was super amazing, but yeah, boy he did us great justice, he really did.

You guys have had a great run with remixes; really ferocious stuff from Falke, Soulwax, Tommie Sunshine… what’s the process in finding someone to remix your track like?
Um, I deejay a lot so I try to keep in touch with what’s happening so, I always tell the label… I usually just give the label names and tell them “contact these people, we want them to remix the single”, and people usually say yes (laughs).

Any remixes that you’ve knocked back because they’ve been a bit rubbish?
You know, there’s been… um… the Tiga one was kind of weird, he did one for us that was kinda strange, but I mean, yeah, it’s been pretty consistant. They usually do a pretty good job for us.

So a lot of people associate The Gossip with “Standing in the way of control”, with a lot of generation Y associating you with the TV show Skins… was that association a blessing or a curse?
You know, it was definitely a blessing because, I don’t think it affected us negatively, but the interesting thing about that story is that our old label actually did that without our permission.

Oh my…
Yeah! It was really weird. They did it without our permission which was really a kind of bogus deal, but I don’t think it impacted us negatively. You know what though, we haven’t even seen the show and I have no idea what the hell it’s about (laughs).

The song was originally written in response to the US government’s decision to deny gay people the right to marriage, wasn’t it?
Yes it was actually!

Did you find it at all surprising that the youth adopted the song then as a sort of rebellious anthem, taking a look at the lyrics from a completely different angle?
I think it’s kind of funny, Beth actually pointed this out to us, it’s kind of funny, you hear the song in a club and you get these kinda jocky, homophobic guys dancing to it when it, essentially, is a political gay anthem (laughs). It’s hilarious, it’s like homophobic football players singing “We Are The Champions” (laughs).

Nathan, you’ve got your own stuff in the pipeline; you DJ, you have novels… anything of your own coming out soon?
Um, not really. I’ve been so busy with Gossip right now I just haven’t had the time. I’m currating an art show in Berlin later on in the year, and I might be doing some remixes, but just more so working on Gossip which is so time consuming.

So with the new album on the way, tell me there are plans to tour and that you’re coming back to Australia?
Yes definitely, well we’re on tour now, we go back home, then we’re on tour again. I think we’ll be heading towards you guys in Australia soon, probably towards the end of the year. I mean, Australia’s amazing. Just for the landscape alone it’s beautiful, it’s ridiculous how amazing it is. Hopefully we might get asked to play Big Day Out actually, because we’d really love to do that. I hear that the Big Day Out is one of the best festivals ever.

It’s a fairly important day in Australia’s rock calendar…
Yeah that’s what I’m told. Awesome.

Here’s hoping we get you down here for the Big Day Out, all the best with the album release and everything coming up mate, really appreciate the chat.
Thanks for the interview man, take care!

Cheers Nathan, bye!
Bye!

There’s something about Beyonce.

Something.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure what that something is yet because, time after time, album after album, she disappoints me by not going down the path which is her ultimate destiny; to become a 21st century Disco Diva, like her supposed hero Diana Ross was in the 20th. So much potential lies within how fierce (pardon the pun) Beyonce’s imagery of late has been. The picture up above, in its full form, is probably my absolute favourite picture of Beyonce to date, and I will forever remember this remix album cover as being probably her most iconic photograph. This is one of the things I will remember her for in years to come.

I do love, however, that Beyonce is still very much a remixable artist. If her song is rubbish, there is a very good chance that if it’s remixed, it will end up being monstrously good and very similar to the kind of thing she should be doing. Everything of hers the Freemasons have remixed is instantly of legendary status (but not entirely due to the Freemasons), and most of the mix packages that come through for Beyonce singles feature at least one absolute stomper.

There are enough spectacular Beyonce remixes to make up what would be the perfect B-Bouncey album. One of the best, it seems, is an incredibly recent one. The Dave Aude Remix of “Halo” is of epic proportions. And not ‘epic’ like the kids all say things are these days, but proper ‘epic’ - in pop music terms; that kind of epic. It’s the sort of dramatic dance song that, coupled with the teary lyrics, provide a landscape for what is the absolute best kind of disco; where you get to dance your heart out to a sad story being told.

I’ve uploaded it for you to download, chances are it might disappear so grab it quickly. Keep an ear out for the destructively amazing breakdown and build-up at the 6 minute 20 second mark. DI-VA.

Halo (Dave Aude Remix).mp3

Beyonce runs the risk of missing this possibly monstrous opportunity before it’s too late. You might say that she’s obviously doing fine enough with what she’s already doing, and you’re right. But why should Beyonce settle for mediocrity? Or, even worse; second best? I believe a wise woman named Madonna once said not to go for second best, and if Beyonce wants to be bigger than God (actually, she’s quite religious isn’t she, so let’s just say ‘as big as God’ to keep her happy), she needs to take that advice on board as a mantra.

If you feel the same, you should become a fan of Beyonce Remixes on Facebook.

Oh, and just for the record, I am definitely one of the people that thinks her sister, Solange, is the better popstar of the two.

Oh look; it’s a Bang Gang Deejays Megamix of sorts. Tracklisting.

Download.

“Fucking Amazing.”

Some herald Madonna’s “Ray Of Light” album as being her career best. Others will tell you her squeaky, club-friendly 1983 debut is the Pièce de résistance of her discography. And whilst there really hasn’t been a terrible Madonna album release in my eyes (I will not hear a single bad word against “I’m Breathless”), none have captured the ‘real’ Madonna more than 1989’s “Like A Prayer” (which still remains as one of Pop Culture’s biggest and brightest proper comebacks of all time), and 2003’s “American Life.” Or at least, the ‘real’ Madonna at the time of recording.

After the hyperactivity of her boot-scoot-loving “Music” era (great songs, awful imagery), Madonna came back into the forefront with a record containing 11 daring, brave and alluring pop songs, with a strong and admirable image; Madonna (now a brunette again; always a sign of serious-Madge taking the drivers seat), as Che Guevera meets a kidnapped Patty Hearst. And underneath the tarnished surface of all the controversy that surrounded the title song and its video clip, there was a record which made Madonna appear to be more of a human being than anything else she had done before; it was a woman, normally in charge, cracking at the seams.

Madonna, for lack of a better term, was having a mid-life crisis (a mental one, not the aesthetic mid-life crisis we would see in years to come). What was going on? What was life all about? Why were we even here? So many unanswered questions from a woman used to getting answers. For all to hear on record. Sure, the album spends most of its time talking about Madonna’s favourite subject; herself, but the context in which this topic is brandied across the album, well, it’s something of a surprise.

Whilst some will argue her rap on title track “American Life” is laughable, I will argue that it is menacing, and to quote Fizzypop’s Paul as to why the song is amazing, “It’s the rap.” Never has drinking soy latte’s or doing your palates seemed like so much fun (with a serious message underlying it all, of course.) Follow-up single “Hollywood” saw the Queen pay her own personal homage to Miss Kittin & Felix Da Housecat’s own image of Tinsel-town, “Madame Hollywood”, whilst “I’m So Stupid” saw her coo, confusingly “please don’t try to tempt me, it was just greed and it won’t protect me. Don’t want my dreams adding up to nothing; I was just looking for, everybody’s looking for something.”

A stylized and slightly neurotic production element to the absolute classic “Nobody Knows Me” was so futuristic it still sounds way ahead of its time, and gave us one of the greatest Madonna on-stage performances to date (2004’s Re-Invention Tour). “It’s no fun but the damage is done; don’t want your social disease.” Some of her greatest and most cutting social commentary lyrics which have since not been beaten; “Nobody Knows Me” remains, in my eyes (as a vehemently passionate and long standing Madonna fan), one of her greatest achievements.

“Nothing Fails”, complete with its stunning acoustic guitar and surprising choir-bound ending, showed Madonna in a vulnerable state. A woman in love, a woman who honestly felt that, with love as her torch, nothing could fail. As she sings “I’m not religious, but I feel so moved, makes me want to pray, pray you’ll always be here… you’re the one,” it’s hard not to pay attention to the startling cracks in what she’s saying. Admitting vulnerability, somehow, made Madonna come across as an even stronger woman than she already was. Or, maybe, a more relatable one?

“Mother & Father” saw Madonna, for the first time, discussing the raw feelings she felt towards her Father after her Mother passed away (albeit in a hilariously brilliant rap, the second to appear on the record), combined with some seriously innovative electronic soundscapes. But behind the falsetto, behind the drum-machine, and behind the dance music, there was a broken little girl telling her story through the form of a grown woman. “I made a vow that I would never need another person ever, turned my heart into a cage, a victim of a kind of rage.” More telling, and descriptive of who this woman is, than any possible interview or tour documentary could portray. And the final minute and 20 seconds are still as goosebump-inducing as they were the very first time I heard it.

American Life was also the home of “X-Static Process” – the first song Madonna would pen with future Confessions On A Dance Floor collaborator, Stuart Price. Vastly different in comparison to the disco-edge of “Hung Up”, “X-Static Process” based itself on an acoustic guitar, Madonna’s voice, and some of the most heartbreaking lyrics in her repertoire. “I always wished that I could find, someone as beautiful as you, but in the process I forgot, that I was special too… but in the process I forgot, that I was just as good, as you.” Amazing.

Moments like the Bond-theme “Die Another Day”, the startling “Easy Ride”, or the gorgeously-crafted “Love Profusion” prove that this is, ultimately, Madonna’s very own “Impossible Princess”; an album which, at the time, not many understood, but eventually many would.

Looking back at everything which surrounded the release of Madonna’s “American Life”; both single and LP, it’s not hard to see where and why it all went so horribly wrong. One slightly political moment on the record branded Madonna as being unpatriotic. The video clip was making waves before it had even aired due to its ‘anti-war’ stance, and after the media debacle that was Dixie Chick-gate, The Queen Of Pop, who had often worked hand-in-hand with controversy, went back on her word and pulled the plug on the American Life video clip. It proved a deadlier move than letting it be; it was too late for the American-faithful who were already viewing her as an anti-Bush poster girl, and the fans were left dumbfounded because, for the first time in her 20+ year career, Madonna had censored herself in fear of going too far. And, perhaps, also for the first time, the fans had lost a little respect for her because of that very move.

It’s just so very unfortunate that all of this happened during the release of what is one of her absolute greatest records to date. Whilst some lost respect, American Life – if this is at all possible – allowed me the room to respect this woman even more. Not just as a pop culture icon, or as a musician and artist, but as a human being. And that, perhaps, is why people just weren’t interested.