Kylie Minogue's latest is just gorgeous:
Sort of a dance version of "In My Life." I've been thinking a fair bit about dance music lately. It's always seemed to me that it's an amorphous genre, encompassing everything from Paul Oakenfold's trance work (I haven't listened to Tranceport in ages, but it really is an amazing album):
To Madonna's articulate explications of the importance of self-expression through dance. "All the Lovers" is a lot softer than the defiance, the almost political tone, of "Vogue." Dance isn't dependent on lyrics, of course, in the same ways pop or hip-hop is, which I think makes it extra-gratifying when really good dance artists nail the connection between music and lyrics, when they make clear that there's narrative in all of that movement. I want to give all of this some more thought. My knowledge of dance music really is patchier than I wish it was, and for some reason, deeply associated with the UK, whether it's the conversation about Dirty Vegas in State of Play, or memories of dancing to Modjo in Manchester clubs. If all the songs on Kylie's new album sound this fantastic, it should be a pretty pleasant exploration. Recommendations would be highly appreciated.