Ariel Pink on new album: “They need something edgy"

Is Madonna going indie on her next record? According to Ariel Pink, Madge is looking for a change in direction and has enlisted the LA-based singer to help write the followup to 2012’s EDM-centric MDNA.

“Interscope are calling me to help write Madonna’s record,” Pink revealed in an interview with FL’s Doug Wallen.“They need something edgy. They need songwriting. She can’t just have her Avicii, her producers or whatever, come up with a new techno jam for her to gyrate to and pretend that she’s 20 years old. They actually need songs. I’m partly responsible for that return-to-values thing,” he explained.

Speaking to FL ahead of his Australian return as part of the Sugar Mountain festival in January, Pink suggested the pop star needed to look to her past for inspiration and riffed about the kind of song he would write for Madonna. “I guess it’s called ‘throwback’, but the first record [1983’s Madonna ] was so good because of the songs,” he said. “It’s been a downward slide [since] … ‘Ray of Light’ is not cool. And all the other stuff she’s done after that, it’s not like it matters. It really shows a drain of values. People need more substance in their mac-and-cheese. People need more sugar or something.”

For MDNA Madonna worked extensively with French electro and progressive house DJ and producer Martin Solveig and Benny Benassi, a move which – despite the record shifting two million copies worldwide – Pink doesn’t think worked in her favour. “It’s not because of her age,” he offered. “It’s because of the things that she thinks she needs to do to stay in her narcissistic domination of the world. Which is totally hers to have. But it’s about not just being a yes person. I’m sure Interscope signed her like, ‘Okay, the last record didn’t do so well. We gotta do something about this. We’re gonna get all new songwriters together and we’re gonna try to come up with this thing. ’Cause she needs help with this.’ And she’s happy to let them do that for her.”

While he had a lot to say about Madonna, Ariel Pink also spoke at length to FL about his own forthcoming record pom pom, which is due out on November 18 through 4AD. Labelled a “solo album” the record follows 2012’s Mature Themes which was released under the Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti moniker. pom pom features 17 tracks including ‘Jell-O’ and ‘Plastic Raincoats In The Pig Parade’ which were co-written with the Runaways former manager Kim Fowley.

Read more at http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/40859/Ariel-Pink-is-working-on-Madonnas-new-album-They-need-something-edgy#5vAkOJCahhJQ3EEy.99