Magdalene

Romantic and sad, industrial and sweet: a dynamic revelation

FKA Twigs' third release does not disappoint, bending genres from industrial to classical, from choral to club beats, hip hop to trip-hop. 

 

"Magdalene" is not a concept album, but holds parallels throughout to the misunderstood and maligned Mary Magdalene character from the Bible. Is she a sinner or a powerful apostle, an alienated outsider or confidant, one who is possessed or one who is a saint? It's an artistic weaving, but so personal and vulnerable as to avoid traps of pretentiousness or folly.

 

The album ends on a high note, literally, as Twig's soprano  soars asking "why don't I do it for you?" in "Cellophane," the video to which is as sensual as it is sad and desperate, bordered with surrealism and a touch of crassness. Twigs balances over this precipice in stilettos. You may find yourself at her behest re-listening to all her other albums, proving that FKA Twigs certainly does something extraordinary for some listeners.