Lady Gaga-"ARTPOP" Review

It's hard to call "Born This Way" a stumble, but its straightforward messages of individuality and political asylum paled in comparison to the effervescent, carefree pop culture collage of "The Fame" and "The Fame Monster". It was ultimately reduced to be an artifact of its time, rather than a piece of art that transcended. Even from a commercial standpoint, "Born This Way" didn't exactly follow through in burning up the charts --it sold less than half of what her Grammy-winning debut did, spawned a couple hits, and left the face of the earth by early 2012. By the time "Marry The Night" failed to make headway, little monsters were already starving for new music, they wanted Gaga to return to the simple, uncomplicated songs of dancing and fashion, to once again consume music that celebrated their lives. The two year wait between that record and "ARTPOP" seemed like an eternity compared to the seemingly small three-years between "Born This Way" and its predecessor. Obviously, some change of pace was needed, but Gaga wasn't quick to abandon what made her a star in the first place. If anything, "ARTPOP" is her record that retreads back to fashion and pop culture, to further expand on "The Fame" but without replicating it. She achieves this in a couple key ways, the most notable was giving up the bid to recontextualize Madonna's 80s-persona for a post-modern era. Instead, Gaga creates a sound that straight 2013, in the thick of EDM, where all sounds are synthesized rather than man made. She's always been a dance artist, so while this sound is familiar enough for her to reshape it, she doesn't necessarily make any progressive statements here. The clash of hard synth and heavy piano in "Dope" may come as a surprise, and the pulsating hip-hop grooves of "Jewels N' Drugs" are certainly new, but the rest of "ARTPOP" is not unfamiliar. This is exactly where Gaga should have taken her music after "Born This Way".

It may sound disappointing to hear that this record is not the earth-shattering phenomenon it was so carefully structured as, but it still does play as something rather different. "ARTPOP" is filled with absurd lyrical asides and stream-of-consciousness, this is what gives it a distinctly modern flavor, but none of it would make any sense if the music didn't support it. Lady Gaga is hardly incompetent, even at her worst --no matter how hard it tries, "MANiCURE" is not an enjoyable segue from one artist assisted track to another ("Jewels N' Drugs" to the solid R. Kelly R&B-pop "Do What U Want")-- she is able to push the hook and emphasize rhythm, combining both elements into something reluctantly irresistable. This, along with the fusion of dense synths, the placid vocals and a pan-global approach, turns "ARTPOP" into a 15-song set that's widely accessible yet hermetically sealed, sounding as neither part of the underground nor the mainstream. This is music designed for numerous plays, as it's intricate enough to define a persona for Lady Gaga, yet faceless enough to be heard in movie soundtracks, airports, and malls. "ARTPOP" recaptures the joy of "The Fame" yet retains the deep architecture of "Born This Way", offering a credible expansion of both records while sharpening Gaga's strengths as a songwriter and vocalist. This was missing on her last record, so it's a delightful return to form. Yes, this record was supposed to be more than just entertainment, but that's hardly an excuse to dismiss it, not with the heavy arsenal of songs that are more hooky, stylish, and durable than Gaga has been in recent years. "Aura" opens the album with a rush of sound and a set of disjunct lyrics, "G.U.Y." and "Sexxx Dreams" offer a much needed sense of humor, there's the title track which glides on a retro-beat and a simplistic, catchy hook. Then, of course, we have lead single "Applause", which might be formless on its own, but it offers a superb end to this kaleidescope of fashion and art. That's the greatest strength of this record, in the fact that it is a cohesive, entertaining set of songs from start to finish. There are stumbles, but they're interestingly recorded and fascinatingly written. No song here will retain its musical integrity without the others around it, turning "ARTPOP" into the fashionable entity Gaga wanted it to be. It's better executed on "The Fame", but it's still the most fun you'll have listening to a record this year.

 

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Aura                       2. Venus                    3. GUY

4. Sexxx Dreams    5. Jewels N’ Drugs     6. MANiCURE

7. Do What U Want8. ARTPOP                 9. Swine

10. Donatella              11. Fashion!                12. Mary Jane Holland

13. Dope                      14. Gypsy                   15. Applause