My ARTPOP Review!

[Chic 20,830]

1. Aura (9/10) - One of my favorites off the album, but it sort of feels disconnected from the rest of it because it was the first sound we ever heard from ARTPOP, and also the first song on the album so you sort of forget about it by the end. That being said, the song itself is amazing...as a songwriter, the verse lyrics are intricate and meaningful and the chorus lyrics are rather simple yet beautiful at the same time. I still prefer the demo, but the amount of times I've heard this song in different forms hasn't disrupted my enjoyment of it. The one problem I have is that the first verse sounds a bit lazy, even though I guess it's more 'fun' than the demo verses...? Less emotional but more theatrical and tongue-in-cheek in my opinion. Either way, this song still remains one of my favorites. My favorite thing about this song is the chorus in its entirety, and its segue into the second verse.

2. Venus (8/10) - I've heard this song so many times, and it's one of the more catchy songs on the album. The theatricality and how random it is makes the song really appealing, and the structure is really complex. The fact that Gaga produced it all by herself adds some points to it because it truly is impressive for her first try at production. The only problem I have with this song is that it gets a bit old quicker than Applause does (and Applause never gets old). There is nothing particularly extraordinary or breath-taking about any of the parts (except maybe the bridge). My favorite thing about this song is the chorus and the angelic harmonies during the "aaaahhh new dimension" and "Venus, ah-ha!" parts.

3. G.U.Y (9.5/10) - Definitely one of the catchiest songs on the album. It is still very fresh to me, and I like how unique and dark it sounds. It's right up there with Mary Jane Holland in terms of the most "dark-sounding instrumentals" on the album. The verses and pre-chorus are extremely reminiscent to early Britney (especially when she says "of this love") which I absolutely adore. First impression was that the rest of the chorus after what we heard from the snippet sounded like a fan edit, but I've easily gotten over that. This song is a true pop masterpiece (and also very unique), and I believe it should definitely be the single. My favorite thing about this song is the entirety of the pre-chorus and the bridge when she says "Touch me, touch me, don't be shy, etc.".

4. Sexxx Dreams (6.5/10) - From the first preview of this song before Swinefest, I never considered it the masterpiece that everyone else did. I loved the verses, but never really liked the chorus. The 80's sound was one of my favorite things in the song. Now, in this studio version, I'm finding myself having a more tolerant opinion of the song. I wish the background vocals would have been done a bit better and that the sound would have been increased, and I'm rather impartial about the extra chorus lyrics (I feel that they would be better suited for a remix), but other than that it's a pretty decent song to me. The autotune is a bit of a turn-off but not as noticeable as on the other Swinefest tracks. I did notice that the song is a lot quicker than the live version. The thing that hurts this track for me is that it took a long time to get used to it and have it be a better song to me, but the fact that it did change a bit in the studio version really destroys the authenticity of the live version that I was getting used to. My favorite thing about this song is the background vocals during the verses and the electronic synths throughout it.

5. Jewels N’ Drugs (feat. T.I., Too $hort & Twista) (7/10) - I always thought of this song as a bit of a joke, a really satirical and subtle sort of commentary on pop music expectations. It felt try-hard but at the same time amazing because I thought that was the point. I still think it's kind of a joke and not actually meant to be taken seriously because of how out-there it is. That being said, it's extremely catchy and I love both the production and the vocals. I didn't expect this to be much different from the Swinefest version, but there are actually a lot of new things that I didn't hear in it. It's a really fun track and I'm glad that it exists because it shows she has a lot of flexibility in terms of musical genres. My favorite thing about this track is the "Don't want your jewels, etc." part, and then the chorus is tied with Twista's verse.

6. MANiCURE (9/10) - This was always one of my favorite tracks from Swinefest. It still retains its catchiness, and I far prefer the chorus and bridge to the original live version. There's not a lot to say about this song; I personally think it's brilliant and not really generic. It is what it is. My one complaint is that I wish the chorus had the power that the live version did. My favorite thing about this song is the verses.

7. Do What U Want (feat. R. Kelly) (7/10) - This was never one of my favorite tracks. Firstly, I was very wary about R. Kelly being on the track, the snippet wasn't anything really mind-blowing, and the fact that it was made the second single before Venus was even heard, and after the song itself was released and I stopped having excitement for it, killed a lot of the like I did have for the song. That being said, the song is really catchy and the vocals are astounding. This song would probably have a higher score if my enjoyment for it wasn't killed by the second single decision due to a multitude of reasons ranging from the excitement already being gone, the potential of Venus being better (which it is to me), and the fact that it will probably take a bit of time for the music video to be released (it probably hasn't even been filmed yet), which will cause my excitement to drop even more than it already has. My favorite thing about this song is the song's vocals and the bridge.

8. ARTPOP (8/10) - This has always been one of the best tracks, in my opinion. It is fresh, futuristic and sounds other-worldly, all of the things I wanted from this album. The epic intro rising up from the fade-out of DWUW is a neat idea, and the verses in its studio version when compared to the live version are something that took less time to get used to than those in, say, MANiCURE or Sexxx Dreams. I absolutely love the melodies and synths. My only gripe with the song is that I wish the "HEE HEE"'s and the bridge in its entirety were louder. My favorite thing about this song is the chorus, followed by the "HEE HEE"'s.

9. Swine (8.5/10) - Now, I have to be honest, out of all the Swinefest-to-studio transitions, this was the most disappointing, mainly because of the fact it was one of my favorites from the live set, making any little change or imperfection more drastic to me. The verses are unfortunately heavily autotuned (the second verse is ten times more tolerable than the first, I must say) and the chorus has less power than I would have preferred. At the same time, the breakdown, while it has less "umpf" than the live version did in my opinion, is still my favorite thing about this song and I accept that the 'compression' does work better for the studio version and that more bass is to be expected in any live performance of it. The lack of power compared to the Swinefest version being a downfall also applies to the whole song, not just the breakdown. I don't see it being a single as much as I used to, but this song is still absolutely amazing. My favorite thing about this song is the breakdown, followed by the second verse.

10. Donatella (8/10) - I have to say that I was expecting a breakdown better than Swine because of what people said, but to be perfectly honest I'm still not sure where the breakdown is, so I guess I can consider that a bit of a disappointment? The chorus is spectacular, as is the pre-chorus, and I love the "Voodoo voodoo, voo da da da" lyrics. This song really gets some major points for me because the pre-chorus has some nostalgic value for me, and oddly reminds me of my last relationship for some reason (I have that kind of thing where I connect certain memories to certain sounds in songs). Overall, this song is a real club banger. I believe that this may be a single sometime. My favorite thing in this song is the chorus.

11. Fashion! (6.5/10) - This certainly isn't one of my favorite songs, but I do enjoy it! I feel that, while not exactly a filler, it is the most filler-sounding track on the album. It reminds me so much of David Bowie, which earns it some points, and it has a bit of nostalgic value, so that earns some points as well. Judging fairly, it is a decent song and I love the piano/vocals. The production is also rather good. I don't really like the French part of the bridge, though. My favorite thing about this song is the chorus, followed by the bridge.

12. Mary Jane Holland (10/10) - Absolute perfection. This song is tied as my favorite from the album, and it has impressed me from the first time it was announced to its release. The lyrics are spectacular and the production is one of the best on the entire album (Madeon is my favorite producer on the album, he did an AMAZING job). I admit that I was a bit wary after people who went to the listening party labeled it as 'filler', but I personally think that it's the best song on ARTPOP. It's everything I've ever wanted from this album and far exceeded any expectations I had for it beforehand. I definitely want this to be a single in the future, but I do have my doubts that it will be, so I'm at least happy that it will be performed on tour (this isn't yet confirmed, but I'm pretty sure all of the ARTPOP songs will be performed on tour). My favorite thing about this song is the bridge, followed by the chorus.

13. Dope (8.5/10) - I Wanna Be With You was my least favorite song from Swinefest, but it actually became my favorite transition from live to studio. The lyrics of this song are infinitely relatable...I was worried that it wouldn't be as relatable to me as the other tracks because I've never done dope or any sort of d--g, but it turned out to be the most relatable song on the album. The lyrics are absolutely fantastic, which is great because the live version had "just okay" lyrics from that set, in my opinion. The vocals are amazing and some of her best on the album, and I am so glad they aren't autotuned. The electronic synths are amazing and a great addition to the song, they fit so perfectly to the gritty atmosphere and the slurring of the vocals (which I think work really nicely with the lyrical content of the song). This song means a lot to me because I've been slowly getting over a rather recent break-up, and while this doesn't represent the exact stage I'm at in terms of repairing my life, I do find it extremely relatable to me anyway. My favorite thing about this song is the vocals during the chorus, and the lyrics.

14. Gypsy (10/10) - An amazing, perfect song. This is a literal masterpiece. It is tied as my favorite from ARTPOP. As with Mary Jane Holland, every part of the song is flawless to me. What people always said about The Edge Of Glory (a song that I never hailed as the best from Born This Way), I say about Gypsy. I was always very wary about this song. The title wasn't my favorite, and I thought the live version was rather boring, so I was really not that excited at all for the studio version. However, I was completely wrong. Gypsy is amazing, from the beauty of the melodies to the quality of the vocals (which are some of the best on the album, in my opinion) to the instrumentation done by Madeon. I could easily see this being a single, and I want it to be, so badly. This song has nostalgic value for me and is relatable to me in that I have done many long distance relationships in the past, and have questioned a lot of things concerning love during those times...the song gives me great hope and happiness, it is like a 'recovery' song for me in that, by the end of the song, Gaga has found true happiness, her nirvana, and that I hope to as well while I recover from my latest break-up. I know things are going to get better, and this song, at least for me, represents the flourishing and blooming experiences of a new relationship and a happy future. I absolutely adore Gypsy. My favorite thing about this song is the chorus.

15. Applause (9/10) - What's there to say? You have to give this song some serious props. It is one of the catchiest songs on the album, and I still haven't gotten bored with it. It's not exactly the most extraordinary song ever created, but I do believe it was the best choice for the lead single at this point in time. For one, it wasn't my absolute favorite on the album and so I see it as a sort of staircase for the future singles to use as leverage now that Gaga is back in the public eye because of it, but it's still a really great track and I'm glad it was released as the lead single. While I was a little disappointed considering I was expecting and had hyped myself up for the next Bad Romance to come after so long of a waiting time between albums, the song is great for what it is even though I don't think it tops BR in any way (I was really expecting a more epic bridge with lyrics, which would have helped it in comparison to Bad Romance in terms of my enjoyment, but I've gotten over that by now). I honestly can't believe this song is still in the top ten, but it truly deserves it. I do feel that it's worth mentioning how great and unique the music video is, in my opinion, seeing as its the only song that has one so far this era. I've always loved the title, and I have enjoyed everything about the song ever since that first leaked snippet of the pre-chorus (which is perfect) up until the official release and onward. The leaked snippet of the second verse sounded terrible to me at first, but when I heard it in the context of the song and gave it a bit of time, it grew on me, and now it's one of the catchiest parts of the song, in my opinion. I have memorized every lyric to Applause, and I hope that it continues to be fresh for months and even years to come. My favorite thing about this song is the pre-chorus.

Ratings:

1. Aura (9/10)

2. Venus (8/10)

3. G.U.Y (9.5/10)

4. Sexxx Dreams (6.5/10)

5. Jewels N’ Drugs (feat. T.I., Too $hort & Twista) (7/10)

6. MANiCURE (9/10)

7. Do What U Want (feat. R. Kelly) (7/10)

8. ARTPOP (8/10)

9. Swine (8.5/10)

10. Donatella (8/10)

11. Fashion! (6.5/10)

12. Mary Jane Holland (10/10)

13. Dope (8.5/10)

14. Gypsy (10/10)

15. Applause (9/10)

Favorite Songs (In Order From Greatest To Least):

1. Mary Jane Holland (10/10)

2. Gypsy (10/10)

3. G.U.Y. (9.5/10)

4. Aura (9/10)

5. Applause (9/10)

6. MANiCURE (9/10)

7. Dope (8.5/10)

8. Swine (8.5/10)

9. Venus (8/10)

10. Donatella (8/10)

11. ARTPOP (8/10)

12. Jewels N' Drugs (feat. T.I., Too $hort & Twista) (7/10)

13. Do What U Want (feat. R. Kelly) (7/10)

14. Sexxx Dreams (6.5/10)

15. Fashion! (6.5/10)

Overall:

8.3/10

Overall, one of my favorite albums of all time. It far surpasses all of her previous albums, in my opinion. It is a pop/EDM masterpiece and deserves to win AOTY for the 2015 Grammy's. ARTPOP is a solid work of art and touches on all types of genres such as EDM, trap, pop and R&B. Some songs have a nice 80's flair to them while others are rather futuristic, but they all blend very well together to form a cohesive album. My main gripe with this album was the lack of power on some songs and the noticeable use of autotune (both problems are primarily heard on the Swinefest tracks). The things I love the most about this album are the vocals and the EDM instrumentals, followed by the titles and lyrics. While Mary Jane Holland and Gypsy reign as the top songs from ARTPOP for me, I must mention that no song on it is particularly boring and that I do appreciate, enjoy and love the tracks I gave lesser scores to such as Sexxx Dreams and Fashion!. I know my opinions only apply to myself, but I hope you enjoyed reading my review of ARTPOP.

Happy listening, and cheers to ARTPOP!

[SEANGT 4,709]

great write-up  :clap: I always know a good review when Gypsy is a 10/10 

[Chic 20,830]

great write-up  :clap: I always know a good review when Gypsy is a 10/10 

#TeamGypsy y'all :pawsup:

[GreenEyes 366]

See this a great review, nice read, very honest, respectful, and i agree with most of the points. :clap: 

 

I would just rate Sexxx Dreams higher though but that is just my opinion  

[Chic 20,830]

See this a great review, nice read, very honest, respectful, and i agree with most of the points. :clap:

I would just rate Sexxx Dreams higher though but that is just my opinion

I do think some songs are rated a bit low, but all of the songs are great, and at an average of 8.3, the album is spectacular as a whole. Sexxx Dreams is a very nice song still, even though it got one of the lower ratings from me

Thank you for the compliments :hug:

[Solitaire 902]

 

14. Gypsy (10/10) - An amazing, perfect song. This is a literal masterpiece. It is tied as my favorite from ARTPOP. As with Mary Jane Holland, every part of the song is flawless to me. What people always said about The Edge Of Glory (a song that I never hailed as the best from Born This Way), I say about Gypsy. I was always very wary about this song. The title wasn't my favorite, and I thought the live version was rather boring, so I was really not that excited at all for the studio version. However, I was completely wrong. Gypsy is amazing, from the beauty of the melodies to the quality of the vocals (which are some of the best on the album, in my opinion) to the instrumentation done by Madeon. I could easily see this being a single, and I want it to be, so badly. This song has nostalgic value for me and is relatable to me in that I have done many long distance relationships in the past, and have questioned a lot of things concerning love during those times...the song gives me great hope and happiness, it is like a 'recovery' song for me in that, by the end of the song, Gaga has found true happiness, her nirvana, and that I hope to as well while I recover from my latest break-up. I know things are going to get better, and this song, at least for me, represents the flourishing and blooming experiences of a new relationship and a happy future. I absolutely adore Gypsy. My favorite thing about this song is the chorus.

 

 

I just went through a rather rough breakup and Gypsy makes me feel so much better. I definitely connect with you on this point. 

 

 I DON'T WANNA BE ALONE FOREVER, BUT I CAN BE TONIGHT 

[Chic 20,830]

I just went through a rather rough breakup and Gypsy makes me feel so much better. I definitely connect with you on this point. 

 

 I DON'T WANNA BE ALONE FOREVER, BUT I CAN BE TONIGHT 

I am SO GLAD someone feels the same way on this, because while I was writing that I was wondering if others would have the same reaction to Gypsy, and seeing as you do, it further enforces the fact that the song is truly powerful and deserving of a perfect score :hug:

[lairofhk 895]

Feeling kinda disappointed tbh. The production is pretty wonky on some of the songs. 

[Solitaire 902]

I am SO GLAD someone feels the same way on this, because while I was writing that I was wondering if others would have the same reaction to Gypsy, and seeing as you do, it further enforces the fact that the song is truly powerful and deserving of a perfect score

 

Gaga performed the acoustic version about a week after my breakup happened, and it helped so so much. It made me feel strong, but it still seemed to caress my broken heart at the same time. It's perfect.  :cry:

 

And it HAS to be a single. It just HAS to be.

[Chic 20,830]

Gaga performed the acoustic version about a week after my breakup happened, and it helped so so much. It made me feel strong, but it still seemed to caress my broken heart at the same time. It's perfect.  :cry:

 

And it HAS to be a single. It just HAS to be.

My break-up was in April, after a two year relationship, and because my ex found someone else in June, I was depressed up until 2-3 weeks ago when I finally decided it was time to just cut all contact with him before it got worse, which was both a difficult and an easy thing to do. I'm much better now than I've been since June, I no longer feel depressed anymore. Gypsy makes me so emotional and hopeful of a happy future. I absolutely love it.

I agree. Gypsy NEEDS to be a single.

[VTV 10,755]

MJH seroiusly?

 

G.U.Y deserves 10/10 

 

IMO

[KimtinoAguilera 0]

OH YOU LIKE MJH TOO I GAVE IT TOO 10/10 ITS THE DARKEST ANTHEM OF THE YEAR IN A GOOD WAY SONICALLY I'M HIGH.