It's Kylie album number 15 and it's time to hit the Disco. From Light Years to Aphrodite, Kylie has always had a penchant for disco-pop and it feels like she's back in her comfort zone here. Join us, as we track through the album for the first time.
Magic
The second single from Magic serves as a gentle introduction to Disco. It's the most straight-up pop song of the set, seemingly borrowing a synth-line from Katy Perry's Chained To The Rhythm. Plenty of fun, it's a featherlight launching pad.
Miss A Thing
These are the disco vibes we anticipated. With decadent strings and elongated vocals, Kylie is taking us back to Light Years with Miss A Thing. The chorus is a grower with Kylie's subtle vocal taking a hold of you. It's really extraordinary that she still sounds relevant 20 years after she released Light Years.
Real Groove
Now she's brought the groove in. It's clear at this point that this album is going to be lyrically on the same level. Every song is basically about capturing euphoria on the dance floor through whatever means and Kylie is a master of conjuring that feeling. Real Groove does it so well with a chorus that may be one of the strongest Kylie has given us in a decade. It's so dangerously close to being cheesy but the production is subtle enough to reign it back in.
Monday Blues
It's already obvious from the title than this one is going to pile on the cheese. The best thing about this album so far is that it escapes so far into its own world that you can't help but follow. It's pure escapism and that's exactly what we needs right now. It's why we can forgive lyrics that skate dangerously close to Rebecca Black's Friday. The Latin-inspired production here is throwing us back to Please Stay.
Supernova
Into the galaxy with Supernova. This is a pulsating, glossy dance song and perhaps the most club-ready cut yet. Funky, Donna Summer-inspired guitars are paired with luscious strings as Kylie takes us into the clouds with this one. The most surprising thing about this album so far are the subtle nods to Daft Punk. The robotic voices here are almost certainly inspired by the French duo.
Say Something
Say Something has aged like fine wine...Kylie wine, of course. It's such a rich, decadent pop song that takes its time in creating something transcendent. It's Kylie's best vocal in years too as she climbs the vocal ladder in the bridge. There's also some real warmth that radiates from the message, "Can we all be as one again?"
Last Chance
Back to funk-infused disco, Last Chance is the firmest command to dance of the album. It rollicks along with magnetic energy, culminating in an urgent, blood-pumping chorus. The call-and-response of the chorus could be corny at the hands of everything else but the Kylie touch is just magic. I have to say at the mid-way point this album could be the best Kylie album since Body Language.
I Love It
I Love It was the weakest of the pre-release single but it's a nice moment in the context of the album. The strings are the hero here adding buoyancy to the middle part of the record.
Where Does The DJ Go?
Where Does The DJ Go? feels like the kind of question Alcazar or Steps would've pondered in the late '90s. It's so funny to hear this kind of cheese in a 2020 pop track but it's just so impossible to dislike. Everything from the sweeping intro to the hand claps is so cringeworthy but I can't help but be swept away with her. It's so unashamedly fun, it feels plain cranky to complain about it.
Dance Floor Darling
This is the album's most camp moment and Kylie is in her absolute element. It's a take on '80s disco complete with neon beats and twinkling synths. When the beat starts speeding up to the sound of a howling guitar, it's actually more thrilling than laughable. Chromeo is the vibe I'm getting here.
Unstoppable
Instrumentally, Unstoppable features the most minimal verses on this album. It loses a little of the magic the album has garnered so far and the chorus feels too disjointed to pick it back up. There's nothing unbearable about Unstoppable but it's the least likely to put a smile on your face.
Celebrate You
What a closer. A soaring, euphoric moment that celebrates self-love. It's the peak of the disco experience - when you're numb to anything negative. Stylistically, Kylie sits somewhere between the bliss of I Believe In You and the community of All The Lovers. An excellent finish to an album that is just so heartwarming from start-to-finish. There's nothing groundbreaking on Disco but there doesn't need to be. Kylie is a pop pioneer and Disco plays out like a victory lap. At points, it's so good it could be a greatest hits collection.
Best Tracks: Say Something, Last Chance, Real Groove, Celebrate You
Worst Tracks: Unstoppable
