Following on from my ‘Music album long list, 2026’ post from May, there are two albums that came out in July that I’ve been listening to from start to finish all month.
Madonna – Confessions II
The first album I’ve had on repeat is Confessions II from Madonna, which is a follow-on to her 2005 Confessions on a Dance Floor.
Confessions I, as I guess we should call it now, I also an album I listened to on repeat when it was released; and ‘Forbidden Love’ and ‘Isaac’ from this are among my all-time favourite tracks of hers.
Confessions II is a gorgeously produced, intricately-layered, intimate-yet-universal concept album that is great to listen to from start to finish – especially since each song transitions so perfectly into the next.
I don’t have any favourite songs from this album yet, but I have had bits from ‘Bring Your Love’, ‘Danceteria’, ‘Love Sensation’, and ‘Love Without Words’ stuck in my head on-and-off all month.
If you want to get a feel for the album, check out ‘Confessions II - The Film’ (14 min), which is basically a six-song music video mash-up.
Charli XCX – Music, Fashion, Film
I stopped listening to nothing but Confessions II on my work commute only when Charli XCX released Music, Fashion, Film on 24 July – and now I have that on repeat :)
This album is a super smart follow-up to 2024 Brat because it goes in a completely different direction: more guitars, fewer synths, and a move away from the club sound. Of course you wouldn’t expect anything less from Charli because she is hugely creative and constantly evolves her music from album-to-album.
I think this album is great, and if you think so too, check out its accompanying film: ‘Charli xcx presents Music, Fashion, Film’ (42 mins). Charli is an astute cultural observer and this film explains some of the “why” of this album.
Charli is also someone who invests in making consistently excellent music videos, and I particularly love the one for ‘Camera’ starring the fantastic Vincent Cassel. (There’s also a bit in ‘Charli xcx presents Music, Fashion, Film’ in which she pitches the idea of this music video to Vincent via voice note.)
I highly recommend you give this album a listen.
Other albums
Other albums I’ve been listening to over the last couple of months, though not on repeat, have been:
Sting – The Night Watch: Live at the Rijksmuseum (which you can watch the live recording of on YouTube: Sting - Sounds Like Art - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam - ARTE Concert)
Naomi Scott – F.I.G
Gabi Belle – City Girl (for which you can watch the making-of story: I tried making an album in 30 days)
In case you were wondering…
You may have been wondering why I’m suddenly talking a lot more about music on this blog. I feel I don’t talk enough about the things that I love and that I’m enjoying reading, watching, or listening to. So I’m hoping to do more of that going forward.