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Chromatica's Production


Tony31511

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Tony31511

First off, I love Chromatica. The vocals, honest lyrics, underlying stories about pain, and the unique collaborations are all AMAZING. But the one thing that bugs me the most about this album is the production, which I found to be kinda... basic.

This is the only critique I have for Chromatica. I feel like Gaga was not being experimental or boundary-pushing with her production like she was with Born This Way. Just listen to the instrumentals of songs like Marry The Night, Heavy Metal Lover, Government Hooker, Born This Way, Scheiße, Bloody Mary, etc. No other artist has yet to make music at that level (not even Gaga herself imo). With Chromatica, it's almost hard to differentiate the songs from each other because most of them contain very similar beats and sounds. To me, Rain On Me and maybe Sine From Above have the best production value... but the rest don't.

I suppose the main focus of this album was the lyrics, which I think are some of the best she has had in her career so far. But a lot of the production was too generic for me, which I was not expecting from Gaga this time around. Thoughts?

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Yeeeeeep. I think the exact same album with Boyz Noise and / or Garibay would have been legendary; I don’t care for a lot of Bloodpop’s dated sound and think this album will age the “worst” of her albums...amazing lyrics though.

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Jill
3 minutes ago, Tony31511 said:

But the one thing that bugs me the most about this album is the production, which I found to be kinda... basic.

your opinion?

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funkyhaus

Agreed, I really like the album but I feel it’s just too polished almost. 
There are songs that if they just went off a little harder and had more grit I’d enjoy way more. 
I preferred the demo to Free Woman and the Rain On Me demo more too just because of that grit. 

Still enjoying the album though :staymad:

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“When we sat with Gaga, we all talked about how it should feel. There was this general consensus that the music should feel classic and familiar, but also fresh and new at the same time. Something I thought about a lot when finishing these records: What sound would work here to make the listener almost feel comfortable, like they’ve experienced it before?”

Burns for Rolling Stone

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Tony31511
2 minutes ago, Lionel Hutz said:

your opinion?

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Yes it is my honest opinion that I thought would be a great discussion to have with the rest of you. Let's just all respect each other's views/taste.

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Reality

I don't really think that the album was supposed to be "experimental" or "boundary-pushing," though. 

In this interview (the link below), producers like BloodPop and BURNS explained that they took the tribute to genres like 90s house very seriously. They purposefully avoided using technology and mixing trends that were "too modern." I think they wanted this album rooted in house, techno, disco, etc, but with a more contemporary twist. 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/lady-gaga-chromatica-making-of-bloodpop-axwell-1007139/

Yes, I do agree that the beats of the songs sound similar, but the melodies, Gaga's vocal effects, and the rest of the instrumentals offset that.

This album is cohesive; that's all. The album takes in influences of house, disco, techno, EDM, etc. However, the songs don't sound the same. Enigma doesn't sound like SFA, which doesn't sound like Babylon, which doesn't sound like Alice, which doesn't sound like Free Woman, etc. 

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Reality
7 minutes ago, brownie said:

Yeeeeeep. I think the exact same album with Boyz Noise and / or Garibay would have been legendary; I don’t care for a lot of Bloodpop’s dated sound and think this album will age the “worst” of her albums...amazing lyrics though.

Totally disagree. 

I do think a Boys Noize and and Garibay album would've been cool, but BloodPop is an amazing producer in his own right.

What he did on Joanne and on this record was great. He needs to be held in higher regard. 

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Killa

But is important for an album to have many similarities. That was the flaw but charm of btw. 

I think she was aware of this. We still have much diversity. 

You have the bouncy like alice, sour candy, 911 and those more chill like free woman, enigma. 

Imo the lyrics are very weak and kinda already seem pointing at her promo. Just seems like she purposely doesnt say too much. Like all songs have some few lines directed to the topic and you just have to guess. Then theres the music that dont serve the lyrics, if i dont read it, i hardly feel interest knowing what shes saying

I think we have gaga that still thinks a pop star is what she did for britney etc circa 2007, the way she writes lyrics and composes. And then bloodpop stuck in 2016. On top with 90s music. 

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OMonster

As a massive fan of this album, I can understand the comments re production - but I think it's important to keep in mind that we are in a new era of pop music today. 

Gaga hasn't released a pure pop record since 2013. Since then, music production has changed... and if you listen to albums by other mainstream pop artists like, say, Taylor Swift, for example, the sound of their music is very polished and sparkly and light... because that's what's 'in' right now. 

And whilst it's reasonable to want Gaga to push boundaries, you also have to realise that she is very much restricted by her status and success in the music industry - particularly post ASIB where she gained a new audience. And we know this was a contributing factor to Chromatica, since its producers have shed light on wanting to appeal to both the young and old. 

So, with all of that in mind, the 'modern' (and less experimental) production, I think, is easily understood and is balanced out by the themes, lyrics and vocals on this album - all of which are extremely unusual and raw when compared to the vast majority of big name stars in Gaga's echelon. 

Further... and I'm sorry to keep going on, lol... but it's also worth thinking about what objectively constitutes a 'good' album by actual industry measures - and that's cohesiveness... something that most of Gaga's albums have lacked, bar maybe TF/TFM and Joanne. 

Chromatica, on the other hand, IS extremely cohesive and that's because of the 'samey' production some are criticising. The albums that win the most awards and receive the most acclaim are always the most cohesive, and that ultimately comes down to a very focused and consistent sonic tone... which Chromatica absolutely has. 

So, yeah... maybe this interpretation could help you (and others, of course) to accept and enjoy the production for what it is in the context of the 'Top 40' mainstream career that Gaga will always be chained to. 

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Benji

The songs are FULL of incredible 90's house samples and stems but I think you need to be a fan of the genre to appreciate it.  This album has been produced with such detail it's amazing.

For example, one of the COOLEST nods on the album is on 1000 Doves where they use the same piano (plugin, stem, I'm no sure) as what they use on N-Trance's Set You Free.  How clever is it to use that sample on a song about being set free?  This album has a lot of smart nods like that.

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