MAYHEM: The Official Discussion Thread (Act II) It’s MAYHEM in here 👹

[chromaticangel 18]

I can't get over how good The Beast is

[AVeryGagaHolyDick 22,706]

I needed to poop to notice that in Zombieboy, she says “there’s a kitten over here” and goes “meow” in the background 

1:17

Edited Friday at 11:50 AM by AVeryGagaHolyDick

[RBL 496]

I don’t understand why people say it’s not dark. The first part of the album is definitely dark and even tho the middle part is lighter - well - the imagery, the lyrics it’s still goth to me. Y’all are way too literal and it’s almost insulting to Gaga. She’s way smarter and subtle than that. This is an insult to her intelligence. Look deeper you guys. I also feel that this her way to say « I’m gonna take everything I ever did, every sound, every vibe and make it fresh and so you all know that everything I have ever did is Gaga. Yes, it’s MAYHEM but this is what Gaga is. » She ate. It’s an outstanding record. 

[RBL 496]

Just now, RBL said:

I don’t understand why people say it’s not dark. The first part of the album is definitely dark and even tho the middle part is lighter - well - the imagery, the lyrics it’s still goth to me. Y’all are way too literal and it’s almost insulting to Gaga. She’s way smarter and subtle than that. This is an insult to her intelligence. Look deeper you guys. I also feel that this her way to say « I’m gonna take everything I ever did, every sound, every vibe and make it fresh and so you all know that everything I have ever did is Gaga. Yes, it’s MAYHEM but this is what Gaga is. » She ate. It’s an outstanding record. 

I said what I said. 

 

[GerMonsterNotta 1,153]

I think I’m finally ready to share some thoughts. 

listening to it is literally like meeting an old friend…. who is still ‘them’, but has grown so much…. 

It’s an amazing piece of work…… a LOT of highlights… rather than one genre or theme,  this feels like a tapestry of different work where she took the best and most meaningful tracks across all the genres she has been experimenting with and merging, and arranged them as a gift directly to us, the fans 

SOOOO many feelings and so much to say….. but for now I’ll stick to one moment ….  when that Garden of Eden chorus hit for the first time, I welled up, and inside I just felt:

” yes Gaga… we KNOW what it took for you to go back to this and you DID IT, you did it for US, You did for Michael and finally (I think) you are doing it because YOU WANT TO…  GO GO GO 

 

Edited Friday at 11:56 AM by GerMonsterNotta

[Gabi001 2,242]

Just now, RBL said:

I don’t understand why people say it’s not dark. The first part of the album is definitely dark and even tho the middle part is lighter - well - the imagery, the lyrics it’s still goth to me. Y’all are way too literal and it’s almost insulting to Gaga. She’s way smarter and subtle than that. This is an insult to her intelligence. Look deeper you guys. I also feel that this her way to say « I’m gonna take everything I ever did, every sound, every vibe and make it fresh and so you all know that everything I have ever did is Gaga. Yes, it’s MAYHEM but this is what Gaga is. » She ate. It’s an outstanding record. 

Exactly. I like how the sound is versatile while still cohesive, is has harder parts, lighter parts, but the darkness is there. I like it much better this smarter way than to have 14tracks that sound like Disease all over

[HookerOnAChurch 6,781]

20 minutes ago, chromaticangel said:

I can't get over how good The Beast is

Same. It's a carrer highlight 

[Ivy 11,952]

I just noticed ominous ending sounds in Blade Of Grass 

[robotvoiceinalice 1,268]

22 minutes ago, AVeryGagaHolyDick said:

I needed to poop to notice that in Zombieboy, she says “there’s a kitten over here” and goes “meow” in the background 

1:17

very shake your kitty

[robotvoiceinalice 1,268]

gonna go listen to the album in full again for the 3rd time, Shadow is grabbing me like Abracadabra did on first listen wtf i can't get enough  I knew i'd love it since the snippet

Edited Friday at 12:15 PM by robotvoiceinalice

[uglysexy 89]

Heard it last night and then re-listened to some of the songs this morning. I'll be honest, I also think the way she advertised it as dark and heavy (with all the outfits and the singles too) was a bit misleading to me, even though it's true that she did say it was chaotic and diverse in genre (but I expected more genres instead of pop and a bit of industrial).

I love most songs on this album, Disease, Abracadabra, Garden of Eden, Perfect Celebrity, LoveDrug, Shadow of a Man and Zombieboy are definitely strong and the production is amazing, I'll be losing hearing to them

Killah was a bit disappointing but maybe it has to grow on me. The ballads are nice and maybe I could have gone without How Bad Do U Want Me or Don't Call Tonight (especially if it's true that we were robbed of something like Mustang and the supposedly harder track is a target exclusive instead) but I think they're still well-made and radio friendly enough, kind of perfect for the summer or a lighter pop mood.

I really hope we get more music videos though because they really elevate the songs imo.

[automatic 1,000]

Wow. I just got to list to most of the album before class and I love it so far. I was definitely expecting the rest of the album to sound like Disease and Abracadabra but this is a pleasant surprise. I love the funkiness and just overall great pop sounds. I can see MAYHEM becoming one of my fav albums from her! 

[nath4gaga2 174]

Full review by me if anyone cares:

Disease - 9/10

Spoiler

Released at the perfect time for me, love the synth instrumental. Pretty well polished sound, different to anything on the radio. Kind of sad it didn't hit with the general public but sometimes you never know which left field songs will take off. The starting synth reminds me so much of Alice, the opening to Chromatica! Love the vocal take and the stacked vocals in octaves. Just overall really interesting and catchy. Standout moments are the drop away lead into the chorus making the chorus hit like a truck, and the moan into the final post-chorus.

Abracadabra - 10/10

Spoiler

Wasn't sure how I felt about the chanting sections when I first listened to it, but I like the way the song builds and the 90s house influences. There are some really interesting bubbly synth sounds in this one. I feel like it's one of her hookiest songs to date, and definitely getting TFM/BTW vibes with a current spin. I adore the descending arpeggios in the verse, makes it hard to sing if you don't know what you're doing but super fun. I'm surprised this hasn't smashed more - possibly because DWAS is still dominating charts globally. The sidechaining in the bridge is next level - and this style reminds me a bit of Nemo's The Code

Garden of Eden - 10/10

Spoiler

I can see why this is used for F1 - gives that sort of industrial vibes in the verse and post-chorus. Super catchy, and really enjoy her vocal take and where it sits in the mix. It is definitely giving Brat in places like I said when we first heard the snippets. I think this could actually do really well with the GP, different enough in parts to be fresh on the radio but not totally off the wall. The stacked vocals with the DJ hit the lights line brings a bit of a nice twist to this sort of song. Love love love the way the vocals soar before the final post-chorus. I think the outro is reminiscent of some of the interludes we used to get from gaga on tour (TMB-esque) and probably what a lot of the fans were hoping the whole album would sound like.

Perfect Celebrity - 9.5/10

Spoiler

The chords she uses here with the piano is so similar to Disease - gives quite an uneasy feeling which I'm not sure how to feel about. I can see what she meant with it being full of rage in the vocals, and I'm so glad we're finally getting some full on rock vocals (when is your Plastic Hearts gaga??!). Quite enjoy the muffled beat that is giving heartbeat on the second verse, and the references to Princess Die of course. The lead in to the final chorus warrants this score alone where she goes up on "perfect celebrity". Stunning, reminds me of watching Kerrang in the early 2000s with some of vocals. 

Can't Stop the High - 8/10

Spoiler

Listening to a fairly LQ version. I can sort of see why it wasn't in the standard version, it's similar to Perfect Celebrity, however, I think it introduces the more funky direction we go in for the rest of the album so it definitely would have worked. From what I can tell the instrumental reminds me a bit of some parts of GoE, but this is such a gaga track - TM mixed with BTW and Enigma. Some really interesting vocalisations which stand out towards the end. I like it but not one of my favourites.

Vanish into you - 10/10

Spoiler

Sooooo synthwave which I'm obsessed with, very 80s, so so catchy. I can't understand why some people don't like it. It's giving closing credits song for an 80s sad summer film where someone dies but had a lot of good montageable smiling moments. Some of the guitar motifs are giving me Chic which I think helped in making this one of the songs that got stuck in my head from listening just once. The lead in to the final chorus is soooooo TF gaga that would go round the radio stations and sing future love etc. Quintessentially early glam pop gaga imo, but without sounding outdated.

Killah - 4/10

Spoiler

This song I'm afraid is just too repetitive for me (it feels like it lasts 6 minutes when it's only 3:30), and I generally dislike the chord progression (where there is one). Very Bowie but that is to its detriment as I'm not a fan of this sort of music. I appreciate that she's doing something different, but it's just not for me. The dance break, however, slaps and prevented it from being a lower rating than a 4, I wish the whole song had that vibe so much. I sort of dread this song coming on whenever I'm going through the album, it will be a definite skip for me I'm afraid.

Zombieboy - 8/10

Spoiler

OK Hollaback girl mixed with Disco Heaven. Super funky base line which is classic for the sort of era it's pulling from. The lyric "this kitten over here (meow)" is amazing and I will not be taking any questions. I don't really like the chorus too much, it's solid just not really the best, the post-chorus is much more interesting for me. I wish the guitar solo lasted for much longer in the bridge. Very solid song, just not one of my all time favourites - outro is giving BTW so hard which I love to see the call-back. I think if I sit with this song more it will go up in my rankings but it's just solid for me.

LoveDrug - 9/10

Spoiler

Again with the synthwave feeling, and the drums have a really nice crispness whilst still feeling retro. The vocal delivery in the chorus is mixed so well, and sort of lets the guitar shine quite nicely alongside. The last chorus into the outro hits so nicely, makes me feel like I'm in an abandoned mall from the 80s with all the neon lights still on.

How Bad Do U Want Me - 6/10

Spoiler

Bonus points for the Yazoo sample. Her vocal delivery of the title line of the song is so Taylor Swift and the structure of the melody is too much like Taylor for me to enjoy it more than a 6/10. The chorus however, is giving Brooklyn Nights which is nice. One of the lines sounds like "the fat girl inside of me" which I know it's not but I don't think it would go down well. It's giving The Cure and not in a good way at times. A little on the repetitive side for me. Not sure it's skip-worthy, but would get boring fast for me, I quite enjoy the last few lines though.

Don't Call Tonight - 10/10

Spoiler

How is this so low for some people? Love how the chorus is so catchy, it's actually one of the songs that really stuck in my head after one listen. If I had to nitpick, the start of the second verse is a little on the boring side for me. Vocal delivery on the chorus hits really nicely, for some reason gives me Sia vibes (in a good way). I enjoy the funky guitar and nice baseline on this, along with a really great vocoder moment, and a low range chant and ending with a Marry the Night vocal finish. An absolute summer vibe of a song, really really enjoy it.

Kill for Love - 10/10

Spoiler

OK Miss Gaga why isn't this on the album?? I think I know why, in that it's too close to SoaM but I don't care this is stunning. Very very MJ's Thriller, maybe she didn't want to draw those comparisons? There are moments that are giving Lizzo just because of the high "know you're gonna BE mine". Feels spiritually ARTPOP/Thriller/BTW. So so catchy and I am hoping and praying this is going to go on streaming services. You don't understand I'm completely obsessed. Her vocals are stunning, and I actually think this would do so well on the radio if it was a single in the summer, and I'm actually starting to get mad it's not on the standard version with each listen.

Shadow Of A Man - 10/10

Spoiler

Another MJ tribute song, with a lovely groovy baseline. The rhythm of the vocal is a hook in itself, and how that interacts with the rhythm section of the instrumental just makes this song sing. This is a surefire hit. Love how the live instruments interact with the synths, you don't hear it done in this 80s reminiscent way very often in my opinion. This song is one that I would look forward to every time playing the album. An absolute highlight of the latter end of the album.

The Beast - 9/10

Spoiler

A Phil Collins sample here? I kind of wish we had a moment where it hits more like In the Air Tonight. It's giving early 2000s ballad at times, maybe a bit Eurovision. That dirty synth comes in nicely and brings it up a notch. The "hoo" on the second pre-chorus is SO Whitney and I'm sort of sad she does it just once. The guitar solo section is great, and I wish it was higher in the mix - it gives a bit of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds Musical album which is no bad thing. A good song, with impressive vocals again!

Blade Of Grass - 9/10

Spoiler

It's giving James Bond vs Joanne. Her vocal is a slightly more polished version of Dope, and which means I much prefer it to Dope. The one song on the album where I really noticed the lyrics, and how they really fit with the melody line. I love the bridge so much and her vocals are mixed so much better than in previous songs which means her sound is much less grating. Every time I listen I'm not sure how I feel about the key change, but it settles after a couple of bars and I'm sold - still I wish there was a bit more preparation for it, as it comes across as a bit abrupt. A really really solid ballad from Gaga, and they can be very hit/miss for me with her. The ballads I tend to prefer are some of the 90s ones a la Celine Dion etc.

Die With A Smile - 10/10

Spoiler

I will never understand why people don't like this song. The melody moves so beautifully, with the subdued instrumental which gives it a hazy evening sunset feel. The mix is so different to the rest of the album which does indicate it was a late addition, but as a song it does really fit into the end of album. Both Gaga and Bruno's vocals glide around in this song so smoothly and is one of the reasons it's been on constant repeat for me since it was released last year. I'm a die hard Die With a Smile fan, and I'm so glad she's getting her flowers for it. A perfect closer.

In summary, the album takes us on quite a journey. My thoughts are that it does seem to be fairly cohesive even though it was touted as complete mayhem. I can understand why some fans may be disappointed that the whole album doesn't resemble Disease/Abracadabra, but as a piece of work I really enjoy it. I think too many of you think back to her roots meant TFM/BTW when I hate to break it to you but her roots were Red and Blue and The Fame glam pop. Contrary to a lot of fans, I really enjoyed Chromatica and Joanne, and this album sits so nicely in her discography. With some time I'll be able to see where it fits better, The Fame is probably my least favourite gaga main album (there are a few duds on there which I skip) and I think it beats that and possibly Chromatica, will be able to see if it grows even more in time. Album Rating 88/100

[elegidadedios 880]

48 minutes ago, Kayi said:

Idk who, but I remember that someone on GGDaily around 2022 or 2023 predicted the Funk influences. This finally happenned guys. 

Now that you've said that and we've listened to it, am I the only one who thinks it really makes sense to approach these sounds at this point of her career? 

Idk, I feel like I'm one of the few stans here who's really really loving this album 

[Creyk 17,487]

29 minutes ago, RBL said:

I don’t understand why people say it’s not dark. The first part of the album is definitely dark and even tho the middle part is lighter - well - the imagery, the lyrics it’s still goth to me. Y’all are way too literal and it’s almost insulting to Gaga. She’s way smarter and subtle than that. This is an insult to her intelligence. Look deeper you guys. I also feel that this her way to say « I’m gonna take everything I ever did, every sound, every vibe and make it fresh and so you all know that everything I have ever did is Gaga. Yes, it’s MAYHEM but this is what Gaga is. » She ate. It’s an outstanding record. 

Besides Disease & Abracadabra, literally what is dark in the album? Nothing. Like just think about zombie boy, the song title lends itself to being super dark sinister and serious and then she turned into some cheerful disco jam, specially with those upbeat verses. Like what is that?