Warped Independence, AKA Take on Impossible Princess

 Underrated no longer.

Albums once ravaged by the public only to garner more appreciation later on is a tale as old as time. Records like The Dreaming (Kate Bush), Trout Mask Replica (Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band) and 808s & Heartbreak (Kanye West) can fit comfortably beneath the umbrella. A project getting vindicated by history is an incredibly real, common occurrence -- particularly within the music biz. Hailing from Australia, Kylie Minogueʼs 1997 endeavor Impossible Princess is a firm example of a full-length earning its proper due.

Now, this author wonʼt pretend he knows all there is to know about the Kylieverse. For ages, my exposure to her discography was limited to “I Should Be So Lucky” -- an irresistibly cheesefest combo of dance-pop/Hi-NRG thanks to the same trio who propelled Rick Astley to fame (Stock Aitken Waterman). “Canʼt Get You Out of My Head” was hard to circumvent, as well. Minogueʼs been something of an actor, too, namely in notorious movies -- the Street Fighter adaptation, for instance. ...No, Iʼm not padding the review out having talked SF. Raul Juliá, Andrew Bryniarski or bust!

Impossible Princess would mark a massive departure from the lighter and fluffier shade of work the artist was linked to. Lyricism was more autobiographical and much bleaker; soul searchingʼs a crucial topic, as was the deconstruction of the ‘perfect girl in a perfect realm’ mindset widespread in the eighties. Beyond these themes, songs such as “Say Hey” bore an intimate edge, “Dreams” touched on the thought of constant boundary pushing and “Limbo” revolved around frustration/symbolic claustrophobia. Minogueʼs metamorphosis from SAW-produced doll to enlightened experimentalist is a... character arc, and cleverly done at that. 

Incentivized by both the electronica/Britpop scenes, this offering was an astonishing exercise in genre roulette. Kylie via 1994 sowed the seeds of ambition -- Minogue expatiating on what her preceding entry hinted at was an inevitability. She dabbled in anxiety-fueled drum and bass (“Too Far”); pop rock that skewed sunnier (“Did It Again” and “Some Kind of Bliss”); jazz (“Through the Years”); downtempo laced in stillness (“Breathe”); and additional elements. All these sounds were amplified by a distinguishable trip hop support, alongside an interest in world music -- the Celtic influence on “Cowboy Style” was most telling. 

Upon initial release, Minogueʼs sixth chapter sharply divided her fandom and the public -- with the UK ridiculing the outcome especially. About the only group who had taken to Impossible Princess were the Aussies. Responses to a shift in direction, dearth of marketing, an extended wait between albums and sustained delays made it a nightmare. And letʼs not kid ourselves: “Some Kind of Bliss” was a DREADFUL pick for the lead-off single -- already not one of the finer compositions here. That track goes a long way explaining the ‘IndieKylie’ label Minogue got saddled with.

The blowback proving a tyrannical presence, the icon felt shattered to the point where she contemplated ending her music career. A little over a decade dyad has gone by and Minogue has yet to create a sequel. In any case, thereʼs a twofold light at the end of this tunnel: 1) Light Years dropped in 2000, touted as a return to form; 2) Impossible Princess underwent a reevaluation. Since its rep on the mend, the outingʼs in the higher echelons of this atypical gay starʼs catalog -- it even played a pivotal role in encouraging other pop artists to flirt with electronic-happy aesthetics.

In spite of a scrambled flow, Impossible Princess carries on as a cool art pop record. Lamentable as it is that Minogue canʼt find it in her to make a spiritual successor, the finished result would pale in comparison -- meet the cynic in me. Solid vocal harmonies, the galaxy of enticing songcraft ideas that go (mostly) realized and wild production choices assemble to shape a worthwhile beast for more... permissive poptimists. A note to conclude the piece: eat shit, Ray of Light, this dropped four months earlier!