Relisten #6: Aphrodite & Kiss Me Once (TONIGHT! 01/11/20 at 7:30pm)

Thanks everyone for joining, I've really enjoyed hearing all your thoughts and I THINK everyone enjoyed these albums a little more than they expected to!

My enjoyment remained the same.
 
One thing I've decided throughout the process of these sync listens (and sorry to COMPARE FEMALES etc etc) is that while Madonna has the greatest singles discography of any artist dead or alive, Kylie actually has stronger albums front to back. At least 5 of the 6 Parlo records are fantastic, 2 of her 90s albums are SUPERB - she's been a more consistent "albums artiste". nobody @ Suedey please.
 
Sorry to barge in with some very VoR-esque negativity, but for me KMO is a very focus grouped album, and the first/only time she sounded a wee bit desperate.

What was the essential THEME of the album? If Light Years was the glorious pop comeback, Fever was filtered disco, Body Language was quirky 80s electro-pop and Aphrodite was diva pop, KMO just sounds like a random grab bag of sounds that were vaguely popular at the time.

The title track works best for me as she injects Sia’s by the numbers songwriting with real warmth and feeling. Les Sex is fun because she totally gets that it’s Carry -On pop and vamps it up accordingly. But virtually everything else is just shades of BLAND and FORGETTABLE.

I really dislike it quite viscerally. It’s an empty husk of an album. Golden is far from perfect, but it was a massive step up.
 
One thing I've decided throughout the process of these sync listens (and sorry to COMPARE FEMALES etc etc) is that while Madonna has the greatest singles discography of any artist dead or alive, Kylie actually has stronger albums front to back. At least 5 of the 6 Parlo records are fantastic, 2 of her 90s albums are SUPERB - she's been a more consistent "albums artiste". nobody @ Suedey please.

I am scared to LIKE this.
 
What was the essential THEME of the album? If Light Years was the glorious pop comeback, Fever was filtered disco, Body Language was quirky 80s electro-pop and Aphrodite was diva pop, KMO just sounds like a random grab bag of sounds that were vaguely popular at the time.
I think it's quite a considerable stretch to claim Aphrodite as "diva pop" (what does that mean anyway?) or suggest it has any real theme or cohesion at all.
 
It is Aphrodite that feels the more cynical album to me. Kylie and Stuart Price practically admitted as much in interviews.
 
I did struggle to define exactly what Aphrodite IS, but it certainly has a more consistent sound and feel than KMO.
 
Ultimately, for whatever flaws Aphrodite has, it still has All The Lovers.

KMO peaks with a passable SIA song. The rest is anodyne.
 
Thanks Iguana, I did this rather than read my book and enjoyed listening again. I think overall Aphrodite works the better of the two records.
 
One thing I've decided throughout the process of these sync listens (and sorry to COMPARE FEMALES etc etc) is that while Madonna has the greatest singles discography of any artist dead or alive, Kylie actually has stronger albums front to back. At least 5 of the 6 Parlo records are fantastic, 2 of her 90s albums are SUPERB - she's been a more consistent "albums artiste". nobody @ Suedey please.
I don’t know if I’d agree she has a better album than Ray of Light, Music or Confessions on a Dancefloor but I take your point.
 
thanks @Iguana !
Didn’t have chance to listen to KMO but good to give Aphrodite another go :disco:
 
I’ve never been hugely involved in the forum but I think it’s been a much better place to be since the first lockdown in March due to stuff like this so good job to anyone who takes the time to do stuff.

Moopy has definitely stepped up since March! I love the syncs and games. Definitely helping keeping me sane in 2020!
 
One thing I've decided throughout the process of these sync listens (and sorry to COMPARE FEMALES etc etc) is that while Madonna has the greatest singles discography of any artist dead or alive, Kylie actually has stronger albums front to back. At least 5 of the 6 Parlo records are fantastic, 2 of her 90s albums are SUPERB - she's been a more consistent "albums artiste". nobody @ Suedey please.

Not a hope in hell of me agreeing with that anyway, never mind Suedey. It’s all I can do not to pee myself laughing actually. :wired:
 
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Couldn't do the listens last night, but I'm going to post my rates as I remember them. Over the next couple of days I intend to listen to both albums and score again.

APHRODITE

10 All the Lovers
10 Get Outta My Way
05 Put Your Hands Up
06 Closer
04 Everything Is Beautiful
08 Aphrodite
08 Illusion
07 Better Than Today
05 Too Much
05 Cupid Boy
06 Looking For An Angel
07 Can't Beat the Feeling
 
KISS ME ONCE

10 Into The Blue
06 Million Miles
08 I Was Gonna Cancel
07 Sexy Love
06 Sexercize
07 Feels So Good
07 If Only
10 Les Sex
10 Kiss Me Once
07 Beautiful
07 Fine

 
It is Aphrodite that feels the more cynical album to me. Kylie and Stuart Price practically admitted as much in interviews.

I agree with this. Much of the criticism VoR levels at KMO I would level at Aphrodite instead. I find Aphrodite a cold, almost robotic album on the whole.
 
I'm not making any promises about not listening to any Disco leaks, however...
 
Hoping you will be able to increase some of those Aphrodite scores on relisten, @lolly :emoji_pray:

Possibly. Until a year or two ago I probably would have only given GOMW a 7 or 8. It was only the GH last year when it really kicked in.
 
I feel on reflection I was a bit too generous towards Aphrodite (the song) and certainly Cupid Boy. These are tracks that I would never intentionally seek out so it took me by surprise that I enjoyed them both a little more than I remembered.

07 Aphrodite
06 Cupid Boy
 
I feel on reflection I was a bit too generous towards Aphrodite (the song) and certainly Cupid Boy. These are tracks that I would never intentionally seek out so it took me by surprise that I enjoyed them both a little more than I remembered.

07 Aphrodite
06 Cupid Boy

Isn't the WHOLE POINT of a relisten that you go back and reevaluate? If you enjoy something more and mark it up (or the opposite), that's fine!
 
Isn't the WHOLE POINT of a relisten that you go back and reevaluate? If you enjoy something more and mark it up (or the opposite), that's fine!

I listened to them AGAIN after the sync and reevaluated once more.
 

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