AFTER a four-year absence,Madonna is back with the controversially-titled MDNA,which sees her team up withNicki Minaj and M.I.A.

Under the supervision ofproducers Martin Solveig andBenny Benassi, Madge hasdelved into the European housegenre with a dose of dupstepadded to the mix. Most of thealbum wouldn’t sound out ofplace in the clubs of Ibiza.

Frequent co-writer andproducer, William Orbit,provides the poppy componentto the album.

Solveig dominates the bettertracks. Lead single Give Me AllYour Luvin is up there with thebest of Madonna’s pop songsdespite Minaj’s banal rapping,while Turn Up The Radio is asimple no-thrills summer tune.

Overall, the lyrics aremonotonous but this seems tobe the general trend of clublandat present and Madonna isonly conforming.

Madonna’s ability tore-invent herself and keep hermusic relevant continues onMDNA. Her fans will love it butit is un-likely to recruit newmembers to the Madge fanclub.

UK DUBSTEP pioneerRusko’s second album Songslooks towards Jamaica withflavourings of Reggaepermeating through his music.

Rusko has clearly taken amore mainstream approach,and Songs will appeal to amass audience.

Nineties house sensibilitiesare added to dubstep in firstsingle Somebody To Love,while Rasta rhythms areembraced on Skanker.

With Songs, Rusko hasproduced a confident andcommercially viable body ofwork but it fails to reach thegroundbreaking status of hisdebut, O.M.G.!

LEEDS indie outfit TheWedding Present stick to atried and tested formula as theyrelease their ninth studio album,Valentina.

Since the release of theirdebut album, George Best, in1987, The Wedding Presenthave been famous in the indieworld for their fast-pacedrhythmic jangle-guitar pop andfor frontman’s David Gedge’soften playful but melancholiclyrics about relationships,arguments and unrequited love.

They later went on toproduce heavier and darkermaterial on Seamonsters,produced by Nirvanacollaborator Steve Albini.Valentina seems to be aconsolidation between thesetwo styles.

Flitting from the pop-funk ofThe Girl from the DDR, aspurning of an ex-lover byGedge, to the feedback ladenBack a Bit... Stop and thedistorted bass driven 524Fidelio, Valentina sees TheWedding Present occupy apost-Strokes landscape bymodernising their sound.

Valentina doesn’t break anynew musical ground, but aslong as Gedge keeps falling inlove and pouring his heart out,the songs will continue to flow.

hwyl6reviews

March 30, 2012

MadonnaMDMA

Music - This week’s new releases

Good cop, better cop...

‘With Cardiff enjoying aspectacular early summer, whatbetter way to celebrate thanbreak out the BBQs and listento these summer tunes.

Hot in Here – NellyQuite self explanatory, this is aguaranteed party starter, comerain or shine.

Summertime – Will SmithProbably the epitome of asummer anthem, no BBQ iscomplete without this classic.

Last Summer – LostprophetsFor fans of something heavier,a perfect accompaniment to acold beverage with yourfriends.

Hot ‘n’ Cold – Katy PerryWe all know this hot weatherwon’t last for too long, and thissong tediously sums this up.

Sun is Shining – BobMarley vs. Funkstar De LuxeThe original is pretty damnsummery, but the Danishproducer still managed to crankthings up a notch.

Playlist

RuskoSongs

The Wedding PresentValentina

21 Jump StreetPhil Lord & Chris Miller

IF YOU had walked into thecinema just as 21 Jump Streetwas finishing, you probablywouldn’t be very impressed.

It would appear to have hadall the hallmarks of a cliché-fest– explosions, infantile humourand an embarrassinglypredictable romance.

But only by watching thiscop flick from the beginningwould you realise this sequel tothe 1987 TV series combineslaidback humour with aconcerted attempt to poke funat Hollywood.

At a police academy twotrainee cops – geeky MortonSchmidt (Jonah Hill) andmacho but dim-wittedGreg Jenko (Channing Tatum)– suddenly recognise each otheras former classmates.

The pair become almostreluctant friends, but areunderwhelmed by their firstjoint task – patrolling a localpark on bicycles.

After messing up their firstattempt at an arrest the pair aretransferred to 21 Jump Street,where they are sent undercoverat a local high school toinfiltrate a drugs gang byCaptain Dickson (Ice Cube).

They soon discover trendshave changed since they lefteducation. The aggressionJenko had used to thrive atschool is no more, whileSchmidt is embraced by thenew “cool”, environmentally-aware and liberal.

This comedy is a genuinelyfunny, unpretentious successand some of its throwawaymoments are among the best.One, a hilarious, almost spoofhigh-speed chase – which

started off in a learner driver’sdual-control car – sees thebungling officers themselvesbeing chased by the gang theyare supposed to have infiltrated.

21 Jump Street is no classic.Yet it is funny, and even if theconclusion is unsatisfying, thisis not a movie held together byits plot – rather by its humour,both slapstick and more subtle– and so hardly detracts from itshigh entertainment value.

IN A fictional post-apocalypticAmerica The Hunger Games

are a televised fight to thedeath, where teenagers fight forthe honour of their district.

16-year-old KatnissEverdeen, (Jennifer Lawrence),has volunteered to representdistrict 12 – the poorest district– to spare her younger sister’slife. Along with fellowcompetitor Peeta Melark, (JoshHutcherson), she is taken bybullet train to the capital city forthe games to begin.

The opening hour of the filmis essentially titillation.Reminiscent of Tim Burtonfilmmaking at its finest, thebright colours and extravagantset design create a fittingbackdrop to a world which

clearly has its priorities badlyskewed. That said, directorGary Ross makes a poignantcomparison with the kind ofcrowd fervour created with thereality television shows of the21st Century.

Where The Hunger Gamesruns into difficulty is indeciding how best to deal withthe subject matter – the killingof children for sport.

As the film is aimed at thepost-Twilight mid-teen market,the use of gore and bloodyviolence was never going towash, and a range of techniquesare used to lessen the shock.

Despite the occasionalmawkish moment, The Hunger

Games is pretty engaging stuff. Both Lawrence and

Hutcherson, put in goodperformances. The starhowever, is Stanley Tucci in hisrole as television host of thegames. His crooked smile anddeviant manner is so brilliantlybelievable, the inherentwickedness of the show’spremise seems momentarilyforgotten.

In many ways this is thebiggest strength of the film. Itlures the viewer in andcaptivates them with theprospect of greatness. Sadly, atthe crucial junctures it ends updissappointing, and fallingshort of this potential.

The Hunger GamesGary Ross

Hill and Tatum are well cast in a refreshing twist on the old Hollywood buddy-cop clichés