Metacritic score now 84, with 23 reviews

[monstertoronto 9,136]

Mayhem’s score is now 84, after 23 reviews.  Still “universal acclaim”. It’s so annoying to me that all the reviews are positive except for the one review from Slate that screws it up. Are there other sources that get included in metacritic that haven’t weighed in yet? I just saw Vulture posted a pretty mixed review but I don’t know if they count the r what numerical value would be assigned to it  

https://www.metacritic.com/music/mayhem/lady-gaga

Edited 7 hours ago by monstertoronto

[Louvre 1,432]

Looks like cowboy carter got 22 reviews that counted for metacritic and ttpd got 25 so in the next week the reviews will stop flowing in. I think its highly likely that this will stay 80 or above. Great score and her best. 

[Red 97,105]

In the ideal world it would rise to 86 before the 28th to celebrate her bday

[RAMROD 106,804]

May it hits 90

[AVeryGagaHolyDick 22,862]

Three points away from not being critically acclaimed  but when it’s Bey they all give 100/100 for no reason

[27monster27 12,222]

Someone on here said that a 90/100 review was on its way. Where is it?

[Stefanotta 1,091]

35 minutes ago, 27monster27 said:

Someone on here said that a 90/100 review was on its way. Where is it?

Yes that true

someone here also said that

here’s on X: https://x.com/mztrgaga/status/1899572266255454315?s=46

Here on link in the comments someone said The AV Club might have changed the reviewer who gave Mayhem this 75/100 that counts on Metacritic now

who knows what happened but really strange

[ActualPatient 1,353]

 

1 hour ago, Louvre said:

Looks like cowboy carter got 22 reviews that counted for metacritic and ttpd got 25

Thank you for sharing this!!

I asked ChatGPT to do the math for us!

Let's say at most, Lady Gaga gets 25 reviews.

For MAYHEM to reach 85 average, we'll need the 5 remaining reviews to be somewhere within a similar configuration:

a. 95, 95, 95, 85, 85

b. 100, 100, 85, 85, 85

c. 100, 100, 100, 85, 75

d. 100, 100, 90, 90, 85

Of course this isn't exhaustive, and only shows scores divisible by 5

 

---

If Lady Gaga only gets 3 more reviews, she needs:

100, 100, 95

---

Seems unlikely, we'll have to hack Slant and delete their review

 

[eifulien 2,827]

My aim isn't to be a Debbie Downer, but just look at an excerpt from PopMatters' review:

Spoiler

However, while the music on Mayhem is good, it also feels somewhat perfunctory. Very little on the record reaches her best work’s emotional or sonic highs. The songs feel slightly rote and paint-by-numbers, especially in this current pop market ruled by singers like Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, and Sabrina Carpenter. These artists took cues from Gaga’s sounds and imagery and ran with them, and it felt as if Gaga was somewhat left behind. She sounds diminished.

...

These tracks are worthy entries in Lady Gaga’s oeuvre, but they don’t stack up to her classic hits like “Telephone”, “Paparazzi”, or “Bad Romance”. The problem with Mayhem is that it’s merely a good record. It isn’t ambitious or all that innovative, nor does it push Gaga’s artistry.

...

It’s hard to be a trailblazing pop pioneer. Just ask Madonna, a pop legend constantly battling the burdensome expectations of her near-perfect past. Gaga is an artist who owes a lot to Madonna, and like the Michigan-born icon, Gaga is trapped in an unenviable race against herself. Such a song as the perfectly serviceable MTV-pop “Shadow of a Man” sounds like warmed-over 1980s dance-pop karaoke. “LoveDrug” has a lot of promise as a 2020s take on 1980s diva new wave rock, but lacks the delirious camp that defines Gaga’s best musical moments. Her return to Bowie/Prince “Zombieboy” sounds shockingly dull and rote.

Though Lady Gaga hasn’t hit 40 yet, she seems to have enjoyed several careers. Pop star. Movie Star. Actress. Activist. The problem is Mayhem doesn’t have the hallmarks of an envelope-pushing Gaga but merely one who is adapting to the pop landscape around her. The result is a record that will remind listeners of her remarkable past but also point to a somewhat disappointing present. Mayhem shines a glaring spotlight on a wildly creative artist who finds herself behind the times, following trends instead of setting them and seeming out of step.

Like WHAT THE ACTUAL F*CK?!?!?! The autor proceeds to award it a 7, but COME ON, BE REAL. So yeah, guys, as I was convinced by the backlash during ARTPOP, reviews aren't worth it, if you like it something, don't seek validation outside yourself for it. The critics are full of mierda. For reference, this guy awarded Kylie's Tension 2 an 8 and.... 143, a 6. One point lower than MAYHEM. 

Future Nostalgia was praised to heavens for it's throwback feel, MAYHEM is apparently problematic and dull. For ARTPOP she was constantly blamed for trying to reinvent the wheel, for MAYHEM, she's called unambitious... 

 

The only thing that matter is that Gaga has given us a great piece of craftsmanship with MAYHEM. Let's celebrate it. 

Edited Wednesday at 04:30 PM by eifulien

[monstertoronto 9,136]

1 hour ago, 27monster27 said:

Someone on here said that a 90/100 review was on its way. Where is it?

Did they say where that review was from?  I just dont want her to drop below 80 at this point. We’re so close. 

[StrawberryBlond 14,472]

7 hours ago, eifulien said:

My aim isn't to be a Debbie Downer, but just look at an excerpt from PopMatters' review:

  Hide contents

However, while the music on Mayhem is good, it also feels somewhat perfunctory. Very little on the record reaches her best work’s emotional or sonic highs. The songs feel slightly rote and paint-by-numbers, especially in this current pop market ruled by singers like Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, and Sabrina Carpenter. These artists took cues from Gaga’s sounds and imagery and ran with them, and it felt as if Gaga was somewhat left behind. She sounds diminished.

...

These tracks are worthy entries in Lady Gaga’s oeuvre, but they don’t stack up to her classic hits like “Telephone”, “Paparazzi”, or “Bad Romance”. The problem with Mayhem is that it’s merely a good record. It isn’t ambitious or all that innovative, nor does it push Gaga’s artistry.

...

It’s hard to be a trailblazing pop pioneer. Just ask Madonna, a pop legend constantly battling the burdensome expectations of her near-perfect past. Gaga is an artist who owes a lot to Madonna, and like the Michigan-born icon, Gaga is trapped in an unenviable race against herself. Such a song as the perfectly serviceable MTV-pop “Shadow of a Man” sounds like warmed-over 1980s dance-pop karaoke. “LoveDrug” has a lot of promise as a 2020s take on 1980s diva new wave rock, but lacks the delirious camp that defines Gaga’s best musical moments. Her return to Bowie/Prince “Zombieboy” sounds shockingly dull and rote.

Though Lady Gaga hasn’t hit 40 yet, she seems to have enjoyed several careers. Pop star. Movie Star. Actress. Activist. The problem is Mayhem doesn’t have the hallmarks of an envelope-pushing Gaga but merely one who is adapting to the pop landscape around her. The result is a record that will remind listeners of her remarkable past but also point to a somewhat disappointing present. Mayhem shines a glaring spotlight on a wildly creative artist who finds herself behind the times, following trends instead of setting them and seeming out of step.

Like WHAT THE ACTUAL F*CK?!?!?! The autor proceeds to award it a 7, but COME ON, BE REAL. So yeah, guys, as I was convinced by the backlash during ARTPOP, reviews aren't worth it, if you like it something, don't seek validation outside yourself for it. The critics are full of mierda. For reference, this guy awarded Kylie's Tension 2 an 8 and.... 143, a 6. One point lower than MAYHEM. 

Future Nostalgia was praised to heavens for it's throwback feel, MAYHEM is apparently problematic and dull. For ARTPOP she was constantly blamed for trying to reinvent the wheel, for MAYHEM, she's called unambitious... 

 

The only thing that matter is that Gaga has given us a great piece of craftsmanship with MAYHEM. Let's celebrate it. 

The audacity for them to say that Gaga's trying to adapt to the pop landscape! It literally sounds nothing like what's popular in the charts right now! And why isn't it being a good record enough? The concept of Gaga always having to push boundaries with every album is just unrealistic, even some of the best artists can't do that with every album, they generally find a way to push boundaries and stick with that style.

It is true that some album scores don't match the words of the actual review and it's especially annoying when it's a mixed score with a surprisingly positive review. I sometimes think reviewers have been given an assignment by their employer to give a certain score regardless of what they personally think. Some publications definitely don't rate albums below a 50% acceptable score and you can tell because everyone has heard albums they hate as not every album will be everyone's cup of tea, so it makes no sense that most album reviews are decent. I don't put any stock in critic reviews. I do amateur reviews and I never felt interested to pursuing album reviewing professionally because I can't deal with the fakeness reviewers are clearly under. And you have to do a university degree in some form of music theory just to put out thoughts you don't necessarily agree with?

The sad thing is, critic reviews can play a big part in how many award nominations an artist gets and how much respect they get. Let's not pretend that part of the reason why Katy's never won a Grammy and is laughed at is much is because of her perpetually low critic scores. And in contrast, we know that Taylor's, Beyonce's and Billie's Grammy darling status and respected musicianship is because of their great reviews. It's a superficial thing but it's unfortunately true. I'm just glad Gaga's finally truly getting her overdue flowers with this as we know her earlier work deserved scores in the 80's and 90's and they probably would if released today. 

[PartySick 150,593]

What actually changes with this score? Or is it just for the online opinion lovers?

The only time I ever hear about Metacritic is when Gaga drops something

[Rat Boy 42,356]

4 minutes ago, PartySick said:

What actually changes with this score? Or is it just for the online opinion lovers?

The only time I ever hear about Metacritic is when Gaga drops something

It’s reviews from well established music publications (e.g. Pitchfork).

[PartySick 150,593]

2 minutes ago, Rat Boy said:

It’s reviews from well established music publications (e.g. Pitchfork).

I know what it is but like, are there "consequences" to a bad score or "benefits" to a good one other than bragging rights for stans?

[Ladle Ghoulash 18,501]

19 minutes ago, PartySick said:

I know what it is but like, are there "consequences" to a bad score or "benefits" to a good one other than bragging rights for stans?

No, it’s just bragging rights lol