Madeline Goldstein
Speaking to the Body
Artoffact Records
Speaking to the Body is the culmination of several years of work for Los Angeles chanteuse Madeline Goldstein. While she’s been releasing music since 2020, it was 2023’s excellent Other World EP that truly revealed the power and presence that have since defined Goldstein’s music, splitting the difference between enveloping analogue electronics and her distinct vocal persona. While the LP may recall wave classics of yesteryear, its execution transcends retro nostalgia through the craft of its construction and the strength of its personality.
Firstly and most importantly to the record’s success, Madeline Goldstein is a forceful performer as a vocalist. That’s not to say she belts it out on every number, but that she commands attention; the way she uses laidback delivery on the minimal verses of “Dream 2 Die (No Heaven)” before sliding smoothly up into a higher register is arresting, as is her choices on where to place the emphasis on the punchy “My Own Design”, riding the beat before launching off and gliding above it. Revisiting the now familiar “1996 Expectations” (originally released in 2024) drives this home, veering close to modern darkwave sounds, leaning into the song’s drama with genuine gusto. How she situates herself on that track is broadly representative of her approach, not always going full-force, but being unmistakably present at all times.
And that’s a good thing too, because a meeker vocalist would be in danger of being lost, or flattened by the breadth and scope of the LP’s recording and songwriting. Produced by long-time collaborator Matia Simovich of Inhalt (whose discography is littered with modern classics from the likes of SRSQ, Riki, and Body of Light amongst others), the songs are outsized and grand in their construction, as befits the singer’s own character. Things just feel big, regardless of how complex or driving the track might be; “Conspiracy of Love” takes a relatively simple assembly of brassy pads, bubbling electro bass and rhythm programming and presents it in widescreen, while Goldstein gives her sweetest, most earnestly romantic vocal performance of the album. Opener “Strange & Absurd” comes through the door with fat new wave drums, chattering computer synths and swirling textures that have the fantastical air of the slickest UK new wave. Thankfully it’s all done with a ear towards keeping things tasteful, grandiose but not excessive. A track like “Apogee” gains nothing by being extra, its power comes from the space between Goldstein, its percussion and its insistent bassline, suggesting size without adding excess ornamentation.
Speaking to the Body is a record of considerable carriage, from the depth of its presentation, to the heft of its songwriting, and to the charisma Goldstein brings to bear across its runtime. With all it has going on, it’s best approached as an experience to be explored, absorbed, and best of all, savoured. Recommended.
