My ARTPOP Review

[thetranmonster 59]

WARNING: It's quite long, but I hope you enjoy it! 

 

TLDR: ARTPOP is a reflection of Gaga's career as a juxtaposition- putting 2 things together. And it's an electronic masterpiece that will make you dance your head off. 

 

With The Fame, we see the birth of a rising star about to dive into the realm of the celebrity in a guiltless exploration into a classic theme pertaining to pop culture: the pursuit of love and the quest for fame. With The Fame Monster, we see when this star gets a little too ahead of herself, beyond the looking glass into the seamy side of fame- its consequences, its damages, how poisonous it can be. And because of that, we then see this star have a moment of clarity, abandoning the luxuries and glories of fame for a more honest moment: Born This Way. At her most critical moment in her popularity, and as the world stares and criticizes against her every move, we see the media slowly begin to collapse upon the image she fought so hard to achieve: the artist. Slowly society begins to lose sight of the artist, and rather focus on the absurdities and artifice of her career. And so the phoenix faded as this star faded away from the limelight for a time being, only to rise again, bigger and brighter than ever before. And that, ladies and gentlemen, brings us to ARTPOP. Lady Gaga that has spent months incubating and reflecting on what it means to bring back the “artist†into pop culture. To innovate her message of passionate and adrenaline-driven creativity, compressing that into a 15-track wonder that is clearly her most diverse and strongest work, musically, vocally, and sonically.

 

 

 

Gaga manages to blend almost all genres of the pop music spectrum into a colorful electronic background. There’s hints of experimental pop within “Auraâ€, a sensual 80’s tone in “Sexxx Dreamsâ€, trap and hip hop in the obnoxious yet undeniable “Jewels N’ Drugsâ€, a nostalgic sense of stadium rock and sounds heard in both “MANiCURE†and “Gypsyâ€, harknening back to the days of Born This Way, the almost retro-sounding and addictiveness of the claps in “Applauseâ€, disco/Daft Punk esque in “Fashion!â€, the brazen and squelching electronic sounds clamoring and pounding with relentless force in tracks like “G.U.Y.â€, “Donatellaâ€, “Swineâ€, and “Mary Jane Hollandâ€, an addictive R&B style accented by a dark and subtle electronic backdrop in “Do What U Wantâ€, melancholic melodies in “Dopeâ€, and trance in the title track, “ARTPOPâ€. But throughout the album, perhaps it’s Gaga’s overarching goal for you to reexamine the current state of pop music and to appreciate this hybrid work of bridging the gap between fine art and “fine popâ€. On a surface level however, Gaga’s goal is simple. She wants you to dance. She wants you to unleash the same passion and energy that she put into this album. And that’s the beauty of it. You can dance to any album. You can jump, jam, scream, shout…but you will always know when it’s a Lady Gaga song. And this is undeniably a Lady Gaga album.

 

 

ARTPOP if it can be described in one word other than itself is juxtaposition. Behind every song lies clever double entendres, and the whole album itself is a juxtaposition. Her whole life is a juxtaposition: Stefani and Gaga, art and pop, reality and fantasy (which she so vehemently stressed during Born This Way), fame and decadence, addiction and recovery, love and loneliness. It is a juxtaposition of identities as she tries to welcome you to the “real Gagaâ€, only to fool you by giving you more Gaga. Gaga is Stefani. She is ARTPOP. She tries to encompass all things in this album, and though some may consider this uncohesive and “messyâ€, that is the beauty of it. She is every icon- constantly transforming in image and sound.

 

 

Every track on the album is a standout, each with its own addictive qualities because no two songs sound alike. Listen to the piece from start to finish, and as promised from Gaga herself, each song will deliver a different adrenaline rush. The mystery and allure of “Aura†as Gaga beckons you into her world, the transcendental ecstasy of “Venusâ€, the s-xual aggressiveness and passion of “G.U.Y.â€, evolving into Gaga tapping into every human’s s-xual desires in “Sexxx Dreamsâ€, then the pompousness and brash nature of “Jewels N’ Drugsâ€, the empowerment heard in “MANiCUREâ€, the rebellion in “Do What U Wantâ€, the otherwordly rush of inspiration heard throughout “ARTPOPâ€, then tapping into the carnal fury and anger in “Swineâ€, followed by the attitude and energy of both “Donatella†and “Fashion!â€, the high felt by “Mary Jane Holland,†the resonating ache of sadness and loss in “Dopeâ€, the nostalgia and blissful abandon heard in “Gypsyâ€, and the wonderful, encore feeling of “Applause†all deliver. Gaga delivered on this album. Buy ARTPOP on iTunes 11.11!

 

 

 

Track Ranking: (Just personally, but seriously, EVERY track slays)
1. Sexxx Dreams / 2. Gypsy / 3. G.U.Y. / 4. Dope / 5. Do What U Want  / 6. ARTPOP / 7. Mary Jane Holland / 8. ARTPOP / 9. Applause / 10. Aura / 11. Venus / 12. Swine / 13. Donatella / 14. Fashion! / 15. Jewels N’ Drugs

[Ray of Light 8,134]

Sis, at least bold or something. 

[SpadesToStart 2,159]

there are two ARTPOPs

is one of them supposed to be MANiCURE? lol

[tristessa 0]

I really like your review. You definitely drove your point home, and I agree with it for the most part.

I really feel like ARTPOP will be a turning point for Gaga's career. Whether it will be for the better or not is yet to be determined.