Monday, 9 December 2013

Lady Gaga- Artpop Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Artpop
Artist- Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is undeniably a pop phenomenon in today’s music world: ever since she burst onto the scene with her stellar album The Fame, the singer has been a great staple of the music scene, and her extravagant persona and infectious tunes have really captured the public’s attention. Yet at the same time her eccentricity can be polarising, and at times she can seem like a woman caught up in her own world rather than being a really good pop force. Artpop has been positioned as very big music event from the singer that will push the musical envelope in terms of bringing artistry back to pop music, but does the music actually measure up, or is Gaga’s craziness at this point just too much.

Track 1- Aura

Opening track Aura is a psychedelic techno affair that was used as a soundtrack song for the film Machete Kills, in which Gaga stars. The track begins with this snazzy guitar riff before morphing into this weird conglomeration of subdued, cowboy based instrumentation, distorted vocals and stomping EDM rhythms. The songs production is cool and powerful but definitely leans more towards the albums artistic qualities. Lyrically the track focuses on Gaga’s persona, with the singer reflecting on herself and reasserting her feminity and agency as a human being. The song is wrapped around a solid pop chorus and in places the verses are fun and catchy, but other times Gaga’s crazy vision is a bit too much too take, whilst the vocals are strong but too heavily distorted and add to this hard to fully understand if you like it feel of the track.

3/5

Track 2- Venus

The first song of her career solely produced by Gaga herself, Venus is another of the tracks more weird pop numbers in which find the singer placing herself as this goddess of love and using a wide array of space imagery, wanting to be taken to the planet venus. The songs manic energy and fragmented lyrics shouldn’t work but they kind of do, and although the vocal distortions and manic state of the singer’s voice is annoying, the vocals work well with the lyrical substance. The dance/ synth pop sound of the record features a simple thumping babe and euphoric sounding synths that creates an equally manic pop song that is another track where you are in this state of love and hate.

3/5

Track 3- G.U.Y

Once again invoking gods within the beginning of this track, G.U.Y is a quirky, heavy feeling synth pop number that simply focuses on Gaga telling this person that she wants to be the girl under him, in various (but more obviously sexual) interpretations of the phrase. The message is simple but just comes across as annoying rather than appealing, with the rumbling, snappy tones of the production giving the song a gritty but ultimately unimpressionable sound. The vocals are good in places as the singer utilises her range, but in other places she comes across as whiny, particularly in the chorus, which just acts as the seal of the songs failure.

2.5/5

Track 4- Sexx Dreams

Sexx Dreams continues the sensual edge of the album going as Gaga sings of seeing this person in her dreams about sex, and how this person was amazing. Whilst the subject matter may seem a bit weird, lyrically this song is the best track on the record yet, with a solid pop chorus that invokes the spirit of some of her earlier work, whilst the power of the song is also elevated by the way Gaga sails along in her lower range in the verses before giving us a brilliant, falsetto driven chorus. Keeping the production equally more simple than the previous offerings with a steady beat in the verses and some snappy, catchy electro beats in the chorus makes the songs sound more appealing, whilst the sound also evokes a euphoric edge within the track that is nicely in tune with the lyrical message.

3.5/5

Track 5- Jewels n’ Drugs (featuring T.I, Too Short and Twista)

From the nice pop sensibilities of Sexx Dreams Gaga takes a u turn into more trap, hip hop based music that just doesn’t sound good. The song simply finds Gaga singing about not wanting drugs and jewels but simply wanting this guy’s love, with the chorus being short and annoying. The verses find Gaga singing in a weird, I am in a state of passion kind of way that leaves little impression on the listener, whilst the guest rappers on the track aren’t utilised well and just give us short, boring rap verses. The songs structure is also too frenzied, with the production changing in intensity and giving us different hip hop flavours to the song that might have worked for other artists, but which just doesn’t work for Gaga. She may be a lover of hip hop, but just cause you love a certain type of music doesn’t always mean you should have a go at it yourself.

2/5

Track 6- Manicure 

Gaga goes back to a more simplistic pop state with the fun and energising manicure. The snarling vocals that open the track really grabs your attention brilliantly and shows the nice performance side of the singer, whilst the shouting ‘manicure’ hook is really catchy. The song lyrically focuses on the singer telling this guy what she wants him to do with her and how his love is really potent for her, with the lyrics being elevated by the feistiness of the singers vocal delivery. The blend of the snappy percussion with shimmering synth notes and a funky breakdown in the bridge gives a vibrant pop sound to track that makes you want to dance around and revel in the singers energy, whilst the electric guitar solo at the end is an awesome way to end the song.

3.5/5

Track 7- Do What U Want (featuring R. Kelly)

Due to the popularity of the song at its release, Do What U Want was promoted from promotional single status to be the records second official single. And it is easy to see why, because the song is one of the most pure pop moments from the singer with a slight smooth RnB feel, and the song just shows that there is a really good artist behind all the craziness of her persona. The song is a lyricaly strong piece where Gaga tells people that they can say what they want about her body, but they can’t hurt her or take away her thoughts, feelings and passion. The feistiness of her vocal delivery really elevates the song, whilst Gaga also really shows off her vocal chops to great effect. R Kelly is a smooth, nice addition to the track that gives the song a sensual edge and compliments the slight grit that lies in some of Gaga’s delivery of lines. The songs throbbing club beat and simple synth sound that characterises the song creates this rumbling energy for the tracks lyrics to follow, and simply with this track we see that Gaga maybe should just strip things back.

4/5

Track 8- Artpop

Title track Artpop is a light synthpop affair that finds Gaga singing to this guy and suggesting that they could belong together, whilst she also lyrically acknowledges the craziness of the Artpop album could actually mean anything. The singer keeps things light and simple with her vocal performance and brings this sense of sweetness and love to the track, whilst the stuttering, stomping rhythm of the production with the clattering synth notes creates this equally as light and simple sound that keeps the lyrics at the forefront of the song. Some of the Auto Tune could have been taken away, and the bridge is a bit weird, but once again the singer shows strength in giving us more simple pop numbers.

3.5/5 

Track 9- Swine

After the relative simplicity of the last two tracks Gaga goes back to her crazy, musically volatile, crazy self with Swine, an aggressive electro pop number where she basically refers to this guy as a swine who wants her but who she just sees as disgusting. The lyrics are a bit awkard in places but the ‘swine’ hook is actually quite catchy, whilst the singers vocals are cool in the way that she moves from a sensual to aggressive vocal delivery seamlessly, and too great effect. The problem with the song is that the production is once again over dramatic and too frenzied, going from simple synth pop notes to this rumbling bass and dance, club ready breakdown that sounds as boring on paper as it does actually listening to the song. It is probably a song that clubs might actually start playing, but it lacks an innovative edge and just feels to complicated.

2.5/5

Track 10- Donatella

Donatella’s rich beginning is cool satirical piece in which Gaga speaks of being great cause she is blond and skinny, etc. This cool opening shows that Gaga is fully aware of her craziness and can easily poke fun at herself, offering the listener a closer connection to the artist. Then the song starts to kick in and you get bored again. The song finds the singer indulging in her love of the fashion brand Donatella and although she nicely uses some clichés and a cool analysis of the fashion industry, the song ultimately just self-indulgent and lacks a really catchy chorus. The song finds the singer vocals going from cheerleader shouts to drawling tones that just brings an unappealing quality to the track, whilst the fuzzy dance beats of the track is just a pop sound that, whilst nicely simple in places, is also just simply boring.

2.5/5

Track 11- Fashion!

Co-written and co-produced with will.i.am and David Guetta, Fashion is a song that opens up with this intriguing piano melody and is weirdly a successful collaboration, in that whilst both will.i.am and David Guetta’s solo material is quite hectic, here we are given more of a simple pop tune that once again places the singer in better state of musical being. The song features a funky 80’s guitar groove and swirling synth flourishes that brings a fun energy to the track that is infectious. The singer’s vocals are light and simple and blend well with the fun sound, whilst the lyrics are catchy in their equally simplistic evoking of Gaga’s love for fashion. Some elements of the song could have been avoided like the vocal presence of will.i.am and the post chorus dance elements, but other than that this is a nice pop tune.

3.5/5

Track 12- Mary Jane Holland

Mary Jane Holland is another song that features a drawling, frenzied vocal performance from the singer that is just boring to listen to, whilst the song also utilises a heavy synth bass and forceful electro sound that is also lacking in any ability to grab the listeners attention, whilst the song also seems to show that in many respects Gaga is one trick pony kind of an artist, becomes at this point the sound seems to blend into one. The lyrics of the song lack a catchy appeal and simply seem to facilitate the singer’s need to speak of a love of theatricality and the alluding to drugs.

1.5/5

Track 13- Dope

From the simple title of this track you could easily view this song as either being a song where the singer sings of her greatness, or where she sings of the greatness of drugs. Yet instead we are given an intriguing electronic rock ballad that has a lyrically dark theme where the singer focuses on her substance abuse and a yearning for a lost love that goes beyond her need for drugs. The song is passionate and honest and is elevated in its power to touch the listener through the way the singer delivers her vocal in a despairing, intoxicated, slurring kind of a way. The minimalist production with the simple mix of piano and distant synths makes for a more impactful, emotionally strong piece that is more brilliant in this respect.

3.5/5

Track 14- Gypsy

The only song on the record to feature any sort of input from one of the singers major musical collaborators, that is producer RedOne, Gypsy is a stomping dance track with some acoustic elements interspersed in the dominating synth pop production. Lyrically the song draws on the singer jet setting lifestyle and the fact that she doesn’t actually own her own home, with the singer stating that one day she might settle down but at the minute she loves life and being with people, with the song nicely having the ability to be read as a love letter to the singers fans. The vocal is strong in the way that the singer builds up her voice and brings passion to the song, whilst the thumping dance grooves and eclectic, electronic style fun and euphoric, although at times the frenzied nature of the song can detract from its ability to impress the listener.

3.5/5

Track 15- Applause

Closing track Applause was the records first single and introduced the world to the crazy, new type of Gaga theatrically that would mark this record. But whilst I like many probably thought it was a step back for the singer and not all that good, on subsequent hearings I have been won over by the pop brilliance of the song and the analysis of pop culture that characterises the track. Here Gaga sings of how she lives for the applause and loves to hear it, with the song allowing the singer to address the fact that a lot of her artistry is based upon her love to just entertain people and make them happy. It is a strong sentiment that is centred around a weird but really catchy hook that will just get stuck in your head the more you listen to them. The vocals are simple and snappy in the chorus whilst the singer nicely commands the listeners attention in the verse with her warbling, David Bowie like tone. The production is feisty synthpop at it’s finest with a glittering synth base and hand clapping grooves that will also just elevate the songs ability to get stuck in your head the more you listen to it, and so whilst it may not have struck me the first time I heard it, now I can finally see this songs brilliance and the reason why it is both on the end of the album and was the beginning of the Artpop era.

4/5

Final Review

Artpop is an ambitious album that unfortunately fails to grab the listener and achieve what it strives to do. It is all well and good for Gaga to try and put some strong artistic merit in her work, but with too many of the songs her crazy persona just takes over and we just get a jumbled sound that just sound bad. There are some pop gems within the record that show that the singer should keep to a simpler sound and go back to the level of sophisticated music that led to her early career, whilst the vocals need to be fine-tuned, because at times her voice sounds amazing and at other times she sounds like an Auto Tuned mess. It just is a fun album at times, annoying at others, and Gaga’s team just need to finally do something and control the artistry, cause freedom is all good but sometimes it is just too crazy.

4.5/10

Best Track- Applause

Worst Track- Mary Jane Holland

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